It’s a special, bumper episode of School Assembly as Teacher Editor Jo Earp chats to Dan McShea about setting the teaching direction, and also checks in on Ray Boyd and Rachael Lehr, who we followed in Series 1, and Series 2 principal Jo Camozatto to find out what’s been happening at their schools.

In Series 3 of School Assembly we’ve been following Dan McShea, Foundation Principal of Notre Dame College on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. The P-12 college opens for the new school year in early 2025 – so it’s almost time for the keys to be handed over. In this episode we’re talking about the school building, landscaping and outdoor spaces.

Australia’s year 4 students have achieved the country’s best-ever result in a major international mathematics and science assessment, overcoming the challenges and disruption of pandemic learning in the early years of their schooling. The TIMSS 2023 results have just been released – here’s an overview of the international data and key findings for Australia.

Recent research reveals a decline in high-quality music education availability, and that music teachers are particularly vulnerable to burnout. In response to these challenges, Gradus Software has developed MusicApprentice through extensive consultation with music educators over several years. 

Professor Phil Roberts joins Teacher Editor Jo Earp to talk about the Rural and Regional Education Project, which explores how to lift outcomes for students in these areas. The project included a roundtable event bringing together a range of stakeholders, including the important voices of principals and teachers. We’ll be discussing some of the research findings and feedback from educators.

With the advent of ChatGPT and the emergence of similar generative AI tools, the teaching and learning landscape is facing a major challenge as it considers how schools might respond to generative AI. To guide schools with their investigation and implementation of generative AI, the Australian Government released the ‘Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools’ to guide the responsible and ethical use of generative AI tools.

In this Teacher Awards 2024 winners’ profile, we chat with the executive team at Cessnock High School in NSW. Winners of our Leadership Award for Driving School Improvement, we hear about how they’ve transformed school culture and improved academic achievement.

A free new competition from the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) recognises high student achievement in Literacy and Numeracy. Here, we celebrate the inaugural award winners and talk to educators about the value of challenging their high-achieving students.

The winners of the Teacher Awards 2024 have been announced, and we’ve been sharing more details of the outstanding practice recognised. Today we catch up with Kristie Shulz and Elizabeth Willman, from Queensland’s Parklands Christian College – winners of the Excellence in Curriculum Design and Implementation award.

Researchers from Edith Cowan University have recently highlighted the ongoing importance of explicitly teaching both handwriting and keyboarding skills to students, starting in the primary years. Dr Anabela Malpique joins Teacher editor Jo Earp to discuss findings of the meta-analysis and follow-up study, and tips for helping students become hybrid writers.