‘An important factor in improving enrolments in STEM is ensuring the development of positive attitudes towards mathematics and science.’ In her new column for Teacher, Dr Sue Thomson discusses the results of the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), students’ general attitudes to mathematics and science, and their aspirations post-school.

Helping students to retain information is a fundamental challenge in education. Staff at Coolum State High School have partnered with researchers to investigate one promising technique for improving retention: Retrieval Practice.

‘[Our school] vision is to develop young people who are active, resilient, lifelong learners. One of the priorities in our strategic plan relates to promoting student voice and agency…’ Richmond High School Principal Dr Lars Andersson shares how staff are working to ensure students are active participants in their learning.

As an educator working in a rural community, what are the most pressing challenges you face that are directly related to the location of your school? Is professional learning an area you need support in? What about staff turnover or opportunities for students? Here are five resources that analyse the experiences of staff and students in rural schools.

Attracting and retaining effective teachers to build and maintain a strong team can be difficult for principals and systems. Here, we find out how the Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns has been working to tackle teacher supply and demand issues in Far North Queensland.

Nilesh Banerjee, a casual relief teacher and a volunteer at Prescott College in Prospect, South Australia, has penned a review of Indigenous knowledges: Proceedings of the Water Sustainability and Wild Fire Mitigation symposia, 2012 and 2013. Here he also shares how it’s impacted his work with students and motivated him to give back to his community.

Learning to read is a complex task for children, and there are many evidence-based approaches to teaching children to read. So, how do children learn to read? How can teachers be most successful in reading instruction? We share five resources which seek to answer these questions.

‘There can be no more important time to reflect on teachers, their performance and their wellbeing than following the pandemic’s disruption to normal schooling.’ In today’s reader submission, Professor Jenny Gore says in addition to helping students, there must also be a focus on helping teachers recover.

Staff at Cedar College in South Australia are determined to improve the proportion of female students choosing to study Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering (STEM) subjects in senior high school. Here, we speak with Digital Technologies and Maths teacher Trudi Wynn about the strategies they’ve employed to entice more girls to consider studying STEM.

‘In 2018, no one could anticipate that a pandemic would strike two years later. But the future will always surprise us … and public health is not the only pressing issue on the global stage.’ In his new Teacher column, Andreas Schleicher discusses how schools can better prepare learners for a fast-changing, uncertain and volatile world.