Students learn best in calm, organised and purposeful spaces. Classrooms can sometimes be overwhelmed by good intentions; every wall covered in colour, slogans and displays competing to be seen. In today’s article, Victorian teacher and designer Andressa Bassani shares 4 design principles to help turn classrooms into spaces that not only look good but work for supporting and celebrating student learning.

What do you love about being a teacher? Our annual reader survey includes an invitation for you to share what you love about your role in education. In this infographic, we share some of the latest responses received from classroom teachers.

Do your students count on their fingers for mathematics tasks? Do you encourage them to count on their fingers, or do you focus on supporting them to make calculations mentally? New research from Switzerland suggests finger counting has a positive impact on student outcomes, but only when it’s used at a specific age. 

Findings from an Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) survey commissioned by Alberts and The Tony Foundation of over 700 primary school teachers across 95 schools in New South Wales highlight the different ways music education is being offered. Teachers were asked: ‘In what form(s) is music education provided at your school?’. Find out more in today’s infographic.

To support the development of middle leaders, and to recognise the importance of their role in schools, AITSL has developed middle leadership standards. In this Q&A, AITSL CEO Tim Bullard explains why the standards were developed and how they can be used.

The top 50 finalists for the US$1 million Global Teacher Prize have just been announced, bringing together nominees from 38 countries. They include 2 teachers from Australia – Colleen O'Rourke and Jade Bassett. Find out more in today’s article.

Our first Teacher’s Bookshelf of 2026 features the open-access guide How to Use Research Evidence Well In Education: A Guide For Educators and Leaders. This excerpt shares a school case study of what identifying a clear purpose looks like in action.

It’s been a busy year for Teacher! We’ve published hundreds of articles, columns, infographics and podcasts in 2025. In today’s article, we’re taking a walk down memory lane and sharing some (we couldn’t possibly name them all!) of our highlight articles and infographics from the year. 

Age restrictions preventing under-16s in Australia from creating or keeping accounts on major social media platforms come into force today. The responsibility rests with platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube to take ‘reasonable steps’ to comply. We look at how teachers can help students and families navigate the change, what the legislation means for schools, and resources out there to support educators.

It has been an exciting year of Teacher podcasts! In this annual wrap-up of highlights from 2025, the team at Teacher select their favourite episodes and discuss why the episodes resonated with them and Teacher listeners. They also chat about how they put the podcast together, how they select guests for each episode, and give a sneak peek of what’s to come in 2026.