In this episode of Teacher Staffroom, we take a look at how schools have been kicking off the 2020 school year, and some new resources that have become available to assist with giving students the best start to school and processing the recent bushfire crisis.

Maclean High School has a strong commitment to reconciliation and a proud history of developing deep, ongoing relationships with local Elders and community members. This was recognised in late-2019 when they were named winners of the Narragunnawali Awards from Reconciliation Australia in the schools category.

When seeking ways to improve students’ academic outcomes, sometimes teachers and school leaders fail to ask for input from those who can offer perhaps the most important perspective – the students themselves.

Assumption College in Kilmore has been implementing a curriculum reform initiative called ‘myMAP’ for the beginning of the 2020 school year. In today’s Q&A, Vaughan Cleary, Deputy Principal of Learning and Teaching, explains how it works in practice and supports students on their individual learning journeys.

In our latest reader submission, US high school teacher Dr Keith Mason explains how integrating school musicals into your curriculum planning can provide opportunities for linked and themed learning activities in multiple subject areas.

The Association of Independent Schools New South Wales (AISNSW) has been working with 38 of its schools on a targeted early years program that aims to help students in Kindergarten to Year 2 master key literacy and numeracy skills.

Helping Indigenous children get the best start to their formal schooling by modelling the day-to-day running of an early primary classroom is one of the aims of the animated children’s series, Little J & Big Cuz, which is back for its second season.

Drawing on students’ enthusiasm and engagement with the medium of film, David Chapman decided to introduce a documentary filmmaking unit in his Year 7 English lessons. Here, he explains how he did it and shares tips for other educators.

Introducing documentary filmmaking to the classroom is something teachers can do across the curriculum, with students of different ages and abilities. This AFTRS Media Lab learning resource and accompanying teacher guide provides a practical introduction to the medium.

Researchers have assessed the impact of physically active lessons on students’ educational, health and cognition outcomes. They found that implementing physical activity into classroom lessons has a positive impact on some domains.