In his final Teacher column of the year, OECD Director of Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher argues the biggest risk to schooling today isn’t its inefficiency, but that our way of schooling is losing its purpose and relevance.

‘… teachers talked about how they can prepare today’s students for their future, rather than for our past.’ Teacher columnist Andreas Schleicher shares details of discussions from the recent Qudwa Global Teachers’ Forum, which brought together 800 educators.

New research suggests that hands-on science mentor programs can be beneficial for high achieving senior secondary students in rural areas. In our latest reader submission, Louise Puslednik details the study findings.

ACER researchers Dr Amy Berry, Kellie Picker and Rachel Parker discuss some of the characteristics of playful learning at school, share examples of classroom practice, and explain how Australian teachers can contribute to our understanding of learning through play in the classroom.

At Mossman in Queensland, a local Indigenous language called Kuku Yalanji was at risk of being lost. Now all students at Mossman State School learn the language and in this article, language teacher Sharon Case shares how the language program was developed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented some unique challenges for early years educators as they move to a remote learning approach. In today’s article, Dr Deborah Price discusses some practical ways for embracing the teaching and learning opportunities this new environment provides.

Ashley Stewart, a Mathematics teacher from Newton Moore Senior High School, Western Australia, was named in the top 50 shortlist for the 2020 Global Teacher Prize. She joins us today to discuss her approach to STEM education and how she’s been boosting girls’ uptake and engagement in these subjects.

Melanie Macmillan, Principal of Warwick Farm Public School, shares how her experience in The Principals’ Centre in Australia: Leadership for School Excellence program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education strengthened her professionally as a school leader, but it also helped her to understand how she could better support the needs of families at her school.

Fostering a sense of school pride and meeting the individual needs of every student are just two priorities for Melanie Macmillan, Principal of Warwick Farm Public School. In today’s article she shares how she focuses on community partnerships, visible leadership and student engagement to achieve those goals.

In these uncertain times, how do teachers support students to make sense of the coronavirus pandemic and give them the tools to navigate the challenges we may be faced with? In today’s article, Professor Peter O’Connor from the University of Auckland suggests arts-based approaches to building resilience in students in times of disaster.