Professor Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education at Southern Cross University, joins The Research Files this month to talk about the Childhood Nature Play study. We’ll be chatting about the different types of nature play, and the teaching and learning resources that have been co-designed as a result of the research project.

In her final Teacher column of the year, Dr Sue Thomson explores data from a new large-scale survey of young people’s social and emotional skills that reveals significant differences between students from advantaged and disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.

Several states have banned financial institutions from delivering banking and branded education programs in schools, paving the way for school-led programs free from commercial interests. In today’s reader submission Carly Sawatzki, Jill Brown, and Peter Saffin outline some guiding criteria to help schools consider ways to strengthen their financial education programs.

In a recent Teacher article, Ben Sacco from the MacKillop Institute discussed three elements that can directly support schools to improve teaching, learning and wellbeing – safety, relational trust, and shared language. In this follow-up, Sacco, and St Pius X Deputy Principal Stacey Atkins and Principal Joe Ewing share how the Catholic primary school has been putting these elements into action.

How does walking benefit our physical and mental health? How many steps do we need to do to see benefits to our overall wellbeing? In this article, Postdoctoral Research Fellow Matthew Ahmadi shares the origin of the 10 000 steps per day goal, and how we can still see substantial benefits from fewer steps.

‘Climate change is likely the biggest test facing humanity. Equipping young people with solid scientific knowledge and understanding of environmental issues is key to their realistic appreciation of the environmental threats ahead.’ In his final Teacher column for 2021, Andreas Schleicher discusses student awareness and knowledge of environment issues, and how schools can develop their sense of empowerment and agency to make a difference.

As Australia marks World Teachers’ Day, a new survey report released to coincide with the celebrations shines a light on school educators’ passion for and dedication to the profession and lifelong learning. But it also reveals how the job is taking a toll on their wellbeing.

One of the most popular Teacher articles of all time includes a section on looking at things from a student perspective – for example, checking to see if they have an obstructed view of the board. As a teacher, you also need to be thinking about possible issues with students’ eyesight. Two recent studies from different parts of the world explore the topic of vision screening in schools.

‘Health and Physical Education (HPE) is fundamental for supporting young people to develop the skills and knowledge that will enable them to engage in lifelong health, movement and physical activity behaviours. Ensuring all young people have the opportunity to develop this knowledge is a crucial responsibility for all physical educators.’ Dr Laura Alfrey and Professor Ruth Jeanes share practical strategies for promoting inclusion in HPE.

Around a quarter of a million students in Australia choose to undertake Vocational Education and Training (VET) in school each year as part of their senior secondary studies. New research, released this month, explores some of the reasons why they choose this pathway, and the factors that lead to effective VET in schools programs.