A new study involving students in Grades 1 and 2 from three primary schools in Melbourne has assessed the impact of implementing active breaks throughout the school day on the focus and learning of students.

‘The sense of achievement I feel when a messy, weedy garden bed is turned back into a neat and tidy patch makes me happy.’ Victorian educator Donna White shares her passion for gardening with readers, explaining why her garden is both a form of escapism and a sense of pride.

We know that getting a good night’s rest is important for our overall health and wellbeing, but are there certain foods we can eat that will actually improve our ability to sleep? We ask Dr Chris Irwin, an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at Griffith University.

We’re delighted to let you know our annual reader survey is opening today. It’s the seventh year in a row we have invited you to share your feedback, and this year, if you complete our survey you’ll go into the draw to win a $500 VISA prepaid gift card.

‘Schools are increasingly being asked to support the mental health and wellbeing of our children and this has created an opportunity to reframe the teaching the learning environment.’ Ben Sacco discusses three elements – safety, relational trust, and shared language – that can directly support schools to improve teaching, learning and wellbeing.

‘[Virtual Reality] cannot be an outcome in itself but needs to be a tool that creates meaningful, authentic and integrated learning opportunities when fully embedded with the curriculum.’ Dr Susan O’Donnell and Adrian Rayner share the five pillars of a successful VR program in education.

In education research, an ‘effect size’ has traditionally been used to sell the promise of improved outcomes, for both teachers and students, in the lucrative professional development market. However, critiquing the quality of research is more important than relying on a single measure, writes Dr Drew Miller.

Australian schools and teachers will be better equipped to help young people navigate the online world safely with the launch of a new national online safety education framework from eSafety.

Researchers from the School of Law at Western Sydney University have looked at the regulation of teacher behaviour on social media in Australia. In this episode of The Research Files, we’re joined by the researchers to find out more about social media policies in schools and the ramifications for teachers.

Students, parents, curricular and extracurricular activities, playground duties, administration and those Friday afternoon meetings are just some of the elements that contribute to teacher burnout and stress. In today’s article Donna Smith, an experienced teacher and sessional tutor at the University of the Sunshine Coast, shares four fundamental pillars that have been identified in the research literature in promoting resilience.