We know that participating in sport and physical activity benefits health and wellbeing. New research has found it also has a small positive effect on students’ academic performance, particularly in mathematics and science.

‘I am still an advocate of moving for wellbeing, but the way that I do that movement has been adjusted. My biggest take away, so far, has been that changing how you move is okay, just as long as you do move.’ Teacher Aimee Blazek shares how she adjusted her exercise regime while pregnant so she could still move her body.

As a teacher, how can you best manage when a student in your classroom makes an inappropriate comment in the middle of a lesson, catching you off-guard and disrupting other students? What about when this happens in the playground? What if the comment is offensive? We unpack these questions in-depth with researchers Dr Erin Leif and Russell Fox.

It’s safe to say we’ve all been grappling with uncertainties around how our work and personal lives will be affected by the unpredictable nature of the pandemic for longer than we thought. Here, Mary Spillane, Clinical Psychologist and Headspace App Mental Health Expert for Australia, joins Wellbeing by Teacher to share some strategies for coping with uncertainty and change in life.

‘In my experience, gratitude is not just something that will happen. Sometimes it requires a genuine effort on our behalf, particularly when life presents inevitable challenges.’ Liam Casson, Director of The Wynne Centre for Boys’ Health and Wellbeing at Christ Church Grammar School reflects on having gratitude.

Poor bone health and the chronic disease it can lead to, osteoporosis, can greatly reduce our overall mobility, and therefore have a significant impact on our overall health and wellbeing. Here, academics from La Trobe University share the research they are conducting which looks at the impact of probiotics on our bone health.

‘I put my students’ cultural and social identities at the forefront of my teaching. It’s important to recognise the inequities they face.’ In today’s Q&A, Global Teacher Prize 2021 winner Keishia Thorpe joins us to share more about the work she’s doing to improve student outcomes in her school setting and wider community.

Getting ready to start teaching in the classroom, managing student behaviour and meeting with parents can be a daunting prospect for many pre-service teachers. Researchers at the University of Virginia have spent the last five years developing digitally mediated simulations to supplement traditional teacher training.

Sandro Biscaro, a Health and PE teacher and Daily Organiser at Epping Secondary College in Victoria, shares insights into how he cares for his own mental health and wellbeing.

Our guest on episode 72 of The Research Files is Professor Joseph Ciarrochi from Australian Catholic University’s Institute for Positive Psychology and Education. He’s the lead researcher for projectHOPE – a program that’s notched up success in re-engaging at-risk secondary students with their schooling.