What a month we’ve had here at Teacher magazine! From Research Conference, to Science Week, to our very first live event with Dr Lyn Sharratt – there’s so much we’d like to look back on and share with you in today’s podcast.

We share highlights from the ‘In Conversation’ session at Research Conference 2019 between ACER CEO Professor Geoff Masters AO and Professor Neil Selwyn on preparing students for life in the 21st Century.

In today’s reader submission, primary school teacher Melissa Wray shares the findings of her small-scale research project investigating how primary teachers use picture story books, and how it has influenced her own classroom practice.

In Teacher’s latest reader submission, Year 9 Learning Leader Rachael Williams discusses student agency and shares details of a project at her own school that offers teens a learning experience that’s relevant to their own lives and gives them the opportunity to work with community experts.

Preparing students for life and the workforce includes equipping them with skills such as problem solving, collaboration, critical thinking and creative thinking. But, how do these capabilities develop over time and what do they look like in terms of teaching and assessment?

Emeritus Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of New South Wales, John Sweller, has spent decades researching cognitive load theory, and says there are a large number of instructional procedures teachers can employ to lessen extraneous cognitive load.

How can educators make effective use of teaching spaces to help students engage in deeper learning? That’s the focus of a major research study involving thousands of schools. Lead Chief Investigator Wes Imms shares some of the early findings.

In her first article, New South Wales teacher Michelle Lucas shared an approach to drive student agency and improve learning skills. In this final instalment, she discusses how student feedback has helped refine the model, its impact in the classroom, and a whole-school rollout.

In the first of two articles, New South Wales Science and Maths teacher Michelle Lucas shares an approach she’s developed to drive student agency and improve learning skills.

Keeping kids safe online is a constant challenge for parents and teachers. In today’s episode, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant shares common cyberbullying incidents that young people report to her office and where teachers can find helpful resources.