Each cycle of the global Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) includes a student questionnaire. One questionnaire topic – effort and persistence in mathematics – is essential for students’ success and skill development. The data provide useful prompts for teachers when considering their own students.

When you consider your curriculum planning for the term, or the year, linking learning goals and lesson activities to key events can be a great hook, and a chance to bring students and teachers from different year levels together. Today’s article looks at free curriculum-aligned resources for National Science Week, and a school example of planning in action for this annual celebration.

We know schools play a crucial role in supporting post-school pathways, and recently at Teacher we’ve been exploring many facets of careers education. This episode of Teacher Staffroom will bring you up to date with this coverage, and we also share other recent highlights from our content.  

In today’s Global Education podcast we’re joined by Dr Pauline Martinot, the lead author of the groundbreaking French study that points to the first year of school as the time and place where a maths gender gap emerges in favour of boys. Dr Martinot shares how her colleagues went about conducting the study of over 2.6 million children, some key findings, and the impact of this research on schools and teachers around the world. 

In learning about science at school, students frequently apply their knowledge and skills to tasks that require multiple steps – such as solving a problem, forming an argument, or undertaking an analysis. Michael Rosenbrock explains that scaffolding can be a valuable way to support students to develop and extend their knowledge and skills. One way to do this is by using worked examples. 

Research shows that outstanding teachers and school leaders regularly share their skills, knowledge, expertise and best practice with others, both within and across schools and learning networks. Every week Templestowe Heights Primary School in Victoria opens its doors to educators from other schools to share their leadership expertise and to watch their classrooms in action.

In this episode of Teacher Staffroom, we share some of the highlights from the past month on Teacher, including an article on the International Mathematical Modeling Challenge and a contribution from Rachael Lehr on how to start the term off strongly.

In Episode 101 of The Research Files Teacher editor Jo Earp is joined by ACER Senior Research Fellow Dr Rebecca Taylor to explore survey data from 2 reports into music teaching and music education in primary schools, all about the ‘what’, ‘when’, and ‘how’ music learning is delivered.

Latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data show the degree to which teachers are clear in the way they deliver the mathematics and science curriculum is likely to influence student learning. This includes ensuring students understand the learning goals for each lesson, being able to explain key concepts, and giving students helpful feedback. Find out more in this infographic.

‘We just want to make sure that the students are gaining their confidence … and really opening their eyes to what opportunities are out there at our doorstep’. We speak with Dripstone Middle School Principal Nektaria Pikoulos and Angela Sheedy from Charles Darwin University about a partnership that’s not only supporting student career pathways, but their health and wellbeing too.