Findings from an action research project in three West Australian schools suggest the use of quality mentor texts when explicitly teaching how to write narratives can improve students’ storytelling ability. Ron Gorman and Dr Sandy Heldsinger share more details about the teaching and assessment strategies used, and samples of student writing.

What do you need information on? Evidence-based practice? Tutoring in schools? Oral language? Data interpretation? The ninth Teacher alphabet brings you quick links to popular content that you might find useful. Download the PDF for a hyperlinked version.

Teachers at Kalkie State School have designed and delivered a pilot STEM program aimed at increasing student engagement in science and technologies and improving digital literacy for both staff and students. Digital Technologies teacher Samantha Ephraims shares the details in today’s reader submission.

Translating academic research into classroom practice is traditionally a one-way relationship – from research to practice. University of Queensland colleagues Stephanie MacMahon, Jack Leggett and Annemaree Carroll share details of a collaboration with educators making it a two-way process of engagement.

Reducing the disparities in the schooling experiences of students was one of the issues identified by Teacher columnist Professor Geoff Masters AO in his influential series on the ‘big five’ education challenges facing Australian schools. What does the latest evidence say, and where do we go to from here?

Our connections with others have an influence on our own behaviour. Social networks form in lots of different contexts, including at school and in the workplace. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is now offering insights into these important, but often invisible relationships.

In this Q&A we speak with Dr Katie Richardson about looking at student assessment data from different angles, identifying patterns in data, and why working collaboratively to interpret assessment data is a useful technique.

‘Evidence shows that both young people and adults need to have both sets of skills and knowledge – numeracy and mathematics are different, but mutually beneficial and critical. Hence the critical need to connect the two, and not ignore either.’

The Australian Council for Educational Research released a report this week that analyses Australian students' performance in the latest PISA Financial Literacy survey. In today’s podcast we’re joined by one of the report’s co-authors, Lisa DeBortoli, to discuss some of the key findings.

OECD Director of Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher explains there are several factors that impact student wellbeing, and much comes down to teachers, parents and schools.