In this series, we take a look at some further readings available on a particular topic, including open access research papers from various online databases. In this edition, the focus is online professional development.

Research has found that educators working in primary schools in Australia lack the confidence and competence to address racial issues in the classroom. As well as this, white normative teaching and the belief that minimising discussions about racism is better than drawing attention to them are common behaviours. In this podcast, we discuss the role of school leaders in addressing these behaviours, and how teachers can confront their own biases.

The most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey measured the attitudes held by 15-year-olds on reading. An Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Snapshot report has analysed these attitudes, and looked at how they differ between girls and boys, Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, and most disadvantaged and least disadvantaged students.

The research-based reading group #edureading brings teachers and academics together on Twitter to engage with research. In today’s article, Victorian teacher Steven Kolber and researchers Dr Keith Heggart and Dr Sandy Nicoll explain why the group was formed, and how it has helped educators contribute to educational research in a meaningful way.

Over the last 12 months, schools have continued to switch in and out of remote learning in response to COVID-19, with educators working from home. As teachers and school leaders in Australia begin to prepare their 2020-21 tax returns, check out this Q&A with the ATO on what to keep in mind, and examples of what you can and can’t claim for.

‘An important factor in improving enrolments in STEM is ensuring the development of positive attitudes towards mathematics and science.’ In her new column for Teacher, Dr Sue Thomson discusses the results of the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), students’ general attitudes to mathematics and science, and their aspirations post-school.

Helping students to retain information is a fundamental challenge in education. Staff at Coolum State High School have partnered with researchers to investigate one promising technique for improving retention: Retrieval Practice.

After a pandemic pause in 2020, the ACER Research Conference is back. In today’s Q&A, conference organiser and ACER Senior Research Fellow Dr Claire Scoular tells us more about this year’s theme, and the focus on providing practical solutions for attendees.

For many schools, the shift to remote learning during the pandemic has led to new conversations about the possibilities of Blended Learning as a more integral aspect of regular learning and teaching programs. Today’s article looks at how a research-practice partnership is supporting four schools in Queensland to investigate this further.

In his latest Teacher column, OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher shares preliminary findings from the organisation’s Special Survey on how systems have responded to the pandemic – from school closures and remote learning, to teacher vaccination and gradual returns to in-class instruction.