In today’s article, we speak with the winner of the Teacher Awards’ Leadership Award for Driving School Improvement, Melissa Shepherd from Laura State School in far-north Queensland, about how she is committed to improving outcomes for all students.

In 2018, Kristie Schulz from Parklands Christian College wrote 3 articles for Teacher sharing how the school had successfully introduced a new STEM Studies elective for its year 10 students. Five years on, she shares details of research findings looking at the pedagogical framework used and how the program has since been implemented in 3 prep classes.

In our latest reader submission, teacher Hannah Wiemers and researcher Dr Michelle Avila Vanderburg share details of a pilot program to create a 10-week curriculum unit allowing students to explore the use of drones in agriculture and gain more insight into careers in the industry.

‘The result of unresolved concerns could well lead to an unwillingness to use immersive technology with students. Yet, often, the barriers are surmountable.’ Dr Susan O’Donnell and Adrian Rayner, from the VR Learning & Design Hub, look at teacher’s prior concerns and some of the solutions.

‘…we strive to ensure that all modules open up learning opportunities for all students, regardless of their academic abilities, by building in learning differentiation rather than simply bolting on at a later stage.’ Dr Susan O’Donnell and Adrian Rayner discuss the AR modules designed and developed by the Learning & Design Hub for use by F-6 students.

‘[When] fully embedded and aligned with the Australian Curriculum, AR can be an extraordinary tool for learning, particularly suited to use by primary-aged students.’ Dr Susan O’Donnell and Adrian Rayner give an update on the work of the VR Learning & Design Hub, which has been exploring the benefits of Augmented Reality in the classroom.

School Assembly is the podcast that explores what it takes to build a new school from the ground up. In Series 1 we’re following Principal Dr Ray Boyd and Associate Principal Rachael Lehr as they navigate the exciting challenge at Dayton Primary School in Western Australia. In Episode 7 we’re discussing how to go about developing school policies.

Why is everyone talking about ChatGPT? In today’s podcast special, we speak with several education experts to hear their thoughts on the potential impact of ChatGPT on teaching and learning – from assessment, to equity in education, and policy decisions. ChatGPT will also be joining us as a guest.

The latest winners of the annual Prime Minister’s Prizes for Excellence in Science teaching are George Pantazis from Marble Bar Primary School in Western Australia, and Veena Nair from Viewbank College in Victoria. They both join us in this episode to discuss the work they’ve been recognised for.

A new research study is currently being undertaken to investigate the factors that help or stop young female students participating in digital technologies at school. In this article, the research team share their findings so far, and resources for teachers and students.