Andreas Schleicher – Director for Education and Skills at the OECD and long-time Teacher columnist – joins us from Paris for this episode to give his take on all things 2020, talk about the longer term impacts of the school shutdowns and share how different education systems have responded to the pandemic restrictions.

One-to-one and small-group tutoring have emerged as a catch-up strategy for schools to address student learning gaps as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with government funded programs announced here in Australia and overseas. Dr Pauline Ho and Dr Tanya Vaughan look at the evidence and give five key takeaways for school leaders and teachers.

In today’s article, we speak to Dr Clare Collins, a Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics, and Director of Research in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Newcastle. We discuss the relationship between food and mental health, and she outlines some key things you could incorporate into your diet to help with the fuelling and functioning of your brain.

In today’s piece, Kylie Kickbusch, a Sports Program Leader at Chanel College in Gladstone, Queensland, talks about how cooking helps her to relieve stress and shares a recipe that she uses in her food technology classes.

In Strong Foundations: Evidence informing practice in early childhood education and care, Associate Professor Anna Kilderry and Honorary Professor Bridie Raban lead a team of 34 contributors, sharing knowledge and insights from research and links to everyday practice. This exclusive extract for Teacher readers discusses the ‘Principles of quality assessment’.

You might’ve noticed we’ve been placing a real emphasis on wellbeing at Teacher recently. We’ve looked at new research into student wellbeing, resilience, and launched a new publication dedicated to educator wellbeing outside of the classroom. In today’s podcast we take you through anything you might have missed.

‘Planting my vegetable patch has been the best self-care I have ever experienced.’ Anne Marie Stephenson, a teacher at Villa Maria Catholic Primary School in New South Wales, shares how her time at home due to COVID-19 inspired her to finally build the organic veggie garden she’s always dreamed of.

Research shows that spending time in a garden improves a person’s overall wellbeing. In today’s article, we explore the physical and mental health benefits of gardening and why spending time in the garden is proven to relieve stress.

‘Being reflective by collaborating with colleagues, committing to improvement, building on current skills and knowledge and sharing with others is vital for all educators.’ Here, we speak to school leaders about the importance of and skills needed for reflection.

In today’s piece, John Madden, a Mathematics and Science Teacher at Matthew Flinders Anglican College in Queensland shares why he uses running to care for his mental health and wellbeing, and offers insights into why running makes him a more alert and mindful teacher.