As educators in Australia return to face-to-face teaching, and schools around the world grapple with new ways of working to provide continuing support to students during the pandemic restrictions, readers have been getting in touch to share what’s been happening in their own context.

‘… teachers talked about how they can prepare today’s students for their future, rather than for our past.’ Teacher columnist Andreas Schleicher shares details of discussions from the recent Qudwa Global Teachers’ Forum, which brought together 800 educators.

There is a well-established way of thinking about schooling. But is there another way? Professor Geoff Masters AO discusses.

One of the biggest challenges educators face is to find better ways to meet the learning needs of the many students who fall behind in our schools, fail to meet year-level expectations (often year after year) and, as a consequence, become increasingly disengaged, writes Professor Geoff Masters AO.

‘For some, this transition will be filled with as much anxiety as the first day of school or the school year.’ In this reader submission, Dr Carl Leonard and Dr Gail Brown provide tips and suggestions for teachers and leaders to help manage the transition for all students, and particularly those with additional needs.

The Netherlands is one of PISA’s consistent top performers and is often recognised internationally as an example of educational success and a front-runner in supporting struggling learners. Here, we take a look at a project that’s focused on extending gifted learners in the Netherlands.

The Association of Independent Schools New South Wales (AISNSW) has been working with 38 of its schools on a targeted early years program that aims to help students in Kindergarten to Year 2 master key literacy and numeracy skills.

Dr John Munro joins Teacher to discuss gifted learners – in particular, how to identify these learners, how to understand their learning needs and how to encourage them to reach their potential in the classroom and beyond.

How might teachers best support struggling learners in the classroom? In our latest reader submission, teacher educators Dr Bryan Matera and Dr Joel Traver suggest five principles that can increase results when supporting struggling learners in the primary years.

A major change in the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) has prompted one senior maths teacher to draw his students into deep thinking about mud crab fishing – and at the same time develop problem-solving and mathematical modelling skills needed for the new curriculum.