The longstanding Prime Minister’s Prizes for Excellence in Science Teaching recognise one primary and one secondary STEM teacher for their outstanding contribution to the field. The 2023 winners were announced late last year and in this episode, we speak with them both about the work they’ve been recognised for.

NAP-ICT Literacy measures the skills of Australian students in year 6 and 10. In our latest expert Q&A we catch up with Dr Tim Friedman and Dr Kristy Osborne from the Australian Council for Educational Research to find out more about recent revisions to the assessment, what teachers can learn from the latest round of data, and classroom activities to support student learning.

Professor Geoff Masters, CEO of the Australian Council for Educational Research, joins Teacher for a series on world-class learning systems. In Episode 1, we find out more about the 5 systems he’s been exploring for a multi-year study commissioned by the National Centre on Education and the Economy in Washington DC.

A recent study analysed TALIS (Teaching and Learning International Survey) 2018 data to examine teachers’ perceptions of occupational value in 28 OECD countries. The findings show an overwhelming majority feel undervalued in almost all countries. Here, we look at teachers’ perception of their overall occupational value, and drill down into 4 specific aspects.

School absence has an impact on student outcomes, so being aware of attendance rates for your class, year group, or whole school, and understanding the reasons behind the absence is important. With this information to hand, what will make a difference? That’s the topic of Dr Kirsten Hancock’s research.

Welcome back to a new year of Teacher content. As usual, we are kicking things off with a look at some of the significant events, celebrations and themes for 2024 that you can use in your lesson planning. As well as the key dates in each term, we’ve also included links to more information and resources.

In his first Teacher column of 2024, Professor Geoff Masters AO discusses assessment reforms proposed in New Zealand to reverse that country’s declining student performance.

Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect public perceptions of teachers and the teaching profession, and how were their views and beliefs influenced by media coverage? Researchers in the UK have been exploring these questions, and their findings offer some interesting insights into how society values the profession, and the impact this has on teacher mental health and wellbeing.

How can we support the teaching and learning of mathematics in ways that can enhance student engagement, participation and thus learning? In this reader submission, David Chinofunga shares findings from a 3-year study he’s been leading at James Cook University focused on supporting the teaching and learning of maths in Queensland secondary schools.

Artificial Intelligence is now a hot topic in teaching and learning. For the last 3 years, Digital Technologies teacher Jo Rea has been developing an AI ethical inquiry unit for year 5 students to help them build their ethical understanding of different AI tools and technologies. Here she shares the phases, classroom activities and student responses.