In his new Teacher column, Professor Martin Westwell – Chief Executive of the South Australian Department for Education – shares findings from a major systematic review of persistence and academic resilience across K-12 education. He highlights how persistence and resilience are not fixed personality traits but rather a part of the learning process, shaped by task design, classroom conditions, and how teachers respond when students struggle.

In today’s episode Dominique Russell speaks with the 2 recipients of the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Excellence in Science Teaching – Paula Taylor from the ACT and Matt Dodds from NSW. They share the lesson activities that are a hit in their science classrooms, the teachers that had an impact on them, and how they’re sharing their knowledge with other educators. 

In this expert Q&A Amy Ayres – President of the Science Teachers’ Association of New South Wales – discusses integrating technology into science instruction and improving students’ critical thinking or inquiry skills. These were 2 areas of future PD need highlighted in the latest Australian TIMSS teacher questionnaire findings.

The Australian Council for Educational Research’s (ACER’s) Pru Mitchell was named winner of the inaugural Victorian Library and Information Award (VLIA). Teacher editor Jo Earp sat down with her to talk about teaching and teacher librarianship, sharing knowledge and expertise, and the role of AI, technology and digital literacy in the classroom.

The past few years have been a challenging time for school leaders around the world. In this episode of The Research Files, Dominique Russell is joined by Michelle Striepe to discuss her and her colleagues’ research into what school leaders have learned from leading during crises – including a 3-prong approach they utilised – and how they can be more resilient for future crises. 

‘We all feel the pressure of keeping up with the latest technology innovations. This is especially true in schools where we are preparing young people for the future.’ In part 2 of his 3-part series on technology in education, Dr Ralph Saubern questions how schools and teachers can choose the right EdTech in the first place.

The rapid adoption of digital technologies in schools has dramatically changed the way schools and classrooms look, teachers work and students learn. In part 1 of this 3-part series on technology in education, Dr Ralph Saubern discusses whether these digital innovations have led to improvements in student learning, and explores how a professional learning community aligned teaching practice with available technology to improve students’ text analysis skills.

Research shows that outstanding teachers and school leaders regularly share their skills, knowledge, expertise and best practice with others, both within and across schools and learning networks. Every week Templestowe Heights Primary School in Victoria opens its doors to educators from other schools to share their leadership expertise and to watch their classrooms in action.

‘… Ukraine’s efforts to reimagine the professional learning journey of its extraordinary teachers is a reminder to us all: the strength of an education system depends on the strength of its teaching profession.’ OECD Director of Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher shares news from an ambitious stakeholder conference in Kyiv.

At ACER’s Research Conference 2025, poster presenter Peter Axford – a Senior Teacher at Malanda State High School and PhD candidate at James Cook University – showcased his research exploring an agency approach to student engagement with the curriculum. Here he shares the impetus for this research and how the findings influenced his own classroom practice.