In her latest Teacher column, Associate Principal Rachael Lehr shares how insights from mindset coach and author Ben Crowe about the ‘dreaded “E” word’ have prompted her to reflect on what it means to hold high expectations in ways that give purpose and build aspiration for students and staff, rather than add pressure or burden.

In ‘The Relational School: From Behaviour Management to Cultural Transformation’ Sue Chandler shares how schools can go from not only valuing relationships but actively supporting them. This abridged extract for Teacher readers is taken from a chapter discussing change fatigue and building staff readiness.

‘Induction and mentoring is about bringing your academic capability to life in the reality of a classroom.’ In today’s podcast, CEO of AITSL Tim Bullard joins Teacher Deputy Editor Rebecca Vukovic to talk all about improving induction for both early career teachers and school leaders. 

Trauma enters classrooms through the invisible backpacks students carry each day. While educators cannot remove that weight, they can help make it more manageable. In today’s article Associate Professor Bryan Matera and Jenna Larsen from Winona State University, in the US, share 3 strategies teachers can use to support students.

‘Supporting relationship skills often requires empathy, active listening and sustained dialogue.’ OECD Director of Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher shares international insights from TALIS 2024 on how teachers respond when students disengage or struggle with relationship skills.

Students learn best in calm, organised and purposeful spaces. Classrooms can sometimes be overwhelmed by good intentions; every wall covered in colour, slogans and displays competing to be seen. In today’s article, Victorian teacher and designer Andressa Bassani shares 4 design principles to help turn classrooms into spaces that not only look good but work for supporting and celebrating student learning.

Age restrictions preventing under-16s in Australia from creating or keeping accounts on major social media platforms come into force today. The responsibility rests with platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube to take ‘reasonable steps’ to comply. We look at how teachers can help students and families navigate the change, what the legislation means for schools, and resources out there to support educators.

Teacher editor Jo Earp sits down with Mali Jorm, Madison Dearnaley and Tracy Kelly to talk about managing school library and reading spaces, including building a student-driven collection, creating fresh and welcoming spaces, and strategies to encourage reading for pleasure. They also share their personal and student book recommendations. 

St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Williamstown, Victoria, has a 10-year plan to improve its playground and outdoor spaces. In today’s article, principal Anthony Hockey shares what the school has done to improve the playgrounds so far, what is to come next, and the noticeable impact these changes have already had on student engagement and behaviour. 

Teacher editor Jo Earp finds out how the Aspect Learning Improvement Collaborative is using a mainstream learning framework developed by Dr Lyn Sharratt, adapted to suit an autism-specific education setting. We’ll hear from Lyn, Aspect Education's Deputy National Director Karilyn Gumley and principals Kaye Perry, Joanne Tisdell, and Michelle Zikmundovsky.