We know that early literacy development is not uniform. Understanding students’ strengths and identifying gaps to plan for the next steps, including targeted support where needed – and doing this as early as possible – is a challenge for teachers. A new assessment program from ACER aims to spot literacy difficulties before children fall behind and these gaps widen.

Earlier this year, our podcast with Mandy Nayton – Educational and Developmental Psychologist and CEO of the Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation – explored ways to support students of all ages to read successfully. In the first of 3 follow-up articles, ACU Professor Genevieve McArthur – Director of Research Translation at the Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation – shares how reading difficulties can impact student wellbeing.

In today’s podcast, CEO of the Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation and Educational and Developmental Psychologist, Mandy Nayton, joins Teacher’s Dominique Beech to share frameworks to support all students to read successfully. We cover essential phonics knowledge, morphology, vocabulary and word study, and also discuss how to support older students’ literacy skills. 

Have you asked your students if they can see the writing on the board, in their own textbooks, or on devices clearly? Here, optometrists Amanda Lea and Rebecca Dang share common eye-related behaviours to look out for in the classroom and practical teacher tips for encouraging good visual behaviours at school. 

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.

In his first Teacher column Professor Martin Westwell, Chief Executive of the South Australian Department for Education, discusses a worrying trend in education and PISA 2022 evidence that ‘our greatest strength in education is the professional judgement of our teachers’.

Over the last 5 years, staff at St Mary’s School in Geelong, Victoria, have had a focus on lifting student outcomes through evidence-based instruction. What started with Foundation phonics has now spread across the curriculum and year levels.

After her double win at the National Excellence in Teaching Awards for her work helping teachers and schools in New Zealand implement structured literacy into their practice, Amie Roberts speaks to Teacher about how this approach empowers all students.

The winners of the 2023 Teacher Awards have been announced. In this article, we speak with the winner of the Improving Student Learning and Progress Award, Catherine Young from Newman College in Western Australia, about how she uses data to monitor student progress and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching.

In our latest expert Q&A we talk to Kristy Osborne, a physicist, former pre-service teacher and Research Fellow at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) about the science concepts that primary students struggle with and why it’s important for teachers to identify and address student misconceptions early on.