The International Mathematical Modeling Challenge (IM²C) invites students around the globe to gather in teams across a 5-day period to solve a real-world problem using mathematical modelling. This year students were asked to inform protection planning for Etosha National Park. In this article, we speak to some Australian schools who participated. 

Absent students miss more than just lesson content; they miss the opportunities to build the habits and skills to succeed at school and in life. New OECD research shows ‘school attendance problems are no longer a marginal issue; they have become a challenge affecting classrooms in nearly every country’.

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.

A collaborative study involving Aboriginal Elders, families, educators and children across 3 urban schools in Perth, Western Australia, is working to deepen Aboriginal children’s understanding of, and pride in, who they are by strengthening their connections to culture, Country and kin. Professor Cheryl Kickett-Tucker from Curtin University tells us all about the Moombaki Cultural Learnings Project and the impact it is having on Aboriginal students.

In assessment, AI tools offer new possibilities for feedback while also raising important questions about quality, accuracy, teacher oversight and, crucially, whether the feedback improves the learner, not just the piece of work they’ve been tasked with completing.

Climate-related content appears across the curriculum and teaching it can come with an added layer of emotional complexity. A new study published in the Australian Journal of Education (AJE) shines a light on how primary and secondary teachers are responding to eco-anxiety in their own classrooms, including where they need more support.

In this podcast special, Dominique Beech sits down with Dr Dan Edwards, Acting Head of ACER's Student Learning and Progress Division, to talk about the future of assessment. He shares his insights on how assessment can support students at key transition points across K-12, the impact of AI, and more. 

More than a competition, Trop Jr is a rich learning experience that supports curriculum outcomes while strengthening creative confidence and student agency. Find out more about Trop Jr, the benefits, and free classroom resources for Years 5 to 10, including a Teacher Guide to support planning, assessment and curriculum alignment, in this article.

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.

‘Learning does not happen when the machine does the thinking for you.’ With generative AI reshaping the educational landscape, Teacher columnist and OECD Director of Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher discusses the importance of guardrails, data protection and human judgement to ensure GenAI becomes a scaffold for learning, not a crutch.