Education resources

The amount of time children and teenagers are spending on digital technology inside and outside school is having a significant impact on their classroom learning, and physical and mental wellbeing, according to teacher and principal data from an Australian research study.

Dr Sue Thomson explores how the COVID-19 crisis has propelled schools to an online learning environment, and draws on data from the OECD’s 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) to shed light on students’, teachers’ and schools’ preparedness for the ‘new normal’.

At Pakuranga College in Auckland, New Zealand, gathering data and using evidence-based resources is the basis of their professional development. Here, Deputy Principal Larraine Barton shares how a Teacher magazine podcast informed part of the beginner teacher program at the school.

According to research from Vision Australia, only 24 per cent of blind or low vision people living in Australia are in full time employment. A new tool, which assists visually impaired students learn to code, aims to help increase this employment figure.

‘In this home-supported learning environment parents are being called upon to play a broader role in their children’s education. The role of the parent is not to replace the teacher in learning from home …’ Dr Tanya Vaughan and Susannah Schoeffel share evidence on how teachers can work with parents to support students in a rapidly changing education landscape.

Are today’s students ‘digital natives’? Have digital technologies transformed classroom practice? ACER Research Director Julian Fraillon looks to Australian and international data to explore some of the myths and realities related to digital literacy and how these should be considered in the new paradigm of working from home.

Karl Easton is a Digital Technology relief from face-to-face (RFF) educator at a primary school in Sydney’s northwest. In this article, we hear how he’s integrating virtual reality into lessons with a range of students in order to provide authentic learning activities.

‘As the COVID-19 situation unfolds, schools are closing to protect their students and the broader public – but this doesn’t mean a stop to learning for students or teachers.’ Dr Anne-Marie Chase and Professor Pauline Taylor-Guy share three phases of research-based decisions education systems and schools should be making now in relation to technology-enabled learning.

Understanding the challenges, as well as the strengths of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can assist teachers to address their needs in an inclusive way. Here, we take a look at five further readings on the topic.

Using simple physical objects that students can visualise, touch and move to express their thinking is an inexpensive and effective classroom resource to explore mathematical concepts and encourage learning.