Effective teaching methods

‘Schools are increasingly being asked to support the mental health and wellbeing of our children and this has created an opportunity to reframe the teaching the learning environment.’ Ben Sacco discusses three elements – safety, relational trust, and shared language – that can directly support schools to improve teaching, learning and wellbeing.

In Creating Trauma-Informed, Strengths-Based Classrooms, Dr Tom Brunzell and Dr Jacolyn Norrish share what they’ve learned about working with students who present unmet learning needs in the classroom, including research, theory and lots of practical tools and strategies for educators to use and adapt to their own context.

A recent focus group study involving gifted students in Grades 5 to 8 has revealed what actions show a teacher is being an effective listener during classroom discussions, and how these actions have an impact on their students’ motivation to learn.

‘A teacher can be effective, efficient, inclusive, and strategic. Still, unless they are professionally kind along with these things, the learners suffer.’ In today’s reader submission, Professor Nan Bahr argues kindness is an essential general trait for all people, but it is also applied expertise for the teacher and should be a professional standard.

‘Let’s face it, when cooperative learning, in the form of group or teamwork appears on the classroom agenda, most students utter a groan of discontent.’ Dr Karin Oerlemans discusses the key steps to a successful experience, and how they can be supported by technology.

Reducing the disparities in the schooling experiences of students was one of the issues identified by Teacher columnist Professor Geoff Masters AO in his influential series on the ‘big five’ education challenges facing Australian schools. What does the latest evidence say, and where do we go to from here?

In this episode of our Teaching Methods series we talk to Maura Manning, Director of Learning at the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta, about the blended learning model at School of Now – what it means for teachers and teaching, the focus on equity of access, and how students are supported in their learning.

‘Students’ questions made it apparent that they were still confused about the next steps in their learning. … Why didn’t they value the feedback?’ In today’s article, Head Teacher at Al-Faisal College Omar Jamal shares how developmental rubrics have improved student learning.

Staff at Epsom Primary School implemented a team teaching model when they moved into their new campus in 2018. However, after coming across a Teacher podcast on co-teaching, they began the process of transitioning to co-teaching which has improved staff efficacy.

Dr Emily Berger, an educational and developmental psychologist at Monash University, joins The Research Files to talk about some of the common principles of trauma informed practice in schools, including the importance of consistency, possible triggers for students, and helping them to regulate their emotions.