Long reads

‘Increasingly, schools will need to support their young people to not just develop content knowledge and skills through effective learning, but also ensure their students know how to learn, individually and with others.’ Today’s article shares how the UQ Learning Lab is helping educators to set their students up for success at school and in life.

The study of classic novels is a staple in many secondary English classrooms across the country. In this reader submission, English and History teacher Alec Santucci shares how he has approached including discussion throughout the learning of the classic novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, with his year 11 students – sharing strategies that have proved effective in his own classroom for enhancing student engagement.

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) recently released an in-depth analysis of Australian student and principal questionnaire responses, collected as part of the OECD’s latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). In this Q&A, we speak with ACER’s Lisa De Bortoli and Catherine Underwood about what Australia’s results tell us.

High school students with higher levels of curiosity performed better in the latest round of international PISA mathematics assessments, according to new analysis of Australian data from the Australian Council for Educational Research.

It is estimated that within the next 5 years, over 90% of jobs will require STEM skills. In this article, we speak to Daniel Edwards, STEM/Digital Technologies teacher at Montello Primary School and Parklands High School in Burnie, Tasmania, about the value of implementing STEM as a subject, and the amazing successes his students have had.

How can schools work with parents effectively to support student attendance? New research suggests families can be unaware of the extent of their child’s absences and aren’t concerned about them missing school. We speak with Dr Anna Saavedra about the study findings and practical strategies for highlighting the importance of attendance with parents.

How do you continue to innovate and adapt your teaching to best equip students for a fast-changing, digitally driven world? In Singapore, the Ministry of Education has implemented regular home-based learning days, where students are tasked with taking charge of their own learning.

‘As schools implement the next iteration of the Australian Curriculum, the concept of historical significance is consistently alluded to within syllabus documentation.’ In this reader submission, English and History teacher, Alec Santucci, defines ‘historical significance’ and shares some practical methods for promoting historical skills in the classroom.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an increasingly popular and useful tool for teachers and students alike. But what do our copyright laws say about using AI to generate new, or alter existing, work? Teacher spoke to Delia Browne, National Copyright Director at the National Copyright Unit, to find out more about the legal obligations of using AI in schools.

In today’s reader submission, Anam Javed – Master Teacher in Residence for Technologies at the Victorian Academy of Teacher and Leadership – provides an overview of design thinking, including 2 illustrative examples, and shares some misconceptions of the approach.