Long reads

Working with colleagues to assess and moderate student work enables teachers to make consistent judgements of achievement and progress. In our latest reader submission, Learning Specialist Jeanette Breen shares how Templestowe Heights Primary School has improved its writing moderation process and five tips for a more successful experience.

‘Through careful reflection, design and planning of daily learning activities, teachers can identify opportunities for teaching resilience in their classroom.’ Dr Sarah Tillott and Dr Michelle Neumann discuss learning activities that foster resilience in the classroom.

Dr Pauline Ho and Dr Katherine Dix share the findings of a systematic review investigating the impact of wellbeing-related interventions on student academic and wellbeing outcomes, including four ingredients for effective implementation and three recommended actions for schools.

‘While this crisis has exposed the many inadequacies and inequities in our education systems, this moment also holds the possibility that we won’t return to the status quo when things return to “normal”,’ Andreas Schleicher writes in his latest Teacher column.

‘Evidence shows that both young people and adults need to have both sets of skills and knowledge – numeracy and mathematics are different, but mutually beneficial and critical. Hence the critical need to connect the two, and not ignore either.’

Media coverage of the Californian wildfires has evoked reminders of Australia’s past bushfires and prompted discussion about the coming season. In today’s article Patrice O’Brien, Chief Community Officer at Beyond Blue, discusses why talking about bushfires with your students, no matter where your school is located, can help ease anxiety.

The yourstoryourjourney website has been created to help teachers and school leaders form relationships and partnerships with communities and parents to achieve better educational outcomes for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

‘While it will take us some time before we understand the full effect of temporary school closures on student learning long term, we’ve (in the meantime) learnt some important things to inform our teaching practices going forward.’

Researchers from the University of Newcastle’s Teachers and Teaching Research Centre, Laureate Professor Jenny Gore, Associate Professor Jess Harris and Dr Drew Miller discuss their latest research that explores the impact of Quality Teaching Rounds on student outcomes.

A primary school in Melbourne will be implementing a new four-week program for incoming Foundation students next year to better prepare them for learning following disruption to their kindergarten year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.