Measurement

‘One of the biggest challenges facing educators is to find better ways to meet the learning needs of the many students who fall behind in our schools.’ In her latest Teacher column, Dr Sue Thomson explores the issue in an Australian context, and the progress made in recent years.

‘Equity demands a curriculum responsive to individual needs, not blind equality.’ In his new Teacher column, Professor Geoff Masters AO highlights the important difference between equality and equity in education.

Preparing students for life and the workforce includes equipping them with skills such as problem solving, collaboration, critical thinking and creative thinking. But, how do these capabilities develop over time and what do they look like in terms of teaching and assessment?

In today’s article, we find out how leaders and teachers at a Canberra primary school are using a range of data to identify and meet the needs of children from preschool – to great effect.

Boys remain less likely to be developmentally ready for school than girls, the latest results of the Australian Early Development Census show.

In a fortnightly series, Teacher has been taking a closer look at some of the Gonski recommendations and highlighting existing work happening in Australian schools. This final instalment focuses on assessment of student learning.

Much discussion of evidence-based teaching is based on a narrow definition that would benefit from a broader recognition of the role of evidence in teaching and learning, Professor Geoff Masters AO writes in his latest Teacher column.

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) measures Year 4 students’ reading literacy achievement. When the last study cycle was conducted in 2016, students in the Russian Federation outperformed their peers in all 50 participating countries and 11 benchmarking regions.

How can we teach and assess general capabilities such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and research skills? Dr Claire Scoular and Jonathan Heard share details of a research project aiming to develop practical tools for use in the classroom.

'Reading is much more than a tool for education or work.' What do Year 4 students think about reading? Is it fun? Do they think they learn anything? Dr Sue Thomson explores these questions in her first Teacher column.