Parent participation

Leaders and teachers moved swiftly to ensure continuity of children’s learning during the COVID pandemic, and parents and carers in Australia certainly appreciated their efforts, with a new survey showing high levels of satisfaction with how schools adapted.

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.

Building strong, purposeful relationships with staff, students and school communities is a trait of highly effective principals – but what happens to that relationship dynamic when expected ways of working suddenly change?

‘These are unprecedented times and teachers have done an incredible job adapting to the many challenges the pandemic has presented.’ In her latest Teacher article, Julia Gillard discusses how Australian schools have been putting a greater focus on mental health and wellbeing, and shares advice and resources to support staff, students and families.

A new research-based series encourages early years educators to take advantage of everyday teaching and learning opportunities to improve young children’s scientific understanding, and shares four step-by-step activities for the classroom or learning at home.

In today’s podcast we’re talking with Professor Pauline Taylor-Guy about continuity of teaching and learning during COVID-19, trying to understand and mitigate the impacts on student outcomes, how schools have adapted to ‘emergency remote teaching’, and how the experience could lead to future changes and innovations in practice.

‘For some, this transition will be filled with as much anxiety as the first day of school or the school year.’ In this reader submission, Dr Carl Leonard and Dr Gail Brown provide tips and suggestions for teachers and leaders to help manage the transition for all students, and particularly those with additional needs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented some unique challenges for early years educators as they move to a remote learning approach. In today’s article, Dr Deborah Price discusses some practical ways for embracing the teaching and learning opportunities this new environment provides.

Ashley Stewart, a Mathematics teacher from Newton Moore Senior High School, Western Australia, was named in the top 50 shortlist for the 2020 Global Teacher Prize. She joins us today to discuss her approach to STEM education and how she’s been boosting girls’ uptake and engagement in these subjects.

Melanie Macmillan, Principal of Warwick Farm Public School, shares how her experience in The Principals’ Centre in Australia: Leadership for School Excellence program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education strengthened her professionally as a school leader, but it also helped her to understand how she could better support the needs of families at her school.