Student welfare

School Assembly is the podcast that explores what it takes to build a new school from the ground up. In Series 1 we’re following Principal Dr Ray Boyd and Associate Principal Rachael Lehr as they navigate the exciting challenge at Dayton Primary School in Western Australia. In Episode 7 we’re discussing how to go about developing school policies.

Researchers from the University of Queensland are determined to help teachers to improve the air quality in their classrooms, improve students’ cognitive performance and decrease the risk of contracting COVID-19 at the same time.

‘[The start of the school year can] mean a challenging transition for those who struggle with stressors about returning to the classroom.’ Dr Tom Brunzell, Director of Education at Victoria’s Berry Street School, discusses lessons learned on student re-engagement and attendance that could be helpful to other schools.

What are the personal challenges facing your students before they even make it to school? What are the national issues they are worried about? According to new research, the environment is now the number one concern for young people. Mental health remains high on the list and they’re also being impacted by financial concerns and housing instability.

Research by eSafety tells us that 45% of Australian children said they were treated in a hurtful or nasty way online in the past year. This Safer Internet Day, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is encouraging every Australian to moderate their own online behaviour to help stem the negativity and abuse that permeate many parts of the internet.

Student storytelling can often give a glimpse into what’s happening in their lives, their interests and passions, and the issues that are on their mind. The latest instalment of the Australian Children’s Word of the Year reveals online safety is a top concern for students.

Almost 14,000 children aged 8-12 responded to the prompt, ‘the world would be better if…’ as part of a project run by South Australia’s Commissioner for Children and Young People. In this infographic, we share some of their responses.

Video games are a favourite pastime of both children and adults alike, and schools are therefore using them to engage students in their lessons. This month on Teacher, we published a reader submission that explored how digital gaming motivates Indigenous learners in primary school. In today’s episode, we share highlights from this piece and more.

In our most recent annual reader survey, many of you told us you’d like more content on the topic of student wellbeing. In this edition of Researching education: 5 further readings, we share 5 readings on the topic of gender diversity in schools from researchers in Australia and overseas.

In this year’s Teacher survey, lots of you wanted more information on how best to support students targeted by cyberbullying. Dr Roberta Thompson is a Research Fellow at the Griffith Institute for Educational Research. Here, she discusses strategies to help teachers feel more confident in dealing with cyberbullying, related research findings, and helpful resources.