Teacher Magazine

Education transformation lives in people

Mon, 18 May 2026 07:35:00 +1000

In his latest Teacher column, Professor Martin Westwell – Chief Executive of the South Australian Department for Education – discusses the book Students, Students, Students! by Dr Iwan Syahril, who has been at the centre of one of the most ambitious education reforms in the world.

Giving back, one weekend at a time – the rewarding reality of foster care

Mon, 18 May 2026 07:30:00 +1000

As a grade 1 teacher Haylea loves making learning fun through singing, dancing and creativity. But outside the classroom, she has found another meaningful way to support young people: becoming a foster carer.

Infographic: How schools can help with student worries

Fri, 15 May 2026 07:30:00 +1000

A 2025 survey of 400 school students across Australia in years 7-12 focused on the topic of wellbeing. This infographic shares some of the results related to students’ biggest worries and the top 10 areas where they believe that schools could help them.

Teacher’s Bookshelf: Building a relational school culture

Thu, 14 May 2026 07:30:00 +1000

In ‘The Relational School: From Behaviour Management to Cultural Transformation’ Sue Chandler shares how schools can go from not only valuing relationships but actively supporting them. This abridged extract for Teacher readers is taken from a chapter discussing change fatigue and building staff readiness.

Classroom discussions – 5 structured routines to build student confidence

Wed, 13 May 2026 07:30:00 +1000

‘In classrooms, silence is often interpreted as lack of ability or confidence. But in many cases, it reflects a lack of safe, structured opportunities to participate.’ In today’s reader submission, senior secondary teacher Manisha Pundir explores 5 structured classroom routines that she’s used to help build student confidence to participate in classroom discussions.

Teacher professional learning – real-world lessons on financial literacy

Mon, 11 May 2026 07:30:00 +1000

Buy-now pay-later services, pocket money apps, online scams, gambling advertising and cryptocurrency are part of some students’ everyday lives. In today’s article, 2 mathematics teachers from Marryatville High School in South Australia share how they’ve applied some of their learning from a professional development partnership into their financial literacy electives for year 9 and 10.

Infographic: What you love about secondary school teaching

Fri, 08 May 2026 07:30:00 +1000

What do you love about teaching? In our annual reader survey, we ask you what you love about your role. Here, we share some responses we received from secondary school teachers.

School Improvement Episode 68: A people-focused professional learning program

Thu, 07 May 2026 07:30:00 +1000

In this episode of School Improvement, Dominique Beech is joined by teacher Gus Humphries who tells us all about the professional learning program he developed, Questions for Thinking (Q4T). Q4T allows teachers to investigate and develop an area of their practice through a confidential partnership. In our conversation, Gus expands on the program design and the impact it's having on staff and school culture.

IELS 2025: Thriving at 5 – early childhood learning and development

Wed, 06 May 2026 12:30:00 +1000

The results from the second cycle of the OECD’s Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS 2025) have just been released. Here we share more about the focus and innovative assessment design of IELS, and an overview of the findings on how children are faring at the very start of their learning journeys.

Designing safe AI systems for education

Mon, 04 May 2026 07:30:00 +1000

‘Learning does not happen when the machine does the thinking for you.’ With generative AI reshaping the educational landscape, Teacher columnist and OECD Director of Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher discusses the importance of guardrails, data protection and human judgement to ensure GenAI becomes a scaffold for learning, not a crutch.

Infographic: School uniforms as a barrier to physical activity

Fri, 01 May 2026 07:30:00 +1000

Researchers from Ireland surveyed students to examine their views on the extent to which uniforms are a barrier to physical activity and physical education participation. Findings show over half see uniforms as a barrier and many had suggestions for how the uniform experience could be improved.

Teacher Staffroom Episode 75: Drawing on expertise in education

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +1000

We are lucky to have the opportunity to work with experts across all areas of education. We interview these experts for articles, record podcasts with them, accept submissions they’ve written specifically for our readers, and share exclusive excerpts from their books. In today’s episode of Teacher Staffroom we’re going to run you through some of the highlights.

PISA 2029: Media and AI Literacy – key concepts, curriculum links and competences

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +1000

Media and Artificial Intelligence Literacy (MAIL) has been announced as the innovative domain for PISA 2029. The OECD has already released the first draft framework, offering an early understanding of how media literacy and AI literacy intersect and link to other curriculum areas, the key concepts and big ideas, and how to nurture the related competences.

Supporting student transitions – applying ‘back-to-school’ strategies every term

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +1000

Although often associated with a new school year, transitions occur throughout the school day and across each term. Anna Brady – principal at autism-specific school Aspect Vern Barnett School – shares how each term begins with a deliberate re‑establishment of routines, expectations and supports, and the positive impact on students.

An architectural lesson in seating arrangements

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +1000

‘Seating is not just about where we sit, but how the built environment dictates our capacity to learn.’ In today’s article, teacher and designer Andressa Bassani reviews 3 of the most common seating layouts educators use when the lesson requires whole-class instruction.

The Research Files Episode 107: Professor Alex Bowers on types of school leadership and targeting professional development

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +1000

Professor Alex Bowers from New York joins Dominique Beech to discuss his research into school leadership types and teacher professional development needs. The conversation covers the alignment of perceptions between teachers and principals regarding school leadership, his innovative idea for re-organising how we target professional development, and more.

Social media age restrictions – early impact of reforms and teacher insights

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +1000

Australia introduced social media age restrictions at the end of last year, sparking widespread global interest. The eSafety Commissioner has released an update on the first 3 months of implementation and in this article, we explore the early impact of the reforms, areas of good practice and concern, and insights from educators and parents.

Teacher’s Bookshelf: The Children We Leave Behind

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +1000

In this exclusive extract from his new book The Children We Leave Behind: How School Could Be Done Differently, former Australian Council for Educational Research CEO and Teacher columnist, Professor Geoff Masters AO shares details of the Fremantle Fast Track Program – an alternative, senior secondary education program in Western Australia.

Infographic: School-provided lunches

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +1000

A survey of almost 400 parents has assessed their interest and preferences in a school-provided meal offering for Australian primary schools. Respondents were asked about cost, nutrition and quality, environmental sustainability, access, menu options, and the school approach to food. Here are some of the findings.

The Research Files Episode 106: Unpacking effective supports for teacher and leader induction

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:30:00 +1000

‘Induction and mentoring is about bringing your academic capability to life in the reality of a classroom.’ In today’s podcast, CEO of AITSL Tim Bullard joins Teacher Deputy Editor Rebecca Vukovic to talk all about improving induction for both early career teachers and school leaders.