Australia Association for Research in Education
Teacher professional development
A vital message for teachers everywhere: how to help traumatised students
We are constantly exposed to life-threatening events that result in trauma. Natural disasters such as seasonal bushfires and floods have affected millions of Australians. The COVID-19 pandemic has also brought about loss of life, extended isolation, and exposure to increased domestic violence— for some youth, all these events can be traumatic. Likewise, human-induced traumatic events …
Why we must talk about teacher professionalism now
In 2016, Judyth Sachs reflected on her 2003 monograph ‘The Activist Teaching Profession’ and asked, ‘Teacher professionalism: Why are we still talking about it?‘. In that paper, she argued ‘the time for an industrial approach to the teaching profession has passed’ and made a case for ‘systems, schools and teachers to be more research active …
The evidence says teachers need more time and more money. Why is the government ignoring it?
Governments must stop telling teachers to scale up practice by copying strategies developed for another school’s context. The latest change in NSW education policy again confuses teacher learning from their own evidence-based practice with guidance from practice developed elsewhere. Scaling up won’t work for improved learning outcomes. Here’s why. The context of our schools is …
Does professional development improve teaching?
Most Australian teachers returned to their schools last week, and for many their first day back was a …
Online communities for teachers: what research says about their limits and potential
The ability to be connected “anywhere, anytime” is recent enough that most professions are still figuring out how …
‘Growth mindset’ is not just for school students, teachers can grow their minds too
Most educators would be aware of the term ‘growth mindset’ by now. The idea is you can work …
‘Nothing you learn at university has any relevance in a classroom’
Reading professional experience reports, written by teachers about the student teachers practising in their classrooms, is a disturbing …
Lay off blaming new teachers for ‘falling’ standards
Public discussion on teacher education has reached a depressing new low. A casual flick through current commentary gives …
How students talk about their learning can be a lesson for teachers
My research amongst university students suggests that a student’s understanding and experience of what is going on when …
What Twitter offers teachers: The evidence
Twitter is a revolutionary new tool for many teachers. They use it to drive their professional development and to connect with other educators. However not everyone is so enthusiastic, others see Twitter as a tedious waste of time and are not tempted to give it a go. Of course many teachers may also describe face …