Australia Association for Research in Education
Effective teaching methods that work for Indigenous students: latest research
What does effective teaching of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students look like? Thousands of research studies have been dedicated to finding answers to this question. But much of what we think we know, or hear, about Indigenous education remains mired in myths and legends. Governments have been surprisingly frank about the failure of their …
Put professional judgement of teachers first or we’ll never get the systemic education improvements we all want. Let’s talk about it
In this blog I’d like to bring together three different lines of educational analysis to show how our contemporary discussions of policy are really not going to lead to any significant change or educationally defensible reforms. I realise that is a very big call, but I’m pretty confident in saying it, and I hope to …
Five qualities of teachers who form close relationships with disruptive students
It is now well known to teachers and researchers alike that student-teacher relationships are powerfully predictive of social, …
The problem with using scientific evidence in education (why teachers should stop trying to be more like doctors)
For teachers to be like doctors, and base practice on more “scientific” research, might seem like a good idea. But medical doctors are already questioning the narrow reliance in medicine on randomised controlled trials that Australia seems intent on implementing in education. In randomised controlled trials of new drugs, researchers get two groups of comparable …
What’s good ‘evidence-based’ practice for classrooms? We asked the teachers, here’s what they said
Calls for Australian schools and teachers to engage in ‘evidence-based practice’ have become increasingly loud over the past decade. Like ‘quality’, it’s hard to argue against evidence or the use of evidence in education, but also like ‘quality’, the devil’s in the detail: much depends on what we mean by ‘evidence’, what counts as ‘evidence’, …
Are we designing and building the right schools for future Australia? (We could be getting it so wrong)
The next few decades require some radical thinking about how to build a new generation of Australia’s schools. …
Why do we educate our children? Is why being lost in the how (all the testing and measurement) in Australia?
How do we measure success in education? At the moment, and for a fair while, we have measured …
Out-of-field teaching is out of control in Australian schools. Here’s what’s happening
Assigning teachers to teach in positions outside their field of qualifications or expertise creates complex and multi-layered challenges, yet it is happening in many Australian schools. I believe out-of-field teaching can affect the quality of teaching we provide in our schools, and the wellbeing of the students, teachers, parents and school leaders involved. So it …
No child should be sacrificed for the ‘greater good’ of a school or ‘best interests’ of majority. This is what child rights is about
Everyone has the right to safe working conditions and environments including children. This right is not negated by …