Research and Practice Library
The articles and resources in our Research and Practice Library form a contemporary evidence base for the teaching and learning of reading and viewing; writing and representing; speaking and listening.
Click on the tabs below to filter the collection via Category. You can also use the Tag Cloud below to explore the collection via keywords.
Explore articles and resources from the collection with a Curriculum focus:
In a public school classroom, talent won’t grow by accident – teachers need more
Trott, C. (2026, March 5) Edu Research Matters. Discusses how government financial support for gifted students can only be properly utilised if teachers are supported through professional learning. “Programs do not transform classrooms. Teachers do”. In a public…
Australia in danger of becoming an ‘artless country’ as enrolments in creative courses collapse.
Drawing on current research (Gattenhof & Saunders) to explore school and tertiary enrolments in the arts. Reference: Caitlin Cassidy, Education reporter. Australia in danger of becoming an ‘artless country’ as enrolments in creative courses collapse. (2026,…
Art could save your life! Five creative ways to make 2026 happier, healthier and more hopeful
The Guardian 7 Jan 2026 by Daisy Fancourt For or some reason, we have collectively agreed that new year is the time to reinvent ourselves. The problem, for many people, is that we’ve tried all the usual health kicks – running, yoga, meditation, the latest diets – even…
Meet the schools innovating their curricula
School News October 2025 by Shannon Meyerkort Across Australia, schools are rethinking what learning looks like. From restructured timetables to hands-on industry pathways, educators are taking bold steps to ensure students are prepared for an uncertain future. Three…
The Teacher’s Toolkit for Literacy Podcasts
Misty Adoniou, Cue Learning website Podcasts In these two Cue Learning Teacher’s Toolkit for Literacy Podcasts, Adjunct Associate Professor Misty Adoniou provides a comprehensive overview of evidence-based teaching, emphasising its fundamental principles rooted in…
What’s the point of drama class? It teaches the workplace skills employers want, for a start
The Conversation September 6, 2024 by Jo Raphael Joanne O’Mara Parents sometimes ask: what’s the point of drama class? Many want their children to choose elective subjects, especially in Year 12, that parents think will help them get into university and establish a…
Explore articles and resources from the collection with a Policy focus:
We need arts education – not just creative industries
As an industrial economic model of creativity is embraced, policy changes now conflate creativity and the arts which has led to a devaluation of the intrinsic benefits of the arts in education. Reference: Selkrig, M. We need arts education – not just creative…
In a public school classroom, talent won’t grow by accident – teachers need more.
Government financial support for gifted students can only be properly utilised by teachers who are themselves supported through professional learning. “Programs do not transform classrooms. Teachers do”. Reference: Trott, C. In a public school classroom, talent won’t…
Teacher workload’s a problem. What is the solution?
Over 50,000 Australian teachers contributed to this research which found that teachers identified greater consultation regarding changes in schools, increased support for students with special needs and more time, especially through reduced face to face teaching, as…
Putting strong evidence to good use
This is a call for the responsible use of situated evidence from the Australian Association for Research in Education, published this year in: Toward Greater Impact for Australian Education: The Case for Research, Evidence and ‘Truth’. Reference: The AARE Community….
Inclusion isn’t failing but out systems are
Discusses the issues surrounding inclusion arguing that differentiation supports all students. Reference: Roy, D. Inclusion isn’t failing but out systems are. Here’s what we must do now. (2026, March 19) Edu Research Matters. Inclusion isn’t failing but our systems…
Australia in danger of becoming an ‘artless country’ as enrolments in creative courses collapse.
Drawing on current research (Gattenhof & Saunders) to explore school and tertiary enrolments in the arts. Reference: Caitlin Cassidy, Education reporter. Australia in danger of becoming an ‘artless country’ as enrolments in creative courses collapse. (2026,…
Explore articles and resources from the collection with a Pedagogy focus:
When the curriculum demands personalisation: adaptive professionalism, pre-packaged plans and the teaching of phonics and spelling
A case study which explores how one experienced teacher ‘adopts and adapts’ pre-packaged resources for spelling and phonics. Reference: Exley,B., Hoyte, F. & Singh, P. (2025, July 28). When the curriculum demands personalisation: adaptive professionalism,…
Teachers: making good noise. Making even better knowledge.
An audit of podcasts explores experiences of racism and approaches to anti-racist education in schools. Reference: Teo, A. & Thapliyal, N. Teachers: making good noise. Making even better knowledge. (2026, January 30). Edu Research Matters. Teachers: making good…
Indigenous Education in Australia Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures.
Podcast series hosted by Dr Marnee Shay and Professor Rhonda Oliver who are the editors of a new strengths based text book about Indigenous education. It explores different topics about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education with chapter authors; a diverse…
Immigrant Students: How to support motivation and achievement
Harnessing the Academic and Cultural-Demands Resources (ACD-R) framework and using PISA data as the basis for assessing academic achievement, the scholarly research reported in this article examined the ways in which schools could support immigrant students to achieve…
Test scores out, creative designers in to engage children
“It’s time to recognise teachers as creative designers of learning and as frontline leaders for a better world. We need to trust them with the work they’re best placed to do – teaching first-class humans, not preparing second-class robots.” Reference: Sahlberg,…
Some students learning English can take at least 6 years to catch up to their peers
“About one quarter of Australian school students are learning English as an additional language or dialect. This means their first language or dialect is something other than English and they need extra support to develop proficiency in what we call standard…
Explore articles and resources from the collection with a Reading focus:
Brent Bultitude Podcast: Are Australians giving up on books?
Robyn Ewing discusses the cognitive and emotional benefits of reading fiction. Reference: Ewing, R. (2026, March 18) Brent Bultitude Podcast: Are Australians giving up on books? Link: https://omny.fm/shows/brent-bultitude-podcast/are-australians-giving-up-on-books
Now we must mine the past to enrich the present
Arguing for change by looking to professional associations, like PETAA and ALEA, and highly esteemed researchers and theorists like Halliday, Christie and Rothery and Donald Graves to provide answers to current educational challenges. Reference: Gardner, P. Now we…
Listening to Reading – Watching While Writing protocols (adapted from Dr Nell Duke, 2020)
Topfer , C. (2026) In 2020 the lead researcher in this work, Dr Nell Duke, released a Listening to Reading-Watching While Writing protocol https://www.nellkduke.org/listening-to-reading-protocol. This is an informal formative assessment tool designed for use during…
Assessing the comprehension of multimodal text
Oakley, G. (2002). ALEA PLEPY Some comprehension strategies are described and suggestions made for student assessment. Assessing-the-comprehension-of-multimodal-text.-Oakley Download
Stories of ‘successful’ readers: Matristic ontologies of emotioning, reciprocating and (de)growing.
In this research the concept of ‘successful’ reading is challenged along with the linear development of educational knowledge. Reference: Heinrichs,D.,Exley,B.,Bradfield, K. & Clancy, S. (2025, Aug. 5) Stories of ‘successful’ readers: Matristic ontologies of…
A systematic quantitative literature review of the contribution of phonics to overall reading performance for primary students
This research finds that no one program is best in developing reading comprehension but that rigidity constrains teacher agency and programs are best implemented as part of a balanced literacy program which is informed by a teacher’s professional knowledge about…
Explore articles and resources from the collection with a Writing focus:
Listening to Reading – Watching While Writing protocols (adapted from Dr Nell Duke, 2020)
Topfer , C. (2026) In 2020 the lead researcher in this work, Dr Nell Duke, released a Listening to Reading-Watching While Writing protocol https://www.nellkduke.org/listening-to-reading-protocol. This is an informal formative assessment tool designed for use during…
Podcasts for the teacher to inspire and improve your writing
Writing NSW Here at Writing NSW, we love listening to podcasts, especially when they are on writing! Have you been feeling a little uninspired, or just want to know more about your favourite authors? See the list below for our roundup of entertaining and insightful…
Teacher produced video tours of classrooms: what matters for their teaching of writing?
This research paper written by Mantei and colleagues, offers a timely and thought-provoking discussion of a research project which investigated the “interplay between social, cultural and individual influences on the materiality of writing classrooms” (Mantei et al,…
Children and young people’s writing in 2025
This report is based on 114,970 responses to our Annual Literacy Survey from children and young people aged 5 to 18 in schools across the UK in early 2025. Findings show that writing enjoyment levels are at their lowest since 2010. Writing enjoyment levels…
Reading for emotion: we need more from the NAPLAN marking guide
“NAPLAN testing is on right now. Researchers at Charles Darwin University (CDU) critically examined NAPLAN’s narrative marking guide . We developed an alternative approach – Reading for Emotion – that redefines literacy assessment. Instead of…
PETAA Paper 232 Text Selection to facilitate reading instruction
“Text selection plays an important role in the teaching of Reading (and Writing) and the choices teachers make are determined by: knowledge of the reading process, instructional practices and available texts, students’ needs and interests, and the purpose for using…
Search the Foundation Website
You can also use the search tool below to find useful articles and resources:
Or discover our resources via the keywords below: