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:
Transition to school: children’s perspectives of the literacy experiences on offer as they move from pre-school to the first year of normal schooling
Cronin, L., Kervin, L. & Mantei, J. (2022) in Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, a journal from the Australian Literacy Educators’ Association This article reports on the perspectives of two children, firstly in their preschool and then in the first…
Kids can learn more from guided play than from direct instruction, report finds
Jackie Mader The Hechinger Report March 24, 2022 This article provides a brief synopsis of the seventeen studies that reviewed play. The full study can be accessed via a link on the “Hechinger Report’ site online. It is very interesting to note that the studies of…
A failure at 6? Data-driven assessment isn’t helping young children
The Conversation 24 November 2021 by Martina Tassone This article cites the author’s doctoral research that found “datafication” defined early years schooling and puts a spotlight on the consequences of the expectations on teachers to undertake regular formal…
Why make-believe play is an important part of childhood development
April 6, 2016 The Conversation by Tracy Gleason Research has found a relationship between pretend play and a child’s developing creativity, understanding of others and social competence with peers. Article here
How the Science of Learning and Development Can Transform Education
May 2020 Initial Findings of the SoLD ( Science of Learning & Development) Alliance. This paper proposes that all children can thrive and learn when the ways in which they are educated and developed are transformed. As well as providing some important…
More Than Words Can Say
2019 edition Edited by Julie Dyson, National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) A view of literacy through the arts. More-Than-Words-Can-Say_2019 Download
Explore articles and resources from the collection with a Policy focus:
I want to tell them we are not like that here (and the very good news on joy)
Exploring the presence—and perception—of joy in early childhood education. Stories from Early Childhood educators of a sector in crisis, but stories about the deep joy that working with young children can bring. Karaolis, O. I want to tell them we are not like that…
New Super Bureaucracy for schools: Visionary reform or risky gamble?
The proposed merger of four key educational agencies: ACARA, AITSL, ESA and AERO, into a new Teaching and Learning Commission (TLC) to align with the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement will have repercussions for all educational institutions and their personnel. In…
Creativity: the self-regenerative curriculum resource.
“It will come as no surprise that creative education scholars are, in principle, opposed to most strategies of standardisation. This is not the same as opposing baseline skills’ education, which form the foundation of all creative work. What we are opposed to is the…
Part Two: NAPLAN results haven’t collapsed but media interpretations have
Two-part article addressing claims made about NAPLAN data. There are media reports indicating NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) results in Australia have significantly declined. These interpretations may not accurately reflect the data or…
Oh Canada! What we could learn from Ontario now
Australia and Canada share much in terms of history, culture and demographics. Despite these similarities, Canada has much lower levels of social segregation in its schools, and higher levels of equity and achievement, consistently outperforming Australia in the…
Why so many new teachers feel unprepared – and what we can do about it
“Every year, thousands of new teachers step into Australian classrooms full of passion and preparation. But many feel unprepared for one of the most complex aspects of the job: designing and delivering assessment.” Reference: Brownlie, N. (2025, May,29) Why so many…
Explore articles and resources from the collection with a Pedagogy focus:
Talking Together: The Effects of Traditional Māori Pedagogy on Children’s Early Literacy Development
his article provides details of a research project that investigated a home-based literacy intervention trialled with preschool aged Māori children in New Zealand. The project aimed to consider what culturally responsive literacy pedagogy might look like in a…
Poetry and Motion: Rhythm, Rhyme and Embodiment as Oral Literacy Pedagogy for Young Additional Language Learners
In this article, Beaumont put forward an interesting argument about the integration of oracy, poetry and embodiment as a way to facilitate language development for young children who are learning English as an additional language in school. The analysis demonstrated…
Teachers use many teaching approaches to impart knowledge: Pitting one against another harms education
August 2021 Alan Reid, Professor Emeritus, University of South Australia The Conversation In this article Alan Reid challenges the dichotomy constantly raised by various academics and the media. Most recently an article in the Weekend Australian by Noel Pearson has…
Indigenous Education in Australia Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures-Podcasts
This series of podcasts is based on the practical resource edited by Marnee Shay and Rhonda Oliver (2021) Indigenous Education in Australia Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures’. The podcasts follow the chapters and feature a wide range of presenters and topics….
The Sciences of Learning and the Practice of Teaching
Guy Claxton This blog post by Guy Claxton provides a handy ‘crib-sheet’ outlining some areas of contention and misunderstanding around the Sciences of Learning and their impact on teaching practice. Claxton reminds educators that, in reality, the craft of teaching…
Oral Language Learning: A stunning intellectual achievement and what it reveals about human learning
Brian Cambourne 2021 Bring Me a Book National Conference In this article Brian Cambourne shares the various factors including his research as to how he came to develop his now well-known Conditions of Learning. He provides a brief summary of what he refers to as ‘out…
Explore articles and resources from the collection with a Reading focus:
The Science of Reading on Social Media: TikTok Content Creators’ Discourse Patterns and Bodies of Knowledge
Reference: Rowe,L.W. et al. The Science of Reading on Social Media: TikTok Content Creators’ Discourse Patterns and Bodies of Knowledge (2025, August 27). Reading Research Quarterly. Research into the discourse surrounding ‘The Science of Reading’, SOR, was conducted…
The decline in volitional reading
Position Paper. The global decline in young people’s attitudes to reading and the frequency with which they read represents serious cause for concern. Multiple factors contribute to this situation, which is parallelled in some countries by a decline in adult reading ….
Using Picture Books to Enhance Meaningful, Inclusive, and Socially Just Relationships
Explores spaces for transformation for teachers and learners using picture books, encouraging them to share their stories and have their voices heard through multiple forms of representation. Reference: Clarke, C. et al. (2025). Using Picture Books to Enhance…
Teaching reading: We asked 500 Australian teachers what they needed right now
This blog post reports on the findings from a survey conducted by Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA). Responses were received from 500 educators working in primary English across systems, sectors and contexts. Several findings are shared in the…
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…
Phonics Plus: does the new Victorian approach to reading miss differentiation and meaning-making?
This short, thoughtful post was published in April 2025 in the AARE Blog, Edu Research Matters. The post scrutinises the new Phonics Plus lesson plans provided to teachers by the Victorian Government. The author, Naomi Nelson, makes it very clear that the lesson plans…
Explore articles and resources from the collection with a Writing focus:
From drawing to writing: What happens when you shift teaching priorities in the first six months of school?
Most young children love to draw and they all need to learn to write. However, despite the research over the past 30 years which identifies a strong relationship between emergent writing and drawing, in some classrooms young children are being obliged to see drawing…
Finding out what children ‘know and can do’ with DTWS
Mackenzie Noella M. 2022 Draw, Talk, Write and Share (DTWS) is a pedagogical approach resulting from research conducted by the author Noella Mackenzie. In this article however, she describes how DTWS can also be used as a powerful observation process, allowing…
Position Statement on Writing Instruction in School
National Council for the Teaching of English (NCTE) August 2022 This position paper is the latest update by NCTE. This position statement is directed primarily toward the audience of school executives and curriculum writers. It provides and overview of what…
Donald Graves Address: Reflecting Upon the Writing Revolution and the Need for Rejuvenation
Alan J Wright Presentation given at the ALEA/AATE National Conference Darwin July 8 2022 The invitational plenary Donald Graves Address began shortly after the passing of Donald Graves in late 2010. ALEA decided that in honour of the legacy that Don left us, we would…
Drawing + Talk = Powerful insights for teachers of writing
Lisa Kervin and Jessica Mantei Turbill, J. Barton, G. & Brock, C. [eds] Teaching Writing in Today’s Classrooms: Looking back to look forward, pp 87-103, 2015 published by ALEA This chapter explores the ‘marks’ that children make in order to revisit the important…
Sense and Sensibility in the Donald Graves Writing Curriculum: An exploration, a remembering, and a plea
Mem Fox Turbill, J. Barton, G. & Brock, C. [eds] Teaching Writing in Today’s Classrooms: Looking back to look forward, pp 3-12 2015 published by ALEA This chapter is an edited version of the inaugural Donald Graves Address given at the ALEA National Conference in…
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