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There are many ways to teach school students. But research shows only some will significantly improve learning.<\/p>\n
While most teachers want to use evidence-based practices, they face many challenges that can limit their ability to use them in their classrooms. These include time pressures, access to resources, and unsupportive school cultures.<\/p>\n
In our\u00a0new study<\/a>\u00a0we asked teachers how much they use education research evidence when teaching students.<\/p>\n We found that most teachers surveyed said they were using evidence-based practices most of the time, but they are not using all the strategies that make those practices effective. This can have serious impacts on student learning.<\/p>\n Our study looked at four teaching approaches that have been shown by academic research to help students learn:<\/p>\n In 2021, we surveyed more than 900 teachers from across each state and territory for an Australian Education Research Organisation (AER0) study. This included teachers from government, Catholic and independent schools and from primary and high schools.<\/p>\n We asked how much teachers use various types of evidence to inform how they teach students. We also analysed Australian data from international education surveys, including the OECD\u2019s\u00a0Programme for International Student Assessment<\/a>\u00a0(PISA) and\u00a0Teaching and Learning International Survey<\/a>\u00a0(TALIS) as well as the\u00a0Progress in International Reading Literacy Study<\/a>\u00a0(PIRLS).<\/p>\n The vast majority of teachers we surveyed said they used methods backed by research in their classrooms. Specifically, when it comes to\u00a0formative assessment<\/strong>\u00a0methods:<\/p>\n An even greater proportion of those we surveyed said they were using\u00a0explicit instruction<\/strong>\u00a0methods:<\/p>\n When it came to teaching using\u00a0mastery learning<\/strong>:<\/p>\n High proportions of those we surveyed also reported using\u00a0classroom management<\/strong>\u00a0methods:<\/p>\n These results show most Australian teachers are using evidence-backed methods to teach in their classrooms. This is reassuring news overall, but also shows significant proportions of those surveyed are not drawing on approaches we know help students learn.<\/p>\n We also found teachers report using evidence-based practices more than students report experiencing them. For example, according to PISA, only 31% of year 10 students in Australia report teachers frequently provide individual help when a student has difficulties understanding a topic or task.<\/p>\n Another\u00a02019 study<\/a>\u00a0of five Australian schools also found feedback from teachers is often not clear to students.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, almost three-quarters (71%) of respondents to the PIRLS Year 4 student survey agree \u201ca lot\u201d that their teacher tells them how to do better when they make a mistake.<\/p>\n Our survey also suggests teachers do not get enough support and training to access research-based approaches. For example, only 64% of teachers we surveyed said they had regular access to coaching to help them use evidence. We also found:<\/p>\n A key way to improve this situation is to provide more time and support (such as professional learning and access to resources) to help and train teachers and school leaders use evidence.<\/p>\n We also need to encourage school cultures where teachers discuss evidence, so they can learn from each other.<\/p>\n This tells us that we need to build supportive school environments where teachers feel confident and capable to support each other to not just use evidence but also stop doing things that aren\u2019t working.<\/p>\n The point of using research evidence to inform teaching is to improve outcomes for students. This should be the priority across schools and in resources from education departments and in research, curriculum guidance and education policies.<\/p>\n AERO has\u00a0free resources for teachers and school leaders<\/a>\u00a0about using evidence. Other state governments, such as\u00a0New South Wales<\/a>,\u00a0Victoria<\/a>,\u00a0Western Australia<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Northern Territory<\/a>\u00a0also have resources.<\/p>\nWhat types of evidence are we talking about?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Our survey<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Our findings<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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What do students say?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Do teachers help each other?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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What needs to happen now?<\/h4>\n
More resources<\/strong><\/h4>\n