The What works best: 2020 update audio paper outlines eight quality teaching practices that are known to support school improvement and enhance the learning outcomes of our students. The themes are not an exhaustive list of effective practices, but are a useful framework for teachers and school leaders to consider when deciding how to tackle student improvement.

Read by Rachel Smith, Samuel Cox and Vicki Russell.

Read the What works best: 2020 update publication.

What works best toolkit (PDF, 2.5MB)

Access our other 'What works best' resources

The toolkit includes a reflection framework. It supports teachers to reflect on their current practice for each of the What works best themes and identify areas for improvement. The reflection process involves outlining your current practice for each What works best theme and the impact of your current practice. Then, identify the next steps for improvement by considering areas of practice that need to be strengthened. This includes practices that need to be adopted/started, adapted/changed or stopped/discontinued.
When reflecting on your practice for each theme, refer to the strategies in the What works best in practice document, specific elements of the School Excellence Framework and to the standards of focus in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Best practices – creating a positive learning environment (PDF, 70kB)

Using the department's remote learning resources

The modern classroom is ever-changing. The following evidence-based teaching strategies can assist teachers as they support students’ education continuity, in an online and/or remote learning environment.

Explicit teaching

• Clearly show students what to do and how to do it (for example, providing explanation videos, hard/soft copy worked examples or completed exemplars).
• Explain the purpose and relevance of all tasks (for example, providing visual lesson outlines, learning intentions, the activities or key instructions, and the success criteria for the lesson).

Read more on explicit teaching in What works best: 2020 update and What works best in practice.

Manage cognitive load

• Cut out inessential information.
• Present all the essential information together.
• Simplify complex information by presenting it both orally and visually.
• Encourage students to visualise concepts and procedures that they have learnt.

Read more on cognitive load in Cognitive load theory and Managing cognitive load through effective presentations.

Support routines

• Provide daily to-do lists and day schedule.
• Have students submit work regularly.

Read more on classroom management in Classroom management and Leading from home – school planning.

Maintain high expectations

• Be clear about what is expected of students (for example, student behaviour and tasks).
• Provide effective feedback that includes constructive and actionable steps on how students can improve.
• Encourage student personal best goal setting.

Read more on high expectations in How high expectations and engagement in primary school drive student learning and What works best: 2020 update.

Collaboration

• Draw on collective teacher expertise (for example, co-plan lessons, share best practice models and resources).
• Regularly inform parents and carers of their child’s progress, learning expectations and learning goals.

Read more on collaboration in Improving high school engagement, classroom practices and achievement and What works best: 2020 update. 

Active supervision

• Check-in daily with students.

Read more on active supervision in Classroom management and Learning from home – delivery of learning.

Support student wellbeing

• Encourage student feedback and suggestions to help students feel connected to their learning.
• Engage students in positive self-talk, discuss issues when they arise and encourage students to ask for help.
• Provide tips on how students can manage their time effectively.
• Promote emotional safety through preventative strategies, such as teaching students self-regulation (for example, breathing and meditation exercises).

Read more on student wellbeing in Capturing and measuring student voice and Improving high school engagement, classroom practices and achievement.

For emotional safety preventative and responsive strategies, read Trauma-informed practice in schools: An explainer.

Support a safe online/remote learning environment

• Provide students and parents information on respectful, responsible and safe use of digital devices.
• Clearly communicate procedures for staff, parents and carers to report concerns or online bullying.

Read more on online safety in Anti-bullying interventions in schools, on the digital citizenship website, the eSafety website or download the eSafety toolkit for schools.

Using the department’s remote learning resources

Learning from home

The department’s dedicated Learning from home webpages provide resources and advice for teachers and parents including information on:

• available online learning platforms (Microsoft Teams, Adobe Connect, G Suite for education)
• web conferencing
• how to create digital learning activities
• school planning
• curriculum resources

Literacy and numeracy resources for teachers

The Literacy and numeracy website supports the explicit teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy in schools by providing the latest resources including:

• learning progressions
• EAL/D learning progressions
• PLAN2
• podcasts
• case studies

Teachers can also access the Literacy and numeracy professional learning.

What works best in practice (PDF, 3MB)

Access our other 'What works best' resources

Summary

What works best in practice supports teachers to implement the evidence-based themes outlined in What works best: 2020 update. It provides strategies and case studies against eight key teaching practices that are known to improve student outcomes.

The eight themes are:

• High expectations
• Explicit teaching
• Effective feedback
• Use of data to inform practice
• Student assessment
• Classroom management
• Wellbeing
• Collaboration

The themes provide a useful framework for teachers to ensure their practices in the classroom align with the evidence. The strategies in the document are a great starting point for practical implementation and the case studies provide some examples about how other schools have approached these practices. As always, it is important to consider the strategies within the unique context of your own classroom and school environment.

For more information

Our What works best: 2020 update lays out the research and data behind each of the eight themes.

The School Excellence Framework supports school leaders take a planned and whole-school approach to improvement. The eight themes closely align with the School Excellence Framework.

Classroom management infographic (PDF, 73kB)

This infographic is part of a collection of resources about classroom management. 

What does the infographic say?

Classroom management is a broad term that encompasses the preventative and responsive strategies teachers use to support and facilitate learning in the classroom.

Classroom management is vital for engaging students in academic and social and emotional learning. In NSW, students who report more effectively managed classrooms are more likely to report having a positive sense of belonging. However, many teachers do not feel confdent in their classroom management abilities.

• Less than half of Australian teachers felt well prepared to implement classroom management strategies after completing preservice teacher training.¹

• Only 4 in 5 Australian teachers feel able to control disruptive behaviours in the classroom¹

Effective classroom management requires both preventative strategies and responsive strategies

Preventative strategies

Preventative strategies are proactive and encourage students to be on-task, motivated to learn and prosocial. Effective preventative strategies include:

• positive classroom climates

• structured instruction to engage students

• effective rules and routines

• pre-corrections to remind students of expectations

• active supervision.

Responsive strategies

Responsive strategies are reactive and provide corrective responses to inappropriate behaviours. They support students to re-engage in learning. Effective corrective responses:

• identify why the student is disengaged or being disruptive

• are understood by the student

• are consistent and expected

• are given calmly

• are proportionate to the level of behaviour displayed.

For classroom management strategies to be most effective, there needs to be:

• commitment from individual teachers

• a consistent school-wide approach

• access to professional learning

• proactive wellbeing support for teachers.

¹Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2019, TALIS 2018 results (volume 1): Teachers and school leader as lifelong learners, OECD publishing, Paris

Classroom management poster (PDF, 620kB)

This poster is part of a collection of resources about classroom management. 

What does the poster say?

About classroom management

Classroom management is a broad term that encompasses the preventative and responsive strategies teachers use to support and facilitate learning in the classroom.

Many teachers find low-level but persistent disengaged and disruptive student behaviour a daily challenge in the classroom.

Classroom management is vital for creating an environment that minimises disruptions, maximises instruction time, and encourages students to engage in learning.

For classroom management strategies to be most effective, there needs to be:

• commitment from individual teachers

• a consistent school-wide approach

• access to professional learning

• proactive wellbeing support for teachers.

Preventative strategies are proactive and encourage students to be on-task, motivated to learn, and prosocial.

Effective preventative strategies include:

• positive classroom climates, with high quality student-teacher relationships and explicit teaching of social and emotional skills

• structured instruction to engage students in learning

• providing and explicitly teaching rules and routines

• offering pre-corrections to remind students of expectations

• using active supervision to help students stay on task.

Responsive strategies provide corrective responses to inappropriate behaviours and support students to re-engage in learning.

Effective corrective responses:

• identify why the student is disengaged or being disruptive

• ensure the student understands the corrective response

• are consistent and expected

• are given calmly

• are proportionate to the level of behaviour displayed.

What works best: 2020 update (PDF, 1.6MB)

Access our other 'What works best' resources

Summary

This paper is an update to our 2014 publication. The 2020 update outlines eight quality teaching practices that are known to support school improvement and enhance the learning outcomes of our students. The themes are not an exhaustive list of effective practices, but are a useful framework for teachers and school leaders to consider when deciding how to tackle student improvement.

The eight themes identified as likely to make the biggest difference to our students are:

1. High expectations

Teachers’ beliefs about their students influence how they teach and interact with them. High expectations are linked with higher performance for all students. The reverse can also be true. Students may achieve less than their full potential if expectations of their ability are low.

2. Explicit teaching 

Explicit teaching practices involve teachers clearly showing students what to do and how to do it, rather than having students discover that information themselves. Students who experience explicit teaching practices make greater learning gains than students who do not experience these practices.

3. Effective feedback

Effective feedback provides students with relevant, explicit, ongoing, constructive and actionable information about their performance against learning outcomes from the syllabus.

4. Use of data to inform practice

Teachers use data to check and understand where their students are in their learning and to plan what to do next. Effective analysis of student data helps teachers identify areas where students’ learning needs may require additional attention and development.

5. Assessment

High quality student assessment helps us know that learning is taking place. Assessment is most effective when it is an integral part of teaching and learning programs.

6. Classroom management

Classroom management is important for creating the conditions for learning. Effective classroom management minimises and addresses all levels of disengagement and disruptive behaviours.

7. Wellbeing

At school, the practices that support student wellbeing involve creating a safe environment; ensuring connectedness; engaging students in their learning; and promoting social and emotional skills.

8. Collaboration 

Professional collaboration allows best practice to be identified and shared across classrooms. Effective collaboration explicitly aims to improve teacher practices and student outcomes. 

For more information

Our What works best in practice resource provides strategies to support teachers to implement the eight themes in the classroom.

The School Excellence Framework supports school leaders take a planned and whole-school approach to improvement. The eight themes closely align with the School Excellence Framework.

Classroom management: Creating and maintaining positive learning environments (PDF, 2.1MB)

Classroom management poster

Classroom management infographic

Classroom management professional learning discussion guide

Summary

The literature review defines classroom management and provides a brief overview of classroom management research. It also describes the characteristics of effective classroom management strategies and how schools can best support teachers when implementing them.

Classroom management refers to the strategies teachers use to support and facilitate learning in the classroom. Effective classroom management is important for student achievement because it creates an environment that minimises disruptions, maximises instruction time, and encourages students to engage in learning.

The evidence suggests that classroom management requires both preventative and responsive strategies, with an emphasis on preventative strategies.

Preventative strategies are proactive and encourage students to be on-task, motivated to learn, and prosocial. Effective preventative strategies include:

• creating and maintaining a positive classroom climate
• using structured instruction to engage students in learning
• explicitly teaching students rules and routines
• offering pre-corrections to remind students of expectations
• using active supervision in the classroom.

Responsive strategies include corrective responses to inappropriate behaviours. They support students to re-engage in learning. Effective corrective practices:

• identify why the student is disengaged or being disruptive
• ensure the student understands the corrective response
• are consistent and expected
• are given calmly
• are proportionate to the level of behaviour displayed.

What works best in schools to improve student outcomes? This paper will look at the following seven themes from the growing bank of evidence.

1. Setting high expectations (5:32)
2. Using explicit teaching practices (15:30)
3. Providing effective feedback (23:33)
4. Using data to inform future practice (30:01)
5. Establishing and maintaining effective classroom management (38:00)
6. Supporting student wellbeing (43:35)
7. Engaging in effective professional collaboration (53:28)

Read by Samuel Cox, CESE.

Download the transcript (PDF, 204kB). 

Go to the full paper.

Reading is a foundational, yet complex cognitive skill upon which other skills are built.

Research on the teaching of reading in the early years of school has consistently identified five key components of effective reading programs: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. This audio paper summarises the research regarding why these five elements are important, as well as how they should be taught in the classroom.

Read by Sally Kohlmayer, CESE.

Read our report on Effective Reading Instruction in the Early Years of School.