Evidence for Learning are focused on supporting evidence-informed decision making through building, sharing and encouraging the use of evidence.
Our free webinars are designed to help education professionals learn how to turn evidence into practice in schools and how to use evidence to measure the impact of their teaching and leadership. Join various members of the Evidence for Learning team as they discuss different topics in evidence-informed practice.
“Very appreciative for the time given by experts in their field, greatly appreciated for a teacher in a rural setting and can't access exceptionally good PD like this in my geographical area.”
- Secondary school teacher
Effective metacognition
Tuesday 18 February 2020
In this webinar educators will learn about seven key recommendations for teaching metacognition and self-regulated learning. These are:
- Teachers should acquire the professional understanding and skills to develop their students’ metacognitive knowledge.
- Explicitly teach students metacognitive strategies, including how to plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning.
- Model your own thinking to help students develop their metacognitive and cognitive skills.
- Set an appropriate level of challenge to develop students’ self-regulation and metacognition.
- Promote and develop metacognitive talk in the classroom.
- Explicitly teach students how to organise, and effectively manage their learning independently.
- Schools should support teachers to develop their knowledge of these approaches and expect them to be applied appropriately.
Co-presented by Susannah Schoeffel and Dr Tanya Vaughan.
Supporting materials:
- Guidance Report – Metacognition and self-regulation
- Teaching & Learning Toolkit - Metacognition and self-regulation
- Australasian Research Summaries - Metacognition and self-regulation
- Guidance Report – Putting evidence to work: a school’s guide to implementation
- Teacher Magazine article - Building students’ metacognition and self-regulation
A recording of the webinar is available and presentation slides for download.
Oral language development in the early years
Oral language is the way children communicate their views, learn to understand others, and make discoveries. Educators can support and enhance children’s oral language by engaging in sustained communication with children about ideas and experiences.
This webinar will discuss evidence-informed ways that educators can support the development of critical oral language skills for young children. It is relevant for educators in early learning settings and Foundation to Year 2 teachers.
What you’ll learn:
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Research on the importance of oral language development
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Evidence-informed strategies to support rich conversations with young learners including how to create spaces for children’s talk, what are quality questions to prompt children’s talk and participation in conversations and how to keep the conversation going.
Presented by researcher and former early childhood teacher Dr Sandy Houen and researcher Dr Sally Stanton from the Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Queensland, and E4L Associate Director Danielle Toon.
Supporting resources
- Tip Sheets
- Systematic review of the Australasian literature: Supporting Rich Conversations with Children aged 2-5 years in Early Childhood Education and Care within Australasian Studies
- Early Childhood Education Toolkit - Communication and language approaches
- Education Today article - Building your evidence engine: Five evidence-informed strategies for promoting rich conversations with young children
Webinar resources:
A recording of the webinar is available below and presentation slides for download.
Webinar activities can be accessed via the following links:
Practical recommendations for supporting students in home-supported learning
Tuesday 21 April 2020
These are challenging times for educators, parents and students alike, with a rapidly changing education landscape to navigate in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many schools are moving to support young people in alternative ways including through online environments to ensure the continuity of their education. Not every family has the same resources and access to technology to support learning at home. For those experiencing vulnerability, we must ensure the digital divide and lack of other resources does not turn the current achievement gap into a chasm over the coming months. Evidence of what works in education can help leaders and teachers in this difficult time of transition to improve home-supported learning.
What you’ll learn:
- What are the challenges and opportunities for education during and post COVID-19?
- Building students ability to direct their own learning through metacognition and self-regulation.
- Technology at home.
- The role parents can play in supporting the education of their children.
Presented by Dr Tanya Vaughan and Susannah Schoeffel.
Webinar resources:
- COVID-19 home supported learning
- Guidance Report - Making best use of Teaching Assistants
- Article: Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools
- Article: Putting evidence to work: A school's guide to implementation
- Teacher Magazine article: Translating evidence of what works in schools to home-supported learning
- Teacher Magazine article: Working with parents to provide practical strategies for home-supported learning
Resources on inclusion:
- InclusionED - coming in early May 2020
- The Communication Trust
A recording of the webinar is available and presentation slides for download.
Fostering student wellbeing
Tuesday 16 June 2020
Educators in this webinar will learn about effective approaches in fostering wellbeing and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) of students. Evidence for Learning, with our partners at VicHealth and ACER, is developing a systematic review to understand robust evidence behind some of the most effective SEL approaches in which students work with (and alongside) their peers, teachers, family or community. Three broad categories of SEL interventions can be identified: 1. Universal programs; 2. More specialised programs which are targeted at students with particular social or emotional problems; 3. School-level approaches to developing a positive school ethos.
What you’ll learn:
- Effective evidence-informed approaches in SEL.
- SEL approaches specific for peers, teachers, family or community working with students.
- An overview and general understanding of three categories of SEL interventions.
A panel discussion will be facilitated by Dr Tanya Vaughan in response to your submitted questions, joined by our panel members:
- Dr Katherine Dix (ACER)
- Michael Rosenbrock (Wodonga Senior Secondary College) and
- Dr Pauline Ho (E4L).
Webinar resources:
- Teaching & Learning Toolkit – Social and emotional learning and Australasian Research Summaries
- Guidance Report: Putting evidence to work: A school's guide to implementation
- inclusionED
- Guidance Report: Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools
- Be You – Fact sheets
- Be You – Wellbeing Tools for Students
- Be You – Australian SEL Programs Directory
A recording of the webinar is available and presentation slides for download.
Improving literacy in primary school
Tuesday 21 July 2020
Educators in this webinar will learn about how to improve literacy of their students. You will investigate the two Evidence for Learning Guidance Reports dedicated to primary literacy, along with the evidence from the Teaching & Learning Toolkit. This webinar will look at practical recommendations for primary school educators and school leaders.
What you’ll learn:
- A general overview of the evidence-based recommendations for improving literacy outcomes for primary students.
- Knowledge about the latest global research on what strategies are leading to improved literacy outcomes.
- Examples of how these recommendations are being translated into the classroom in an Australian school.
- Adoption of how these recommendations can be used at a whole school and classroom level.
This webinar will be facilitated by Dr Tanya Vaughan in conversation with Professor Anne Castles from Macquarie University, Jenny Mackay, Assistant Principal from Dandenong North PS and Susannah Schoeffel from Evidence for Learning.
Webinar resources:
- Guidance Report: Improving literacy in lower primary
- Guidance Report: Improving literacy in upper primary
- Teaching & Learning Toolkit: Oral language development
- Teaching & Learning Toolkit: Phonics
- Teaching & Learning Toolkit: Reading comprehension strategies
- Teacher Magazine article: Evidence informed literacy strategies to improve student’s literacy.
A recording of the webinar is available and presentation slides for download.
Effective student collaboration
Tuesday 4 August 2020
Educators in this webinar will learn about effective student collaboration by investigating the evidence about collaborative learning within the Teaching & Learning Toolkit (the Toolkit) and the wider evidence on online and remote learning. A collaborative (or cooperative) learning approach involves students working together on activities or learning tasks in a group small enough for everyone to participate on a collective task that has been clearly assigned. In online learning opportunities, students may work on separate tasks independently that contribute to common overall outcomes, or work together on a shared task in small groups through web-based collaboration tools or synchronous live discussion. Approaches which promote talk and interaction between learners tend to result in the best gains.
What you’ll learn:
- Techniques, tasks and approaches for helping students work together remotely.
- Creating effective collaboration and problem solving between student groups.
- How to support and encourage lower achieving students in collaborative tasks during remote learning.
This webinar will be facilitated by Dr Tanya Vaughan in conversation with Matthew McLaren, Assistant Principal from Western Port Secondary College and Dr Pauline Ho from Evidence for Learning.
Webinar resources:
- Teaching & Learning Toolkit: Collaborative learning and Australian Research Summaries
- Teaching & Learning Toolkit: Small group tuition
- Teaching & Learning Toolkit: Metacognition and self-regulation
- Blog: Thinking about Teaching
- Meta-analysis of the effects of ABRACADABRA: A research reading on a small-group collaborative reading intervention
- Meta-analysis of the effects of PowerTeaching: A research reading on a whole-class collaborative maths approach
A recording of the webinar is available and presentation slides for download.
Feedback to increase student learning
Tuesday 18 August 2020
Providing high-quality feedback to students is integral to effective teaching. Equally, gathering feedback on how well students have learned a topic is important in enabling teachers to address any misunderstanding and provide the right level of challenge in future lessons. Educators in this webinar will learn about effective approaches in feedback.
What you’ll learn:
- Unpack the global evidence about the characteristics of effective feedback.
- Explore the implementation of feedback through a case study of an Australian school.
This webinar will be facilitated by Dr Tanya Vaughan in conversation with Robyn Arri, Support Teacher at Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School and Anisha Ghani, Senior Project Officer in the Teaching and School Leadership Team at AITSL.
Webinar resources:
- Teacher Magazine article: Improving students’ writing through feedback
- Teaching & Learning Toolkit approach: Feedback
- Australasian Research Summary: Feedback
- AITSL Feedback Implementation Materials
- Implementation plan for feedback
- E4L Blog: Getting more of what we want and less of what we don’t
- E4L Blog: Effective feedback in action
- The BRAIN Activity Booklet - Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland
A recording of the webinar is available and presentation slides for download.
Improving literacy in secondary school
Tuesday 1 September 2020
Educators in this webinar will learn about how to improve literacy of secondary students. You will investigate the Evidence for Learning Guidance Report dedicated to secondary literacy, along with the evidence from the Teaching & Learning Toolkit. This webinar will look at practical recommendations for secondary school educators and school leaders.
What you'll learn:
- A general overview of the evidence-based recommendations for improving literacy outcomes for secondary students.
- Knowledge about the latest global research on what strategies are leading to improved literacy outcomes.
- Examples of how these recommendations are being translated into the classroom in an Australian school.
- Adoption of how these recommendations can used at a whole school and classroom level.
This webinar will be facilitated by Dr Tanya Vaughan in conversation with Dr Kate De Bruin from Monash University, Mark Clutton, Lead Teacher of English and Drama at Gungahlin College, and Susannah Schoeffel from Evidence for Learning.
Webinar resources:
- Guidance Report: Improving literacy in secondary school
- Toolkit approach: Oral language development
- Toolkit approach: Phonics
- Toolkit approach: Reading comprehension strategies
- Guidance Report: Metacognition and self-regulated learning
- Article: What is Disciplinary Literacy and Why Does It Matter?
- Mark Clutton’s online literacy plan at Gungahlin College
A recording of the webinar is available and presentation slides for download.
Unpacking the effective use of Teaching Assistants
Tuesday 15 September 2020
Teaching Assistants (TAs) are an invaluable resource in Australian schools supporting teachers in the classroom, TAs are a 90,500‑strong workforce. In 2017, on average, there were 10 teaching assistants in every school. During this webinar educators will learn about practical, evidence-based guidance to help primary and secondary schools make the best use of Teaching Assistants (TAs). Looking beyond the recommendations set out in E4L’s Guidance Report Making best use of Teaching Assistants, you will explore practical examples of where TAs have been essential in improving outcomes for students.
What you’ll learn:
- Learn about what effective use of TAs can look like
- Think about how to implement a whole-school strategy around the use of TAs
- Hear from Australian schools who are implementing TAs and learn about their change process
This webinar will be facilitated by Dr Tanya Vaughan in conversation with Luke Willsmore, Head of Secondary at Emmaus Christian School, Michelle Taylor, Teaching Assistant at Emmaus Christian School, and Susannah Schoeffel from Evidence for Learning.
Supporting resources
- Guidance Report: Making best use of Teaching Assistants
- Teacher Magazine article: Teaching Assistants in Australia
- Teacher Magazine article: The effective use of teaching assistants
Webinar resources:
- Toolkit approach: Teaching Assistants
- Guidance Report: Making best use of Teaching Assistants
- Teacher Magazine article: Implementing the evidence to maximise the impact of Teaching Assistants
A recording of the webinar is available and presentation slides for download.
Improving student behaviour
Tuesday 20 October
Educators in this webinar will explore the evidence base for ways to improve students’ behaviour. We will explore both the Teaching & Learning Toolkit, and the Education Endowment Foundations (EEF’s) Guidance Report ‘Improving Behaviour in Schools’ which highlights six recommendations across three different types of strategies: Proactive strategies, Reactive strategies and Implementation. This webinar is designed for primary or secondary school teachers and those with an interest in primary or secondary education.
What you will learn:
- Explore the key recommendations drawn from the research on improving student outcomes
- Hear about strategies being implemented in schools and how they are bringing the evidence to life
- Think about the key lever points in your own school setting.
This webinar will be facilitated by Dr Tanya Vaughan in conversation with Bryan Field, Junior Sub School Leader at Monterey Secondary College, and Susannah Schoeffel from Evidence for Learning.
Supporting resources:
- Toolkit approach: Behaviour interventions
- Toolkit Australasian Research Summary: Behaviour interventions
- Guidance Report (EEF): Improving behaviour in Schools.
- Guidance Report (E4L): Putting evidence to work: a school’s guide to implementation
- Guidance Report (E4L): Making best use of Teaching Assistants
A recording of the webinar is available and presentation slides for download.
Leading Student Wellbeing: An online discussion with the profession
Tuesday 10 November
Student wellbeing is a key priority as schools and systems prepare for recovery and rebuild, post Covid-19. Recently, Evidence for Learning released a global first systematic review on the state of evidence on student wellbeing and shares findings on effective interventions and implementation across seven wellbeing approaches including belonging, engagement, and SEL.
This webinar shares the findings from the critical appraisal of 75 included studies and 432 outcomes to understand the extent of the impact of wellbeing interventions on student wellbeing and learning.
Join us for our last webinar of 2020 as we explore the findings and consider the opportunities available to schools and systems by building on this work. We encourage educators from schools and systems, as well as program providers and those with an interest in student wellbeing to join us in this conversation.
What you will learn:
• Explore the key findings and recommendations drawn from the recently released systematic review on student wellbeing aimed at investigating the links to wellbeing and academic outcomes.
• Hear about implementation strategies that are most effective and how these can be implemented in schools to improve student wellbeing and learning.
• Consider opportunities to build on the evidence from this rigorous review in your system or own school setting.
This webinar will be facilitated by Dr Tanya Vaughan in conversation with Dr Katherine Dix, Senior Research Fellow at ACER, Michael Rosenbrock, Assistant Principal at Wodonga Senior Secondary College, and Dr Pauline Ho from Evidence for Learning.
Supporting resources:
- Systematic Review: Student Health and Wellbeing
- Teacher Magazine Article: Implementing evidence-based strategies to improve student wellbeing
- Teaching & Learning Toolkit: Social and emotional learning and Australasian Research Summaries
- Early Childhood Education Toolkit: Social and emotional learning strategies and Australasian Research Summaries
A recording of the webinar is available and presentation slides for download.
Using data and evidence to identify students at risk of disengagement: A panel discussion with school leaders
Tuesday 17 November
In 2018, approximately 17% of Australian students were not retained from Year 10 to Year 12 and about 70,000 students did not attain a Year 12 certificate or equivalent qualification. The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic increase the risk of more students disengaging from school and not completing their school education.
Recently, Evidence for Learning released an insights paper on identifying and taking action for students at risk of disengagement from school during the phases of the Covid-19 response. This webinar shares the evidence on predictors of disengagement from school and involves a panel discussion with six Victorian school leaders on how they took a preventative approach to disengagement during the 2020 school year.
We encourage school and system leaders from across Australia to join us in this conversation. Please submit any questions for the panel when you register for this webinar.
What you will learn:
- Explore the key findings from a systematic global literature review on the predictors of disengagement from school
- Hear from six school leaders about the data and processes that their schools used during 2020 to identify students at risk of disengagement
- Reflect with six school leaders on the supports provided to students during 2020 to take a preventative approach to disengagement.
This webinar will be facilitated by Danielle Toon in conversation with the following Victorian school leaders:
- Trish Bulluss, Assistant Principal, Seymour College (P-12);
- Gail Hardman, Executive Principal, Seymour College (P-12);
- Donna Geritz, Assistant Principal, Western Port Secondary College;
- Michael Rosenbrock, Assistant Principal, Wodonga Senior Secondary College;
- Frank Vetere, Executive Principal, Footscray High School; and
- Jodie Parsons, Assistant Principal, Sunshine College.
Webinar resources:
- 2020 Paper - Identifying and taking action for students at risk of disengagement from school during the phases of the COVID‑19 response
- Literature Review - Insights for Early Action: Literature review (predictors of disengagement)
- 2019 Paper - Insights for Early Action: Using data and evidence to identify students
A recording of the webinar is available and presentation slides for download.
Exploring GEMS -- insights on using research evidence in schools
Tuesday 31 August 2021
The terms ‘research-informed’ and ‘evidence-informed’ are ubiquitous in Australian education. But what do these terms mean? Are you ‘research-informed’ if you have read the latest book from a prominent education academic?
Getting Evidence Moving in Schools (GEMS) is a three-year investigation led by Evidence for Learning that explored what 205 educators in 24 schools did when they worked with professional learning providers who helped them to engage with research evidence.
This webinar shares insights from the newly launched GEMS Insights Paper through a panel discussion with those involved in the GEMS project.
We encourage teachers, school and system leaders from across Australia to join us in this conversation.
What you will learn:
• Explore key insights on research mobilisation in schools including embedding research use into school improvement processes, working with professional learning providers to support research use and evaluating research use.
• Hear what school leaders, professional learning providers, researchers and education department staff are doing to deepen and extend the use of research evidence in schools.
• Reflect on how you could use these insights to deepen the use of research in your setting.
This webinar is facilitated by Danielle Toon in conversation with:
• Dr Simon Breakspear, Founder, Teaching Sprints
• Dr Peter Burrows, Lead Researcher, Learning Leader and Co-Designer, EdPartnerships International
• Dr Jo Gleeson, Q Project Research Fellow, Monash University
• Caroline Mazurkiewicz, Student Achievement Manager, SouthWestern Victoria Region, Department of Education and Training
• Associate Professor Mark Rickinson, Q Project Director, Faculty of Education, Monash University
• Cathy Wilton, Deputy Principal, Blaxcell Street Public School
Webinar resources:
- GEMS Project Overview
- GEMS Research Framework
- GEMS Investigation Paper
- GEMS Insights Paper and reflection tools
A recording of the webinar is available below and presentation slides for download.
The mechanisms of effective Professional Development
Wednesday 11 May 2022
7pm – 8pm AEST
Professional Development (PD) for teachers has great potential; but it also comes with costs. We know that teachers engage in PD activities whilst balancing multiple and, at times, competing commitments and time pressures. More than ever there is a need for PD to be well-designed, selected, and implemented so that the investment is justified.
During this webinar, school leaders, educators and researchers will explore the latest evidence-based guidance and recommendations on PD that is likely to have the most impact.
Hear insights about research and practice from:
- Tom Cain, Assistant Principal at Monterey Secondary College
- Laureate Professor Jenny Gore, Director Teachers and Teaching Research Centre, University of Newcastle
- Kirsten Mould, Senior Associate, Education Endowment Foundation
We’ll explore:
- A new review of the global evidence that seeks to move the evidence-base forward by identifying the ‘mechanisms’ or crucial elements of professional development that lead to impact
- How these mechanisms may be incorporated into effective PD design
- Reflections from Australian and English school leaders about how these recommendations may inform school practices.
Webinar Resources:
- Download the Guidance Report
- Download the Summary of Recommendations poster
- Download the Mechanisms of Effective PD poster
- Download the Considering a balanced design prompts
- Download the Considering a balanced design editable worksheet
A recording of the webinar is available below and presentation slides for download.
