Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)

🧠 How do we teach students to think critically in a "post-truth" world shaped by AI, algorithms, and disinformation?

School libraries play a pivotal role, yet educators are often unsure how to define, teach, and assess critical thinking in a consistent, practical way.

Join Jonathan Heard, Research Fellow, at ACER as he unpacks:
- The core components of critical thinking, grounded in theory and research
- Challenges in teaching and assessing this skill
- How students construct knowledge, evaluate ideas, and make reasoned decisions
- Practical strategies to strengthen critical thinking in your school community

📌 Developing Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum
📅 Friday 4 September
🕥 9:10 – 9:40am
🎟️ Register here: https://nationaleducationsummit.com.au/melbourne/

Come and visit us at the ACER stand to connect and continue the conversation!

🚀 National Science Week is a time to celebrate the impact of science in our everyday lives. It’s about inspiring young minds to explore, question, and imagine the future.

One exciting way for students to get involved is joining the Australian STEM Video Game Challenge. This challenge invites students in years 3 to 12 to design and build their own video games, honing skills like coding, teamwork, and problem-solving along the way.

More than just creating games, students are discovering real STEM skills that can open doors to meaningful careers and help shape the future of our world.

🔗 Find out more at: stemgames.org.au

How can AI support stronger, more comparable learning data while keeping national assessment priorities front and centre?

At the 42nd Annual Conference of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA) in Tanzania this week, ACER’s Kemran Mestan and Dr Mark Chetty, Director of National Assessment at South Africa’s Department of Basic Education, will share insights from the South African Systemic Evaluation (SASE).

Their session will explore how AI-assisted item mapping can support alignment between national assessments and the Global Proficiency Frameworks, helping countries report against SDG 4.1.1 while maintaining the local relevance and rigour of their assessment systems.

Find out more about the conference: https://brnw.ch/21x52aW

This National Science Week, we’re celebrating the people and experiences that inspire a lifelong connection to STEM. 🚀

At a recent ACER Learning over Lunch session, Research Fellow Jo Doyle shared findings from her evaluation of the Mission to Mars program at the Victorian Space Science Education Centre VSSEC.

The session sparked an unexpected discovery for fellow Research Fellow Steven Kambouris. He realised he was part of VSSEC’s origin story.

As a student at Strathmore Secondary College in the 1990s, Steve took part in a US space camp led by his science teacher, Michael Pakakis, whose experience inspired the creation of VSSEC. During a recent visit to the centre, Steve even spotted himself in an old photo from that original trip!

Now celebrating 20 years, VSSEC welcomes around 20,000 students each year, using immersive STEM experiences to build curiosity, confidence, teamwork and problem-solving skills.

👉 Read the full story to discover VSSEC and the lasting impact of great STEM experiences: https://brnw.ch/21x50M2

It's Teacher Tuesday! This week’s highlights from Teacher:

🍏 Podcast special: Andrew Fuller on converting neurodiversity into neuro-advantage
https://brnw.ch/21x50dh

🍏 Designing a pedagogical model – from potential to impact on classroom practice
https://brnw.ch/21x50df

🍏 Infographic: The lasting impact of teachers
https://brnw.ch/21x50de

Sign up to receive free weekly updates from Teacher, Australia's best educational magazine, at https://brnw.ch/21x50dg

No two students learn at exactly the same pace and assessments shouldn't treat them as though they do.

PAT Early Literacy adapts to each student's responses, so they're working at a level that's just right for them.

✔️ More accurate results
✔️ Better insight into learning
✔️ No extra testing time

Explore the assessment: https://brnw.ch/21x4Z6t

🔢 Why can early numeracy difficulties be so hard to spot in the classroom?

Young learners often develop unevenly and find ways to appear to cope, until foundational gaps start limiting later learning. That's where screening comes in.

Join Nicola Andrews and Kat McGill as they unpack:
- Why timing is critical in early numeracy
- How screening differs from formative & summative assessment
- The core principles behind effective early years screeners —efficiency, conceptual focus, and developmental appropriateness
- Real examples from the PAT Early Numeracy Screener

📌 Why screening is different: early numeracy, early flags, and what makes a good screener
📅 Thursday 3 September
🕥 10.45 – 11.15am
🎟️ Register here: https://nationaleducationsummit.com.au/melbourne/

Come and visit us at the ACER stand to connect and continue the conversation!

It's Teacher Tuesday! This week’s highlights from Teacher:

🍏 Explicit instruction – the role of responsiveness and teacher judgement
https://brnw.ch/21x4PO6

🍏 School Improvement Episode 70: Instructional leadership and building collective efficacy with Anthony Boys
https://brnw.ch/21x4PO5

🍏 Infographic: Student views on benefits of reading in their free time
https://brnw.ch/21x4PO7

Sign up to receive free weekly updates from Teacher, Australia's best educational magazine, at https://brnw.ch/21x4PO8

Assessments don't have to feel overwhelming for young learners.

PAT Early Literacy uses stories, audio guidance and simple navigation to help students stay engaged and confidently work through the assessment with minimal support.

That means less time managing the assessment and more time using the results to support learning.

Learn more about PAT Early Literacy: https://brnw.ch/21x4O7X

Each year on 9 August, the United Nations marks the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, a day recognising the rights, cultures and contributions of Indigenous peoples globally, and raising awareness of the challenges many communities continue to face.

For ACER, that recognition is reflected in our ongoing work to improve education outcomes for First Nations learners and to amplify Indigenous voices across our research, assessment and learning programs.

One example is Little J & Big Cuz, ACER's award-winning educational program, developed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to support young children as they transition to school. Through engaging stories and learning experiences, it celebrates culture, family, Country and identity, values that sit at the heart of this day.

As we mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, we encourage everyone to take a moment to learn, reflect and celebrate the cultures, knowledge and contributions of Indigenous peoples here in Australia and around the world.