Across Australia, more schools are turning to evidence-based practices to lift student outcomes in the classroom. However, it’s not always easy to turn this knowledge into action.
Recognising this, Australia's national education evidence body has teamed up with several schools to help them implement evidence-based teaching practices that are shown to work.
The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) CEO, Dr Jenny Donovan, said it is not enough for teachers to simply know about effective practices.
“The 'how' of implementation is just as important as the 'what'. That's why we've developed an approach that supports schools with embedding evidence-based practices,” Dr Donovan said.
“If we can combine evidence about the teaching practices that make a difference, with evidence about how to implement them, we will have a powerful pathway to maximising learning for every student in every school.”
Mount Hutton Public School in Newcastle, NSW, is one school paving the way in advancements in educational practice and outcomes. Through its partnership with AERO, it has been implementing explicit instruction across the school, seeing improvements in both teacher confidence and student engagement.
“We’ve seen noticeable improvements in teacher confidence and student engagement from working with AERO,” Principal Trinity Hook said. “They have reinforced our belief that every child matters, every day – and they’re helping us better support all student’s learning.”
Hook said that by addressing the school’s specific enablers and barriers with AERO, there have been marked improvements in implementing explicit instruction techniques.
“It's not one-size-fits-all, and that's why it works so well for us,” she said. “A key lesson we’ve taken away is the importance of gradual, supported change for all involved.”
Hook added that the school has been taking a “step-by-step” approach, providing its leaders and teachers with focused time on implementation and professional development.
To help schools adopt these evidence-based practices in a way that suits their own unique context and responds to their specific needs, AERO outlined the key components of its implementation approach.
1. Using a staged approach: Implementation is treated as a phased process – Explore, Prepare, Deliver, and Sustain – to facilitate effective planning and continuous improvement.
2. Addressing enablers and barriers: By identifying and responding to factors that facilitate or impede progress, schools can optimise their implementation efforts.
3. Choosing practical implementation strategies: Practical strategies, such as detailed planning, professional learning, and coaching, translate research findings into actionable practices.
4. Identifying implementation outcomes: Monitoring outcomes like acceptability, feasibility, and fidelity helps schools assess and refine their implementation strategies for sustained impact.
Dr Donovan said AERO is grateful to all the schools that have been partners in its work to understand more about how to successfully build a bridge between research and practice.
“This work is showing what it takes to move research about what works best in education off websites and into the practice of classroom teachers,” Dr Donovan said.
“We already know what works; and now we have some insights about how to help make it happen in our schools.”