Outdoor learning can transform student engagement and well-being, writes Matt Pittman, head of school at Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs in Australia. He suggests that all subjects can benefit from outdoor lessons and offers practical tips for teachers to start small and use available resources, highlighting the importance of student input, accessibility and collaboration in designing outdoor spaces.

The Inclusion in Practice project, supported by UK education organizations and experts, highlights five inclusive teaching principles for schools. Central to these principles is the recognition that all children share core cognitive similarities, which means evidence-based methods like clear instruction and retrieval practice benefit every pupil, and the project encourages schools to adopt a system-wide approach, prioritizing high-quality, inclusive teaching practices rather than isolated interventions.

Research by Emily MacLeod of University College London highlights the need to address teacher recruitment and retention as separate issues. MacLeod's study, which tracked 13 aspiring teachers over 11 years, found that while many young people are interested in teaching, few pursue it due to perceptions of the profession's low status and job security, and the findings suggest that policies should focus on enhancing the professional image of teaching to improve recruitment, while retention efforts should address workload and wellbeing.

The National Literacy Trust has issued a paper, "The Future of Literacy: Multimodal Reading," that calls for a broader understanding of literacy in the digital age, highlighting the gap between current literacy practices and the support systems in education and policy. Supported by Audible and Oxford University Press, the paper advocates for the validation of reading across print, digital, audio and visual media to ensure no child is left behind.

Common Sense Media and Day of AI have released a toolkit to help parents understand artificial intelligence and discuss it with their children. The toolkit, which includes videos and conversation starters, addresses concerns such as bias and privacy, and the initiative highlights the need for collaboration between schools and parents to ensure students use AI responsibly.

A partnership between the Winnipeg Free Press and the Manitoba government has led to the creation of the Winnipeg Free Press Media Literacy & Learning site, aimed at enhancing media literacy among students. The site offers resources tailored to the curriculum, including a student journalism starter kit, a web-based app for creating newspapers and guides for teachers.

Love, connection, and belonging are fundamental to our human experience. Transformation unfolds when we travel together, inviting others to reflect what we cannot see alone, offering both strength in belonging and the gift of external perspective. Small gestures of kindness, deep conversations, or acts of self-care can foster connection, bringing warmth and renewal.

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