Through research and working with schools, we know...
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Mathematics and science student performance is declining. |
Attention spans are declining to as low as 47 seconds. |
Schools are facing mathematics and science teacher shortages. |
How do we make time to differentiate for individual students? |
| PISA has reported a consistent drop in student performance since 2003. | Attention spans in students is reported to be from 2 minutes, down to 47 seconds likely due to the constant, information adding to our cognitive overload with digital being part of every day. | Teacher shortages are meaning temporary or non-mathematics and science teachers are having to pick-up and teach the curriculum without prior knowledge. | It’s reported that there can be a gap of up to 5 years in knowledge across any one Australian secondary classroom. The goal to personalise learning is putting stress on the faculty. |
How does research shape our approach?
We’re dedicated to developing resources using the most effective pedagogical and instructional practices to support both teachers and learners. Our approach is grounded in evidence, and we utilised multiple points of research to shape the features in the Secondary Teaching Hub—not an endless list of unused tools, but the most impactful and purposeful ones.
In developing our lessons and topics, we focused on the three most effective pedagogical practices as identified in the Australian Education Research Organisation's (AERO) 2023 report, 'Evidence-based teaching practices':
- Planning and sequencing
- Explicit modelling and scaffolding
- Assessment and feedback
You already know how to teach, and while there’s a significant amount of research out there, AERO has consolidated it into the one report developed in 2023. There is also additional research from New South Wales and Victoria to further support the research (Explicit teaching in NSW public schools, NSW Department of Education (2024), Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0, Victoria Department of Education (2024).
Here is a closer look at just four key themes that have shaped our approach to learning and teaching:
Planning and sequencing by ‘Understanding by Design’
Grant Wiggins author of 'Backwards Design’ describes the importance of needing to know the end goal in order to progress students towards that end point. Based on this evidence-backed research, we built our series from the ground up, designing each lesson with a clear end goal in mind. Working closely with teachers, we've grouped the curriculum into meaningful topics and established student-friendly learning intentions and success criteria for each. From there, the lessons we create are defined by the structure of the learning objectives.
This structure ensures that all lessons and tasks are driven by curriculum aligned learning objectives and everything down to the name of the lesson supports both teachers and students for added clarity in their journey towards mastery.
Sharing learning intentions and success criteria
Students learn best when they understand what they’re expected to achieve. That’s why every lesson in the Teaching Hub, Student Books and Student Companions begin with clearly defined Learning Intentions and Success Criteria. Students know what they will learn and how to gauge their success after each lesson. This framework, grounded in the AERO research, gives students clarity and direction, allowing them to take control of their learning and work towards mastering key concepts. This is a first step in explicit teaching, first making what is to be learnt clear.
Gradually releasing responsibility
Our lesson model is based on the Gradual Release of Responsibility framework, sometimes known as 'I do, we do, you do' approach. This research-backed method gives teachers content and worked examples to explain and demonstrate new skills ('I do'). Students complete scaffolded guided practice ('we do') before they move on to the independent practice phase of the lesson ('you do'). This structure, grounded in cognitive science, helps students build confidence as they progressively take ownership of their learning.
Manage the cognitive load of students for learning
Research suggests working memory is optimised when new content and complex concepts are chunked into smaller, more manageable steps. For schools learning particularly it's important that all of the 'chunked' lesson content to learn a concept all fits, end-to-end, in one lesson. All of our content is 'chunked' and then consolidated with guided and independent, auto-correcting practice that checks for student understanding giving you and your students immediate feedback. Because of our planning and sequencing from the start, we've carefully balanced how much content can fit into a lesson and not be overwhelming to learn.
Further reading and references
Evidence-based Teaching Practices, Australian Education Research Organisation (2023).
Explicit teaching in NSW public schools, NSW Department of Education (2024)
Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0, Victoria Department of Education (2024).
PISA 2022 Results (Volume I and II) - Country Notes: Australia (2022)
Why Everyone’s Worried About Their Attention Span—and How to Improve Yours, Time Magazine (2023)
Using a research-based approach in the new Pearson Science and Pearson Maths
Explore the full range of components for Pearson Science for the Australian Curriculum V9.0, or Pearson Mathematics for the latest Australian Curriculum V9.0, Victorian Curriculum or NSW Syllabus.
Pearson Science 7–10, 2nd Edition
Introduce scientific concepts and inquiry skills with engaging student books, activities, and digital resources.
NEW: Pearson Mathematics for the Australian Curriculum V9.0 Years 7-10
Pearson Mathematics leads the way with the new Pearson Secondary Teaching Hub – a one-of-a-kind digital product designed to simplify teaching and energise learning, with the perfect mix of online and offline learning across the Hub, back-up eBooks, 3rd edition Student Books and Student Companions.
NEW: Pearson Mathematics for Victoria
Pearson Mathematics for Victoria leads the way with the new Pearson Secondary Teaching Hub – a one-of-a-kind digital product designed to simplify teaching and energise learning, with the perfect mix of online and offline learning across the Hub, back-up eBooks, Student Books and Student Companions.
NEW: Pearson Mathematics for New South Wales
Pearson Mathematics for NSW leads the way with the new Pearson Secondary Teaching Hub – a one-of-a-kind digital product designed to simplify teaching and energise learning, with the perfect mix of online and offline learning across the Hub and write-in Student Companions.
Want to see Pearson Maths and Science Teaching Hub?
Let us know which subjects and year levels you're interested in and our team will be in touch to answer your questions and arrange a sneak peek!
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