2022 saw the launch of the A Learner’s Toolkit free and open-access Science of Learning resource, in May. Since the website launch, the A Learner’s Toolkit program has achieved some notable achievements. The most notable is the ensemble of 19 Partner Schools that have joined the A Learner’s Toolkit program worldwide. These schools, each of their journey engaging with the Science of Learning, come from all school systems, types and geographies. Having representatives of the fuller spectrum of schools presents the A Learner’s Toolkit with one of the few current evidence-informed and classroom practice-focused initiatives that are genuinely sector-blind.
| Location | Number of Partner Schools | Catholic | Independent | State | Metro | Regional | Boys | Co-Educational | Girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| New South Wales | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||||
| Queensland | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Tasmania | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| United Kingdom | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Victoria | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Western Australia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Research Project #1 is well underway, with data and expressions of interest in co-authoring the reports/journal articles. We have data from 6 schools, representing a sample size of more than 3000 students. We will continue to collate the data and work on the Microsoft Excel Learner Profile tool, which will be ready by the start of the 2023 school year. While we wait for those schools to start their Toolkit journey, the team will share institutional-specific reports early in 2023. Furthermore, as more data is collected, we will begin our cross-school study into student learner behaviours, habits and study strategies with the growing number of teachers from Partner Schools.
Finally, Vicky Leighton (Co-director of the Churchie Research Centre) presented an update of the A Learner’s Toolkit work at the recent Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) conference in Adelaide.
The A Learner’s Toolkit team at the Churchie Research Centre is thankful for the interest and investment of our Partner Schools. We are motivated by the core philosophy that there should be no financial, geographic or system barriers to conducting high-quality, rigorous educational research and providing impactful, relevant and translatable curricula or resourcing for any school, teacher or student anywhere. We aim for a big 2023 and look forward to working with you, your teachers and the wider school community.
