Investing in classroom teaching and learning resources : access and equity in providing classroom teaching and learning materials in Australian schools

Classroom teaching and learning resources are critical for student learning. Australia’s commercial educational publishers play a key role in developing and providing these materials to support the learning of Australian teachers and students. This book explores a number of questions about providing classroom teaching and learning materials. How do Australian schools and teachers provide classroom teaching and learning materials for individual classes and students? What are the vertical and horizontal equity features of this provision? How does Australia compare to other OECD countries in the provision of classroom teaching and learning materials for individual classrooms, teachers and students? How can we support the way that Australia’s teachers resources their lessons more effectively? These are important questions for Australia’s educational publishers and for Australia’s schools. This is especially the case when our education system is preparing for the implementation of the Australian curriculum; the introduction of digital education repositories and as Australia’s education publishers support the digital technology revolution. The research explores how teachers resource lessons, and trends in this resourcing. The study presents a range of findings about the falling investment in classroom focused resources. It presents a model of Australia’s individual teacher ‘classroom up’ resourcing model, and the equity implications of this model in our private and government school system. The unique role of photocopying in supporting this ‘classroom up’ model is also reported on in the research. The report finds that fewer resources are being provided to support individual classroom teachers, especially in public schools, compared to other OECD comparator nations. Australia’s educational publishers make a unique contribution to supporting Australian classroom teaching and learning. Australia’s educational publishers commission Australian teachers to write print and digital textbooks and digital supplementary material for Australian students. These materials play a critical role in teacher planning, lesson development and classroom learning support.