The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) works to ensure that every child and young person in Australia has access to excellent teaching and leadership, and that every teacher and leader has the support, development and recognition they need to be effective in their roles.
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Teacher Standards)
AITSL is responsible for 10 national frameworks and a whole host of tools and resources. The one we are best known for is the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Teacher Standards).
The Teacher Standards have been embraced by the teaching profession after being released in 2011. We’re proud to see them embedded in much of what teachers do – whether they are moving through initial teacher education studies, watching video examples through our Illustrations of Practice, or collecting evidence for a Highly Accomplished or Lead certification application.
The Teacher Standards serve as a foundation for many of AITSL’s tools and resources, especially Teacher Standard 6: Engage in Professional Learning.
Australia’s teachers and leaders are highly committed and motivated, investing considerable time into their own professional learning to improve the quality of teaching and learning for their students. Our own research has told us that across OECD countries, Australia has one of the highest participation rates in professional learning.
High-Quality Professional Learning cycle
We know professional learning is high-quality when it is relevant, collaborative and future-focused and that it relies on applied learning and reflective practice. AITSL’s High-Quality Professional Learning (HQPL) cycle reflects a continuous learning journey for teachers and leaders. Teachers can access the professional learning templates, guides and case studies on our website to map their own learning journey.
Teacher Self-Assessment Tool
You may find our free Teacher Self-Assessment Tool (TSAT) a useful starting point to determine where your practice sits in alignment with the Teacher Standards. The individualised report you receive will help you focus your professional learning for maximum impact.
High-Quality Professional Learning toolkit
There are many modes and focuses for professional learning. Recently, there has been a discernible shift to online professional learning – which can be more accessible, flexible, cost-effective and scalable.
To assist with selecting an appropriate professional learning mode, explore AITSL’s dedicated High-Quality Professional Learning toolkit; an online, interactive platform that helps you build a professional learning plan that suits your needs within your educational setting. When completing your professional learning plan, you can download a PDF version and access our suite of implementation resources to apply and refine learning.
Quality teaching modules
These interactive and self-directed modules guide users through the Teacher Standards, effective approaches to professional development and ways to demonstrate proficiency against the Teacher Standards.
Complete them in order or jump to specific sections, working at your own pace. You can fill in the answers online or download as editable Word documents to complete offline.
Quick guides
We know it can be challenging to access high-quality professional learning which is why we've also created quick guides to support early childhood teachers, casual relief teachers and regional and remote teachers to help identify opportunities in improving their access to learning.
In the Classroom training videos
For those wanting to see the Teacher Standards in action, our In the Classroom videos bring learning to life. Watch primary and secondary teachers impact student learning with eight video options freely available on our website.
Choose to watch the teacher interview, full classroom footage or classroom video with commentary to understand their context and teaching practices. You may also find the discussion questions beneficial for engaging in professional conversations with your colleagues.
Highly Accomplished and Lead certification
Attaining Highly Accomplished or Lead certification opens a wealth of career possibilities – without having to leave the classroom. In the formal application process, teachers can use the Highly Accomplished or Lead career stages of the Teacher Standards to critically reflect on their own practice and the impact they have on students and colleagues.
Each year AITSL hosts the HALT Summit for certified teachers, welcoming hundreds of teachers and leaders from all over the country. Attendees are given the opportunity to network and hear from guest speakers.
The My Teaching Advice platform
For teachers just starting out in their career, the My Teaching Advice (MTA) platform provides an anonymous way to ask questions. Beginning teachers will be matched with experienced teachers and connect through real-time chat for advice.
Indigenous cultural responsiveness resources
Teaching comes with important responsibilities—a key one of which is to develop in all students an understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages.
Teachers (or indeed, anyone) can access the Indigenous Cultural Responsiveness Self- Reflection Tool to reflect on their self-awareness
of worldviews, assumptions, attitudes, beliefs, and biases in relation to personal identity and culture. From here, there is an indigenous cultural responsiveness continuum and capability framework to get recommended actions to support your ongoing learning.
Professional learning resources for leaders
Of course we can’t forget leaders! Great leadership is key when it comes to improving education and maximising student outcomes.
Leaders can visit our website to find resources for whatever their goal is – developing themselves as a leader or developing others.
Australian Professional Standards for Principals (Principal Standard) and the IATSL Leadership Profiles
The Principal Standard provides a framework for leaders to see what they should know, understand and do to succeed as a principal or leader. To help leaders apply the Principal Standard to their practice, we have also developed the Leadership Profiles, a set of statements that describe the Principal Standard in more detail. They are based on real insights from practising school leaders.
360° Reflection Tool
For leaders who want to understand their practice from the outside in, the 360° Reflection Tool may be a good investment. Feedback is gathered from 12–15 raters and anonymised, to give a comprehensive, individualised report on leadership. Leaders can use the report to gather formative feedback on daily work, to plan next steps in their professional learning.
Guidelines for induction
This year we have developed national guidelines for the induction of early-career teachers and new school leaders to provide support during the transition process. Our early career induction guidelines are also supported by fact sheets for casual relief teacher induction, mentoring, regional and remote contexts, and more.
Spotlight research reports
Another key focus for us at AITSL is working on original research to shine a light on topical issues in the education landscape. Our Spotlight reports contain evidence-based insights and the latest educational research, with topics such as classroom management, wellbeing, and teaching students with disability.
In 2024 we’ve published a two-part series about edtech in Australia, with part 1 looking at the explosion in available technologies (such as ChatGPT) and part 2 focusing on the impact on enabling learning. If you’re curious about edtech in Australia – or you want to access some recommended resources for navigating edtech in your school or classroom – you will find the reports on our website.
Stay in touch
Follow us on social media, and make sure to sign up to our AITSL Mail newsletter. Once a month we share our tools, resources and new initiatives to subscribers. Readers are the first to hear about what’s happening in the education landscape.
Thank you for taking the time to familiarise yourself with AITSL’s tools and resources. We are passionate about supporting Australia’s teachers and leaders in their pursuit of educating the next generation. We appreciate all that you do.
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