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Attention and focus are essential for students to process and retain new information effectively. Attention refers to the selective focus of conscious thought on specific information, allowing students to engage meaningfully with learning tasks. Engagement encompasses how students behave, feel and think as they actively participate in learning activities.

Learning depends fundamentally on how students process and retain information. Knowledge refers to the facts, concepts and procedures that students acquire through experience and education – their theoretical and practical understanding of subjects. That knowledge is stored in long-term memory so that it can be retrieved for later use.

Mastery of learning is the accumulation and retention of knowledge, conceptual understanding and skills, and knowing when and how to use them. Application of learning includes transferring information to both familiar and new contexts, which leads to deeper understanding and more sophisticated use of knowledge. Mastery is fundamental to students’ achievement in school and their lives beyond formal education.

Retention and recall are fundamental to successful learning outcomes. Knowledge needs to be retained so that it can be used. Retention is the ability to store information in memory over time, while recall is the ability to retrieve and use stored information when needed. When students effectively retain and recall information, they can easily access and apply it to build on existing knowledge and develop deeper understanding.

This report discusses the findings of an investigation AERO conducted into student attendance in Australian schools for Education Ministers.

This explainer outlines how students develop proficiency in maths. It explains how teaching practices and whole-school approaches aligned with how students learn can support the development of maths proficiency.

This explainer is the third in a series of 5 on the key components of a deliberate and structured approach to implementation. It outlines the importance of understanding and responding to school-specific enablers and barriers to implementation.

This is the fifth and final explainer in a series of 5 on the key components of a deliberate and structured approach to implementation. It outlines the process of monitoring implementation outcomes, including success outcomes schools can monitor, how these can be aligned with enablers and barriers, and methods for collecting data.

This explainer is the first in a series of 5 on implementing evidence-based practices in schools. It outlines how schools can take a deliberate and structured approach to implementation based on key ideas from the research evidence.

This explainer is the second in a series of 5 on implementing evidence-based practices in schools. It outlines the key ideas for taking a staged approach to implementation.

This explainer is the fourth in a series of 5 on the key components of a deliberate and structured approach to implementation. It outlines processes, frameworks and methods for selecting and prioritising implementation strategies.