Essential Resources for Special Education by #Edutopia

Edutopia’s Essential Resources for Special Education brings together a wide range of practical articles, strategies and tools to help teachers respond to diverse learning needs and create more inclusive classroom environments. The collection also offers guidance for school leaders on how to support teachers and strengthen collaboration across educational teams.

The resource covers several key areas, including learning accommodations, support for neurodivergent students, assistive technology, classroom organisation, differentiated instruction and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). It also explores how to work with families, improve communication between general and special education teachers, organise individual support plans and help students participate in decisions about their own learning. Other articles focus on specific needs, such as autism, dyscalculia and executive functioning.

The collection is particularly useful for teachers looking for ideas they can adapt to their everyday practice. It can support individual lesson planning, staff discussions, professional development sessions and collaboration between subject teachers, support staff and families. Some resources include templates and ready-to-use tools, making it easier to turn general principles into concrete classroom strategies.

https://www.edutopia.org/package/essential-resources-for-special-education

Free Physics Textbooks

Looking for high-quality physics resources that students and teachers can access for free? Abakcus’s collection of free physics textbooks brings together an extensive library of books and lecture notes written by physicists and universities, with links to the authors’ websites, university pages and open archives.

The collection currently features 223 resources covering 15 areas of physics, from introductory concepts to advanced university-level topics. These include mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, optics, thermodynamics, relativity, astrophysics and energy. The resources are organised by subject, academic level and format, making it easier to find material suited to different learning needs. Many are available as PDFs, while others can be read directly online. The collection also includes selected review articles and classic works in the history of physics.

For teachers, this collection offers opportunities to enrich classroom materials, support independent learning and provide additional explanations or challenges for students with different levels of attainment. A textbook can be used to prepare lessons, reinforce a difficult concept, set optional reading or develop research projects. Some resources may also help students explore topics beyond the standard curriculum and discover connections between physics, mathematics, technology and other sciences.

https://abakcus.com/book-lists/free-physics-textbooks

20 Birthday traditions around the world you might not know about

Ever wondered how people celebrate birthdays in other countries? This infographic from the Council of Europe's European Day of Languages (26 September) takes us on a tour of 20 fascinating customs. In China, you're already one year old at birth. In Denmark, children wake up to a room full of gifts. In Ireland, they get "birthday bumps". In Mexico, no party is complete without a piñata, and in Germany, wishing someone a happy birthday early is considered bad luck.

You'll also discover the surprising origins of "Happy Birthday to You", the ancient Greek roots of birthday cakes, and what happens when you're born on 29 February. Whether you're a language lover, a curious traveller, or just planning your next party, these traditions are a fun reminder that cultural awareness starts with the little things, like knowing when (and how!) to say "happy birthday".

https://www.ecml.at/Portals/1/documents/ECML-resources/EDL-infographic-2025-EN.pdf

Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot 2026

Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot 2026, published by UN Women and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, provides a clear picture of the current state of gender equality across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Drawing on more than 100 data sources, the report focuses particularly on women’s participation in leadership and decision-making and shows that, despite some progress, gender equality remains far from being achieved.

One of the most striking findings is that women currently hold 27.4% of seats in national parliaments, 35.6% of local government positions and 30.5% of managerial jobs worldwide. The report also highlights that not a single indicator of SDG 5, which focuses on gender equality, is currently on track to be achieved by 2030.

This publication can be a very useful resource for the classroom because it allows students to explore gender equality through real data rather than abstract statements. Graphs, statistics and comparisons can provide a starting point for discussions about representation, access to power, gender stereotypes, economic opportunities and the barriers that women continue to face. It can also be connected with Mathematics, Geography, Social Sciences, Economics, Citizenship Education and Media Literacy.

https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2026/09/progress-on-the-sustainable-development-goals-the-gender-snapshot-2026

Enhancing pedagogies and competencies for sustainability

Enhancing pedagogies and competencies for sustainability is a UNESCO guidance tool published in 2026 as part of the Transforming futures initiative. Its main purpose is to help educators move from teaching about sustainability to learning through action: developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes students need to understand complex challenges, collaborate, solve problems and participate actively in their communities.

One of the most useful features of the publication is its practical approach. It is organised around three complementary pathways (Chart, Navigate and Explore) which help teachers design holistic learning experiences, develop sustainability competencies progressively and create opportunities for students to apply what they have learned in authentic situations. The guide also includes a substantial toolbox with worksheets, progression rubrics, active-learning methods, an authentic-task design canvas, a mini-portfolio template and assessment tools.

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000399354/PDF/399354eng.pdf.multi

Free Math Textbooks: an open library for learning mathematics

Free Math Textbooks is a collection of free mathematics textbooks compiled by Abakcus. It brings together resources written by mathematicians and university educators and provides direct links to the authors’ websites or the universities and institutions hosting the materials. The collection includes a wide range of books, from secondary-school mathematics to advanced university-level topics.

The collection covers many areas, including algebra, calculus, analysis, differential equations, geometry and trigonometry, probability, statistics, number theory and applied mathematics. Resources can also be filtered by level (high school, undergraduate or advanced) and by format, such as PDF or web-based books. This makes it easier to find suitable materials for revision, extension work or further study.

https://abakcus.com/book-lists/free-math-textbooks