Teaching practices that are aligned with how students learn improve educational outcomes for all students. Empirical evidence gained over recent decades has provided important new insights about the learning process common to students across learning contexts. These processes explain why some teaching practices are more effective than others. In this paper, the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) provides an overview of evidence-based teaching practices found to enhance educational outcomes for all students. The paper connects the understanding of how students learn best with practical implications for teachers. AERO has also developed a model of learning and teaching that aligns effective and efficient teaching practices with how students learn at various phases of the learning process. This paper and model of teaching and learning are relevant for teaching school-aged students across all Australian classrooms. They recognise that the mechanisms of learning are the same for all students. Some students experience persistent difficulties or differences in processing information that necessitate more frequent, intense and sustained scaffolding and support, but all students benefit from evidence-based practices that align with the processes of acquiring, retaining, retrieving and consolidating learning. This paper explores 4 key areas that shed light on the student learning process and how effective teaching aligns with these processes to maximise progress and outcomes: (1) learning is a change in long-term memory; (2) students process limited amounts of new information; (3) students develop and demonstrate mastery; and (4) students are actively engaged when learning. Within each area, principles of learning and implications for the most effective teaching practices that are proven to maximise learning outcomes are described. Evidence on the factors that foster student engagement in the classroom draws on a wide body of research, including research on key factors that influence student learning and success, such as belonging and cultural safety.