Hey History!

How do we teach the Frontier Wars with honesty, care, and confidence?

You'll hear from filmmaker Rachel Perkins, leading academic and advocate Professor Marcia Langton, Culture is Life CEO Belinda Duarte, senior secondary history teacher Bill Lewis, and Professor Melitta Hogarth of Ngarrngga at Melbourne University.

Together they dig into the questions many teachers are sitting with:

• What does truth-telling actually look like in practice?
• How do we teach histories of colonial violence with care?
• How can non-Indigenous teachers approach this work without fear of getting it wrong?

We're sharing a recording generously provided by Culture is Life and Ngarrngga, two organisations working at the intersection of First Nations knowledge, education, and advocacy.

Culture is Life is an Aboriginal-led not-for-profit amplifying the voices of First Nations young people and championing education as a pathway to justice and truth-telling.

Ngarrngga is committed to ensuring all educators have access to Indigenous knowledge systems and the tools to embed them meaningfully in their teaching. Both organisations produce practical, curriculum-aligned resources to support teachers in this work.

• The Australian Wars website
• Watch The Australian Wars on SBS on Demand
• SBS Learn Understanding the Frontier Wars: clips with discussion questions and other classroom resources
• The Australian Wars book by Rachel Perkins, Stephen Gapps, Mina Murray and Henry Reynolds
• Ngarrngga: free, high-quality curriculum resources and professional development modules, spanning all subject areas from Foundation to 10. A collaboration between the Faculty of Education, Indigenous Studies Unit and Indigenous Knowledge Institute at the University of Melbourne
• Culture is Life: Free resources including The Australian Wars, Welcome to Country, First weapons, Stolen Generations, and The Australian Dream with Adam Goodes.
• Watch a video of the original panel https://www.ngarrngga.org/stories-news/teaching-the-australian-wars-panel

Panellists: Rachel Perkins, Arrernte/Kalkadoon (The Australian Wars filmmaker); Marcia Langton, Yiman/Bidjara (academic and cultural leader); Belinda Duarte, Wotjobaluk/Dja Dja Wurrung (CEO, Culture is Life); Bill Lewis (History Teacher, Haileybury College); and Professor Melitta Hogarth, Kamilaroi (Director, Ngarrngga, The University of Melbourne).

Episode host: Professor Anna Clark

• Hey History Teacher! is supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW.
• Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark.
• Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios.
• Sound engineering by John Jacobs.
• Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

Nearly half of Australian teachers say they don't feel confident to teach First Nations history, according to research.

Historian and educator Associate Professor Al Fricker explains why so many teachers feel underprepared — and why it's not a personal failing. He offers some straightforward first steps, including where to find good resources and how to start building real connections with your local First Nations community.

How can you embed First Nations perspectives and knowledge in your curriculum?

And what are some ways to embed them across your whole school?

You'll also hear from teachers around Australia sharing what’s worked in their classrooms and schools: using the AIATSIS languages map, teaching the Frontier Wars through local history, trying the Eight Ways Pedagogy, and building a curriculum map so Aboriginal perspectives aren't left to chance.

Associate Professor Al Fricker’s recommended resources made by or with First Nations people

• Ngarrngga: free, high-quality curriculum resources and professional development modules, spanning all subject areas from Foundation to 10. A collaboration between the Faculty of Education, Indigenous Studies Unit and Indigenous Knowledge Institute at the University of Melbourne.
• Australians Together: free curriculum resources, covering key learning areas from Foundation to Year 10. A non-profit organisation developing resources with First Nations Educators.
• Matilda Education: progressive, research-based, differentiated print and digital content for your classroom - content that matches the latest Australian curricula.
• Indigenous Education in Australia Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures: an essential, practical resource for pre- and in-service educators on creating contexts for success for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Based on the latest research and practice, this book provides an in-depth understanding of the colonised context within which education in Australia is located, with an emphasis on effective strategies for the classroom.

Other resources and links

• AIATIS Map of Indigenous Australia
• AIATIS free teaching resources and learning sequences including First Fighters
• AIATSIS Guide to evaluating and selecting education resources
• Yabun Survival Day Sydney
• Colonial Frontier Massacre Map: Colonial Frontier Massacres, Australia, 1788 to 1930 and Introduction to the map by the University of Newcastle, Australia
• Yeddonba Aboriginal Cultural Site: features an Aboriginal red-ochre painting, which is believed to be of a Tasmanian tiger (thylacine), supporting the belief that the animal once inhabited the mainland. The site is 20 minutes from Beechworth, NSW.
• 8 Ways framework: a NSW Department of Education initiative

Tipsheet

• Free professional development tipsheet for this episode (in Teacher Downloads)

• The Monash Australian Teachers Survey 2023 reported teachers’ views of how well their Initial Teacher Education program prepared them to teach the Australian Curriculum’s priority areas (referring to Student Diversity, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Culture) were relatively divided, with 54% feeling prepared, and 45% saying they are unprepared.
• Burns, E.C., Plummer, L., Vass, G. et al. Which resources support teachers to embed Indigenous perspectives? A convergent mixed methods analysis. Aust. Educ. Res.53, 26 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-025-00944-z
• Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody 1991: National Report Volume 5, Recommendations for Educating the Future

Educators: Associate Professor Al Fricker (Victoria), and from New South Wales: Sarah Kearney, Martin Douglas, Jade Carr, Nik Armstrong, Uncle Terry Lennis and Ruth Bradfield-Ling.

Host: Professor Anna Clark

• Hey History Teacher! is supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW.
• Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark.
• Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios.
• Sound engineering by John Jacobs.
• Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

You know history is complex. How do you teach that in the classroom?

We unpack what 'complexity' in history means and how to bring it to life for your students.

As history educator Jonathon Dallimore puts it, “Factual information… is not sufficient. Information doesn’t guarantee that you actually have insight."

Because there’s the past (everything that’s happened) and then there’s history: the way we interpret, debate and make meaning of the past.

You’ll hear from experienced teachers and history educator Jonathon Dallimore, on why history is complex, with examples, and how to teach contestability and historical thinking skills to junior and secondary students.

Students are already debating the world around them. This is about helping them bring those skills into history.

• A Practical Guide for Secondary School Teachers. By Jonathon Dallimore
• Teaching history, teaching complexity: Agora, Vol. 53, No. 3, Dec 2018, 36-39 (free download for members of the History Teachers Association of Victoria)
• ‘Historical time’ helps students truly understand the complexity of the past – and how they fit into it: The Conversation https://doi.org/10.64628/AAO.nfmakjwre
• Free professional development tipsheet for this episode (in Teacher Downloads)

Educators: Natalie Abadier (New South Wales), Sarah Coleman (Queensland) and Jonathon Dallimore, History Teachers Association of New South Wales.

Host: Professor Anna Clark

• Hey History Teacher! is supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW.
• Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark.
• Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios.
• Sound engineering by John Jacobs.
• Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

Practical strategies to help you confidently teach history involving trauma and conflict.

You’ll learn how to:

• build trust
• use different techniques so everyone can ask a question
• respond to challenging or confronting student questions
• support students with personal connections to the content
• use frameworks like Safely In, Safely Out to manage sensitive material, and
• how to look after yourself as a teacher when the content feels heavy.

• Safely In Safely Out resources: Yada Vashem pedagogical principles and Safely In Safely Out preparing Holocaust lessons
• Teaching Difficult History: A guide for Grade Seven to Twelve Teachers Novia Scotia, Canada
• Free professional development tipsheet for this episode (in Teacher Downloads)

Educators: Ben Lawless (Victoria), Natalie Abadier (New South Wales), Louise Secker (Western Australia), Paul Foley (South Australia), Natalie Fong (Queensland), and Sarah Coleman (Queensland).

Host: Professor Anna Clark

• Hey History Teacher! is supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW.
• Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark.
• Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios.
• Sound engineering by John Jacobs.
• Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

Want to try creative history lessons that students won’t forget?

Hear expert teachers bring history alive in the classroom.

From 'Top Secret' source investigations and historical group chats, to escape rooms, courtroom trials, video games, and history festivals.

Ideas that spark curiosity, deepen thinking, and get students genuinely engaged.

If you haven’t listened to Creative History Teaching, start there first. Then dive into this episode for more ambitious, high-impact ideas you can adapt for your own classroom.

• First Fleet Database: University of Wollongong
• Convicts research guide National Library of Australia
• Epic Escape Rooms ebook by Chad Cary
• Chad Cary’s Instagram: Innovative and Engaging Teaching Strategies
• Chad Cary’s Facebook group: Innovative and Engaging Teaching Strategies
• Teaching the World Peace Game by John Hunter: TED Talk
• Ben Lawless’ board game for grade 6+ Earthcraft
• Free professional development tipsheet for this episode (in Teacher Downloads)

Educators: Ben Lawless (Victoria), Chad Cary (New South Wales), David Boon (Tasmania), Paul Foley (South Australia), Natalie Fong (Queensland), and Sarah Coleman (Queensland).

Host: Professor Anna Clark

• Hey History Teacher! is supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW.
• Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark.
• Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios.
• Sound engineering by John Jacobs.
• Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

What actually works when it comes to creative history teaching?

In this episode of Hey History Teacher, we go inside real classrooms to find out - from songs and dress-ups to protest reenactments, and even stomping on a cardboard box.

You’ll hear from experienced primary and secondary school teachers across Australia sharing practical, classroom-tested ideas that bring history to life, like:

• using songs to help students remember complex content
• sharing a colour-coded Scope and Sequence so students can see what’s coming and stay motivated, and
• simple, low-prep activities.

We ask:

• What does the research say about creativity and learning?
• How do you balance creativity with curriculum demands?
• And where do you start if you’re short on time?

You’ll hear how creativity helps students:

• remember complex content
• engage more deeply with difficult histories
• and connect emotionally with the past

If you’ve ever wondered whether creative teaching is “worth it”, or how to be more creative in class, this episode is for you.

• Teach like a pirate by Dave Burgess
• Tom Appleby, Convict Boy by Jackie French
• Nanberry: Black Brother White by Jackie French
• Chad Cary’s colour-coded Scope and Sequence Word doc (in Teacher Downloads)
• Free professional development tipsheet for this episode (in Teacher Downloads)

It's the story of a man named Cato who was being such a big pain in the butts.

He was blocking legislation, with the Optimates, which made the Triumviirs sad.

It's the story of a man named Caesar who was rising up through the political ranks.

He wanted a triumph and to run for Consul. But he could not do both.

Until one day when Caesar called Pompey and Crassus.

And said, "Hey boys, we should all team up!

If we decide to pool our resources together."

That's the way that they became the First Triumvirate.

First Tri um vir ate.......... Tri um vir ate.....

That's the way that they became the first Triumvirate!

‍Cole, B., Mooney, M., & Power, A. (2013). Imagination, creativity and intellectual quality. In G. Munns, W. Sawyer, & B. Cole (Eds.), Exemplary teachers of students in poverty (pp. 123-135). Routledge. In Golledge,C . (2026) Inside the History Classroom: Portraits of Exemplary Teaching Practice Routledge.

Manaf, Abdul & Dewanti, Sintha & Mam, Socheath & Susetyawati, Endang & Ernawati, Ika. (2022). Is there a correlation between creativity and learning achievement? A meta-analysis study. REID (Research and Evaluation in Education). 8. 78-89. 10.21831/reid.v8i1.51493.

Baartman LKJ and Prins FJ (2018) Transparency or Stimulating Meaningfulness and Self-Regulation? A Case Study About a Programmatic Approach to Transparency of Assessment Criteria. Front. Educ. 3:104. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2018.00104

Educators: Chad Cary (New South Wales), Catherine Baron (Western Australia), David Boon (Tasmania), Christine Abadier (New South Wales), Paul Foley (South Australia), Natalie Fong (Queensland), and Megan Tucker (South Australia).

Host: Professor Anna Clark

• Hey History Teacher! is supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW.
• Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark.
• Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios.
• Sound engineering by John Jacobs.
• Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

Starting out as a history teacher can feel overwhelming.

How do you manage a classroom, cover the syllabus, and help students make sense of the past - all at the same time?

Experienced history educators from across Australia share practical advice for teachers who are new to the subject.

From building relationships with students and learning from colleagues, to teaching historical inquiry and source analysis, this episode offers 10 practical tips to help you feel more confident in the history classroom.

• History Teachers Resources Australia
• Primary History Teachers Australia
• History Teachers Australia
• Australian 5/6 Teachers
• Modern History Teachers NSW
• HSIE Teachers of NSW
• North West NSW History & HSIE Teachers
• NSW Ancient History Teachers Community
• Did we miss one? Please let us know

• History Teachers' Association of Australia
• History Teachers' Association of Western Australia
• History Teachers' Association of South Australia
• Geography and History Teachers Association NT
• Tasmanian History Teachers Association
• ACT History Teachers Association
• Queensland History Teachers Association
• History Teachers' Association of NSW
• History Teachers' Association of Victoria

• Teaching History: A Practical Guide for Secondary School Teachers by Jonathon Dallimore
• Agora: a quarterly professional journal for history teachers published by the History Teachers' Association of Victoria (HTAV)
• Starter packs for history teachers by the HTAV
• Tipsheet for this episode

Educators: Sarah Coleman (Queensland), Catherine Baron (Western Australia), David Boon (Tasmania), Paul Foley (South Australia), Christine Abadier (New South Wales), and Megan Tucker (South Australia).

Host: Professor Anna Clark, University of Technology Sydney

Hear practical ideas, fresh inspiration and thoughtful conversation about how history is taught in primary and secondary school classrooms in Australia.

Hey History Teacher! is for teachers, teacher-educators and pre-service teachers.

You’ll hear conversations and advice about over 8 episodes, including:

• teaching difficult histories
• creative history teaching
• approaching First Nations histories with care and confidence
• complexity in history teaching
• how early-career teachers can find their their feet in the history classroom
• great history teaching, and
• teaching the Australian Wars.

It's grounded in current research and features fifteen classroom educators and academics from around Australia.

Each episode comes with a free downloadable Tip Sheet to support your teaching practice.

Hey History Teacher! is supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW.

Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark.

Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios.

Sound engineering by John Jacobs.

Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

What does great history teaching look like?

Is it passion for the past? Creativity in the classroom? The courage to follow students’ questions - even when it means throwing out the lesson plan?

Historian Anna Clark speaks with experienced teachers and university educators from across Australia about what great history teaching really looks like in the primary and secondary school classroom.

From building strong relationships with students, to self-regulation, and being able to say, "I need more information and I'll get back to you."

And, the key skills history teachers pass on to students - like asking and answering good questions, researching ethically, thinking routines for source analysis, and communicating historical arguments.

• Project Zero by Harvard Graduate School of Education
• See, Think, Wonder thinking routine
• Tipsheet for this episode

Zuleica Ruiz-Alfonso, Jaime León, The role of passion in education: A systematic review, Educational Research Review, Volume 19, 2016, Pages 173-188, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2016.09.001. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X16300343

Educators: Claire Colledge, Sarah Coleman, Ben Lawless, Chad Cary, Natalie Fong, David Boon and Catherine Baron.

Host: Professor Anna Clark

Hear practical ideas, fresh inspiration and thoughtful conversation about how history is taught in primary and secondary school classrooms in Australia.

Hey History Teacher! is for teachers, teacher-educators and pre-service teachers.

You’ll hear conversations and advice about over 8 episodes, including:

• teaching difficult histories
• creative history teaching
• approaching First Nations histories with care and confidence
• complexity in history teaching
• how early-career teachers can find their their feet in the history classroom
• great history teaching, and
• teaching the Australian Wars.

It's grounded in current research and features fifteen classroom educators and academics from around Australia.

Each episode comes with a free downloadable Tip Sheet to support your teaching practice.

Hey History Teacher! is supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW.

Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark.

Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios.

Sound engineering by John Jacobs.

Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

What does great history teaching look like in practice?

How do teachers handle the challenges with teaching history today?

Hear practical ideas, fresh inspiration and thoughtful conversation about how history is taught in primary and secondary school classrooms in Australia.

Hey History Teacher! is for teachers, teacher-educators and pre-service teachers.

You’ll hear conversations and advice about over 8 episodes, including:

• teaching difficult histories
• creative history teaching
• approaching First Nations histories with care and confidence
• complexity in history teaching
• how early-career teachers can find their their feet in the history classroom
• great history teaching, and
• teaching the Australian Wars.

It's grounded in current research and features fifteen classroom educators and academics from around Australia.

Each episode comes with a free downloadable Tip Sheet to support your teaching practice.

Hey History Teacher! is supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW.

Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark.

Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios.

Sound engineering by John Jacobs.

Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

Have you ever told the truth but it felt like no one listened? This episode is all about truth-telling.

Hey History! follows Travis Lovett, a proud Gunditjmara/Kerrupmara man and Commissioner at the Yoorrook Justice Commission, on a 400km 'Walk for Truth' across Victoria.

1. Who is Travis Lovett, and why is he going on a really, really long walk?
2. What is the Yoorrook Justice Commission?
3. What is 'truth-telling', and how can it happen with history?

Host Axel Clark and students from St Patrick’s Primary School join Travis on his Walk for Truth through Port Fairy.

Hear:

1. Why telling the truth is important—at school, at home, and in Australian history.
2. That 'history' isn’t fixed — it changes when new voices and stories are heard.
3. What is a 'commission'?
4. What difference does it make when we tell the truth about history?
5. How the Yoorrook Justice Commission has gathered stories and evidence over 4 years.

1. Travis Lovett, Yoorrook Justice Commissioner 2021-2025
2. Olga Lyons, Principal, St Patrick's Primary School, Port Fairy Victoria
3. Dr Matthew Keynes, Research Fellow, Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne
4. Aunty Nellie Flagg's testimony to the Yoorrook Justice Commission (excerpt)
5. Uncle Henry Atkinson's story shared with the Yoorrook Justice Commission
6. Year Three and Four students of St Patrick's Primary School, Port Fairy Victoria
7. Rosa Ellen (voice actor for news report)

1. Hosted by Axel Clark.
2. Made on Gadigal and Gunditjmara Country by Jane Curtis.
3. Executive producers are Clare Wright and Anna Clark.
4. Production assistance from Alexandra Morris.
5. Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this episode and their schools and teachers: St Patrick's Primary School, Princes Street Primary school, Marrickville West Primary School, La Perouse Primary School, and Yirrkala Bilingual School.

Hey History! is produced by the Australian Centre for Public History at UTS and UTS Impact Studios.

Impact Studios' executive producer is Sarah Gilbert.

Thank you

This episode was made possible by Dusseldorp Forum, a family foundation committed to a just and equitable Australia, one that is caring, ethical and honours our First Peoples.

Special thanks to Principal Olga Lyons and St Patrick's Primary School Port Fairy, Rosa Ellen, Rachel Fyfe and the Yoorrook team.