Talking Teaching

By University of Melbourne

What's Talking Teaching about?

Tune in to Talking Teaching and join the lively discussion about effective and evidence-based classroom practice, as well as the latest in educational thinking. In each episode, leading educators and thinkers from around the world, including our own from the Faculty of Education, share their thoughts and unique perspectives.

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Talking Teaching episodes:

04.08.2024
Supporting Neurodiversity in Our Schools: A Teacher's Guide
Australian schools are recognising the growing importance of fostering inclusive spaces for neurodiverse students. Teachers play a vital role in creating belonging for these students. But how can we support teachers, to support neurodivergent students in the classroom? We speak to...
02.13.2024
Literary Education and the role of reading for social change
In a world abundant with content, how can we harness literary education as a form of social change? How can we re-invigorate schools to be spaces to engage with uncomfortable truths and delicate subject matter in a respectful way? In this...
12.12.2023
Building Hope: Equity, Funding and the National School Reform Agreement
In this episode, we are joined by two experts, to discuss the Nation School Reform Agreement, currently up for renegotiation. This joint agreement between the Commonwealth, states and territories is designed to lift student outcomes in Australian schools and plays...
11.15.2023
Empowering the Next Generation: Climate Education in Schools
In this episode, we learn how to bolster both climate and sustainability literacy, and support climate action in the classroom. Listeners will discover how we can empower students to not only understand the science but also engage in meaningful conversations...
10.04.2023
Reinventing Schools: Elevating student learning, wellbeing and health
In this episode, we delve into the future of education in Australia, exploring ideas to reimagine the purpose of schools by shifting the focus from academic achievement to whole-child development, paving the way for healthier, more equitable futures for all...
08.22.2023
Learning from Her: Celebrating Indigenous Women in Education
In this episode, we delve into the stories of three remarkable Indigenous women significantly impacting the educational landscape across Australia. From overcoming challenges to integrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and knowledges into curriculums, our guests share their wisdom...
07.11.2023
AI in the classroom: friend or foe?
Artificial Intelligence or AI has well and truly arrived. As ChatGPT and DALL-E become mainstream, warnings in the media about this new technology are growing, including its impact on education and assessment. But AI also offers exciting opportunities to enhance learning, think...
06.06.2023
It’s not a choice: the real issues behind school ‘refusal’
Discover the complex issues around school attendance that can adversely affect students, teachers and parents. The media have referred to it as school ‘refusal’ but student attendance is an old problem in the new post COVID lockdown era. Hear out host, Dr...
11.09.2022
The Teacher Crisis - Real or Imagined
In this episode of Talking Teaching, Professor Jim Watterston, Dean of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE), delves into the details of Australia's teacher crisis. How does the situation differ in rural and urban areas? Is teacher education a...
08.19.2022
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04.06.2022
Mental Health in Primary Schools
In this episode of Talking Teaching, Professor Jim Watterston, Dean of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE), explores the Mental Health in Primary Schools project (MHiPS) with Professor Frank Oberklaid OAM and Dr Georgia Dawson. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute's...
10.21.2021
New Assessments: Acknowledging Student Success
A new research project, New Metrics for Success, works with schools across Australia to develop new ways of assessing school students. These new ways assess the general capabilities and skills of students including communication, collaboration, and critical and creative thinking....
08.27.2021
Gen X,Y & Z: facing the challenges of the 21st century
In this episode of Talking Teaching, Professor Jim Watterston, Dean of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, and Professor Johanna Wyn discuss the differences and commonalities between the generations revealed by the longitudinal study Life Patterns. This study, which began in...
04.28.2021
COVID-19 - catalyst for change or a retreat to the past?
In this episode of Talking Teaching, Professor Jim Watterston, Dean of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, and Professor Yong Zhao discuss the education system post-COVID-19 and question whether the role of education should be more than simply preparing students...
03.08.2021
Decolonising the English curriculum
In this episode of Talking Teaching, the University of Melbourne's Larissa McLean Davies - an Associate Professor in Languages and Literacy Education - hosts a panel discussion on the importance of reading in our lives, and how to make the...
12.06.2020
The COVID lessons: John Hattie reflects
Laureate Professor John Hattie reflects on the effect of COVID-19 on the education system examining what we should keep from what he calls the 'great experiment'. Speaking to Talking Teaching on the eve of his retirement from the Melbourne Graduate...
09.29.2020
The kids are alright but is the education system? Flipping the conversation on Indigenous education
On this episode of Talking Teaching Kamilaroi woman, Dr Melitta Hogarth, the Assistant Dean, Indigenous at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, discusses the challenges facing the education sector in building an inclusive school culture and environment for Indigenous students...
08.07.2020
Dealing with trauma: schools on the frontline
In a traumatic year of bushfires and a global pandemic young people in Australia have faced increasing uncertainty and anxiety. How do schools support their students through these times and how can they help them deal with the trauma to...
06.12.2020
Teaching through the pandemic: lessons learned in and out of school
Teachers, students, parents and entire school communities have been through a tumultuous time having been forced to switch schooling from the classroom to remote learning and back again in the space of a few months. So, what's worked, what didn't...
04.21.2020
Resilience and recovery: bushfires and COVID-19
A global pandemic and devastating bushfires - these major events are going to affect people's lives and wellbeing for a long time. Their ramifications are forcing people to deal with uncertainty, stress and loss. On this episode of Talking Teaching:...
11.26.2019
Teaching Indigenous history in schools and the rundown on NAPLAN
In this final edition of Talking Teaching for this year Maxine McKew talks to David de Carvalho about the national NAPLAN picture and what it is really telling us. The ACARA chief regrets that NAPLAN is too often seen as...
10.01.2019
The need for policy changes in the VET sector
The Prime Minister says that TAFE is as good as university and wants to encourage young Australians to consider taking up a trade. But how fit for purpose is the sector? After a troubled recent history of dodgy providers and...
08.27.2019
Australian schooling and teaching 21st century skills
Emeritus Professor Barry McGaw has spent a lifetime advocating for greater equity in Australia schooling. In this interview with Kerry Elliott he considers recent funding policy failures and regrets the way Australian schooling has become so segmented and stratified. The...
07.29.2019
Positive Psychology: Learning the skills and capabilities for wellbeing
The sixth International Congress for Positive Psychology was held recently in Melbourne with the University of Melbourne as the main partner. Hundreds of experts from across the globe described their approach to maximising wellbeing, particularly among young people. Talking Teaching...
07.02.2019
Talking Teaching considers the growing national momentum for pre-school for three year old children
In this episode Maxine McKew talks with experts Trish Eadie and Deb Brennan about the multiple benefits of quality early learning programmes for young children. In particular they consider the growing national momentum for pre-school for three year old children,...
05.22.2019
What the rest of the world is noticing about our most effective teachers
What is it the rest of the world is noticing about Australia's teachers? Ranked as one of the world's top ten teachers, Rooty Hill humanities teacher Yasodai Selvakumaran talks to TT about overseas interest in the way we engage students...
04.16.2019
Teaching children reading
In this episode of Talking Teaching Kerry Elliott talks to David Hornsby about the contentious issue of how we teach reading to young students. Why can't we agree on the fundamentals and insist on comprehensive English language training for teachers?...
03.13.2019
A challenging look at teaching teachers.
In this episode of Talking Teaching writer and university lecturer Tegan Bennett Daylight discusses what she sees as declining standards and poor quality reading skills in some students attending universities. She identifies the dilemma of how to instil a love...
02.14.2019
How educators can boost student interest in reading
Talking Teaching's first episode for 2019 features interviews with Larissa McLean Davies and with Penny Jones. From different perspectives they both talk about how educators can boost student interest in reading. Larissa McLean Davies is Associate Dean Teaching and Learning at...
11.07.2018
Glyn Davis and the joys of teaching
In this episode of Talking Teaching Maxine McKew talks with Professor Glyn Davis who has just completed fourteen years as Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. It was one of Glyn's high school teachers who first sat him down and...
10.03.2018
What does it take to be a good principal?
In this episode of Talking Teaching Stephen Dinham and John Goh talk to Kerry Elliott about the qualities and skills needed to be an effective instructional leader. Both agree that central to the job is an ability to facilitate teaching...
09.06.2018
Jo Boaler, Michaela Epstein and Michelle Fry on Maths Education, and Saudi Arabia's bold new education reforms
In this month's Talking Teaching, Sophie Murphy interviews Stanford University's Jo Boaler who argues that the latest neuroscience explains what she has always argued - that anyone can do maths. Kerry Elliott talks to Michaela Epstein and Michelle Fry about...
08.01.2018
Gonski 2.0
Talking Teaching this week dives into a lively discussion about the value and messages contained in Gonski 2.0 From Growth to Achievement.
07.04.2018
In conversation with Katherine Henderson, Dr Geoff Masters and David Baker.
This month we chat to leaders from across the school sector who meet and exchange ideas at the University of Melbourne Network of Schools (UMNOS). Program founder, Katherine Henderson, explains the link between this kind of collaboration and a lift...
06.06.2018
In conversation with Eddie Woo
In this episode of Talking Teaching, we chat with the maths teacher behind Woo Tube, the dynamic communicator Eddie Woo. With an audience in the hundreds of thousands that stretches way beyond his home school of Cherrybrook High in Sydney,...
04.26.2018
John Hattie, Peggy Brookins, HALTS teachers, Noel Creece and Wesley Imms
In this episode of Talking Teaching we focus on the national teaching standards that are validated by the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). In particular, AITSL's chair Prof John Hattie looks at the way Highly Accomplished teachers...

What's Talking Teaching about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Talking Teaching episodes:

Supporting Neurodiversity in Our Schools: A Teacher's Guide

Literary Education and the role of reading for social change

Building Hope: Equity, Funding and the National School Reform Agreement

Empowering the Next Generation: Climate Education in Schools

Reinventing Schools: Elevating student learning, wellbeing and health

Learning from Her: Celebrating Indigenous Women in Education

AI in the classroom: friend or foe?

It’s not a choice: the real issues behind school ‘refusal’

The Teacher Crisis - Real or Imagined

Test

Mental Health in Primary Schools

New Assessments: Acknowledging Student Success

Gen X,Y & Z: facing the challenges of the 21st century

COVID-19 - catalyst for change or a retreat to the past?

Decolonising the English curriculum

The COVID lessons: John Hattie reflects

The kids are alright but is the education system? Flipping the conversation on Indigenous education

Dealing with trauma: schools on the frontline

Teaching through the pandemic: lessons learned in and out of school

Resilience and recovery: bushfires and COVID-19

Teaching Indigenous history in schools and the rundown on NAPLAN

The need for policy changes in the VET sector

Australian schooling and teaching 21st century skills

Positive Psychology: Learning the skills and capabilities for wellbeing

Talking Teaching considers the growing national momentum for pre-school for three year old children

What the rest of the world is noticing about our most effective teachers

Teaching children reading

A challenging look at teaching teachers.

How educators can boost student interest in reading

Glyn Davis and the joys of teaching

What does it take to be a good principal?

Jo Boaler, Michaela Epstein and Michelle Fry on Maths Education, and Saudi Arabia's bold new education reforms

Gonski 2.0

In conversation with Katherine Henderson, Dr Geoff Masters and David Baker.

In conversation with Eddie Woo

John Hattie, Peggy Brookins, HALTS teachers, Noel Creece and Wesley Imms