Hey History!

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.
Resources and tipsheet
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)

Research
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

Voices
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
Credits
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.
Resources and tipsheet
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)

Voices
Educators: Natalie Abadier (New South Wales), Sarah Coleman (Queensland) and Jonathon Dallimore, History Teachers Association of New South Wales.
Host: Professor Anna Clark
Credits
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.

Resources and tipsheet
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)

Voices
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
Credits
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.
Resources and tipsheet
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)

Voices
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
Credits
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.
Resources, Scope and Sequence, and tipsheet
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)

Lyrics of Chad Cary’s Ancient Rome song to the Brady Bunch theme song
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!
Research mentioned in this episode
‍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
Voices
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
Credits
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.