Let’s Talk Teaching

Climate change, AI and misinformation are reshaping how young people experience the world - but science education hasn’t always kept pace. This conversation explores what teaching science looks like when uncertainty, complexity and change become part of everyday learning.

In this episode, Sara Tolbert and Jesse Chambers explore what science education can look like in the Anthropocene - and why learning science today involves far more than simply memorising facts and formulas.

Together, they discuss how inquiry, experimentation and real-world problem solving can help students engage more deeply with complex issues, the role of uncertainty in learning and why creating space for curiosity, discussion and agency is more critical than ever.

(00:00) Teaching Science in a Changing World

(02:11) What the Anthropocene Means for Education

(05:05) Science Education Through a Youth Lens

(08:04) Moving Beyond Facts and Formulas

(12:41) Connecting Curriculum to Community and Place

(18:12) Student Agency and Real-World Problem Solving

(21:13) The Risk of Teaching Science Without Context

(22:32) Climate Change, AI and Cross-Disciplinary Learning

(26:22) What Engagement Looks Like in Practice

(29:58) Why Science Education Needs to Evolve

Special Guests:

Professor Sara Tolbert

Senior Lecturer, School of Learning and Teaching

Faculty of Education, Monash University

Professor and researcher specialising in science education, inquiry learning and the Anthropocene.

Jesse Chambers

Deputy Head, Learning Programs, Science Gallery Melbourne

Learning and engagement specialist designing public science experiences that connect young people with inquiry, experimentation and real-world issues.

Resources:

Science Gallery Melbourne

Science Education in the Anthropocene Impact Lab

If you’re enjoying Let’s Talk Teaching, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review! 

You can follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Facebook, and share your thoughts on the show by using the hashtag #letstalkteachingpodcast. You can DM us with any questions or ideas, or if you’re not on socials, email us at edu-alumni@monash.edu.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the short courses, undergraduate and postgraduate study options that Monash Education offers, please visit our website.

We are grateful for the support of Monash Education in producing this podcast.

Learning science is becoming increasingly influential in education - but many conversations reduce complex ideas about teaching into overly simplified approaches. This discussion explores what learning science actually means when applied in real classrooms.

Conversations about explicit instruction, inquiry learning and evidence-based practice are often framed as competing approaches, creating the impression that effective teaching can be reduced to a single method or philosophy.

In this episode, Dr Stoo Sepp and Matt Fyfield explore what learning science actually tells us about how students learn, and why applying these ideas meaningfully in classrooms requires nuance, context and professional judgement.

Together, they discuss cognitive psychology, memory, attention and explicit instruction; the tensions surrounding current education debates; and why effective teaching often relies less on choosing one approach over another, and more on understanding when and how different strategies best support learning.

(00:00) What Learning Science Actually Means

(04:08) Why Learning Science Matters Now

(07:46) Explicit Instruction and Inquiry Learning

(12:14) What Learning Science Looks Like in Schools

(15:49) Memory, Attention and Cognitive Load

(17:43) Professional Judgement in the Classroom

(21:38) How Students Respond to Learning Science Approaches

(25:10) Translating Theory Into Practice

(31:01) Where Learning Science Gets Oversimplified

(35:00) Supporting More Flexible Teaching Approaches

Special Guests: 

Dr Stoo Sepp

Senior Lecturer, School of Education and Culture

Faculty of Education, Monash University

Specialising in learning science, cognitive psychology and learning design.

Dr Matt Fyfield

Lecturer, School of Education and Culture

Faculty of Education, Monash University

Focused on translating evidence-informed teaching approaches into classroom practice.

Resources:

Deans for Impact - The Science of Learning

If you’re enjoying Let’s Talk Teaching, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review! 

You can follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Facebook, and share your thoughts on the show by using the hashtag #letstalkteachingpodcast. You can DM us with any questions or ideas, or if you’re not on socials, email us at edu-alumni@monash.edu.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the short courses, undergraduate and postgraduate study options that Monash Education offers, please visit our website.

We are grateful for the support of Monash Education in producing this podcast.

Schools are constantly introducing new ideas and initiatives - but meaningful change rarely happens through innovation alone. This conversation explores why lasting improvement is more often shaped by trust, collaboration and research-informed practice.

In busy school environments, knowing what works, how to apply research meaningfully and how to sustain change over time can be incredibly challenging for teachers and school leaders alike. 

In this episode, Mark Rickinson and Lucas Johnson explore how research, leadership, trust and school culture shape the way improvement happens in schools, and why meaningful innovation isn’t simply about introducing something new - but creating change that genuinely improves teaching and learning over time.

Together, they discuss what it means to use research well in practice, the conditions that help innovation take hold, and why collaboration, relational trust and supportive leadership are often central to creating lasting change.

(00:00) What Real Innovation Looks Like in Schools

(02:20) What It Means to Use Research Well

(06:23) Starting With Problems of Practice

(08:26) Turning Research into School Practice

(12:58) Why Good Ideas Don’t Always Stick

(16:35) Trust, Collaboration and School Culture

(19:44) Leadership and Conditions for Change

(24:13) Student Voice as a Driver for Innovation

(26:58) Research Translation and Teacher Workload

Special Guests: 

Professor Mark Rickinson

Faculty of Education, Monash University

Focused on how research is used to improve teaching and learning in real-world education settings.

Dr Lucas Johnson

Executive Director Research and Emerging Futures, Cornish College

Researching the conditions that enable teachers to innovate within their practice.

Resources:

The Q Project

If you’re enjoying Let’s Talk Teaching, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review! 

You can follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Facebook, and share your thoughts on the show by using the hashtag #letstalkteachingpodcast. You can DM us with any questions or ideas, or if you’re not on socials, email us at edu-alumni@monash.edu.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the short courses, undergraduate and postgraduate study options that Monash Education offers, please visit our website.

We are grateful for the support of Monash Education in producing this podcast.

Performing arts are often the first subjects reduced in schools - yet for many students, they’re where confidence, creativity, connection and engagement are built in ways other learning environments often can’t replicate.

Beyond performances and productions, subjects like drama and dance can play an important role in how students express themselves, build relationships and connect with learning more broadly.

In this episode, Michelle Ludecke and Siobhan Judge explore the changing landscape of performing arts education in schools, the challenges of sustaining these programs within an increasingly crowded curriculum and the growing pressure placed on teachers working to keep arts education visible and valued.

(00:00) Why Performing Arts Are Being Sidelined

(03:30) What the Arts Truly Offer

(06:32) Beyond Hobby Status - Parental Perceptions

(09:15) The Skills Students Gain Through Performing Arts

(13:45) Inclusion, Belonging and Student Identity

(16:06) Extracurricular Programs and Access to the Arts

(18:18) The Pressure on Performing Arts Teachers to Keep the Arts Alive

(21:08) Advocacy, Visibility and School Priorities

(27:46) What It Looks Like When Schools Truly Value the Arts

(35:18) Supporting Arts Education in Schools

Special Guests: 

Dr Michelle Ludecke

Senior Lecturer, School of Learning and Teaching

Faculty of Education, Monash University

Researcher specialising in arts education, creativity and learning.

Siobhan Judge

Acting Inclusion Leader and Performing Arts/English Teacher 

If you’re enjoying Let’s Talk Teaching, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review! 

You can follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Facebook, and share your thoughts on the show by using the hashtag #letstalkteachingpodcast. You can DM us with any questions or ideas, or if you’re not on socials, email us at edu-alumni@monash.edu.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the short courses, undergraduate and postgraduate study options that Monash Education offers, please visit our website.

We are grateful for the support of Monash Education in producing this podcast.

Embedding Indigenous perspectives in schools isn’t just about what we teach - it’s about what educators themselves still need to understand, and why meaningful change often begins there. Beyond curriculum content, this conversation explores history, reflection, relationships and responsibility in education.

From Acknowledgement of Country to lessons on colonisation, many schools are trying to engage with this work in meaningful ways. But for teachers, questions often remain around how Indigenous perspectives should be approached in practice, and what genuine engagement actually looks like beyond a single initiative or resource.

In this episode, Jay Phillips and Jaya Blandthorn discuss the role of truth-telling, reflection, relationships and community connection in education, the discomfort that can emerge through this work, and why meaningful change often begins with educators examining their own understanding of history, teaching and identity.

(00:00) Moving Beyond Adding ‘Content’ to the Curriculum

(03:51) What We All Need to Understand First

(04:46) Navigating the Colonial Load

(07:10) Shared Histories and Lived Experience

(11:48) Truth-Telling and Moving Past the Tip of the Iceberg

(15:41) Educator Positioning and Self-Reflection

(19:54) Why History Should Be Uncomfortable

(22:38) Who Carries the Burden of Indigenous Education?

(27:47) Trauma through the Generations - Jaya's Story

(28:40) Community-Led Learning and the Parbinata Initiative

(33:25) Avoiding 'Shiny Object Syndrome' in Indigenous Education

(37:42) Personal Responsibility and the Path Forward

Special Guests:

Professor Jay Phillips

Deputy Dean of Indigenous Strategy, School of Education and Culture

Faculty of Education, Monash University

Focused on how educators engage with Indigenous perspectives in teaching and learning.

Jaya Blandthorn

Project Officer - Parbinata Initiative

Monash University

Working towards embedding Indigenous knowledge systems into school learning through community engagement.

Resources:

Parbinata Initiative

If you’re enjoying Let’s Talk Teaching, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review! 

You can follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Facebook, and share your thoughts on the show by using the hashtag #letstalkteachingpodcast. You can DM us with any questions or ideas, or if you’re not on socials, email us at edu-alumni@monash.edu.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the short courses, undergraduate and postgraduate study options that Monash Education offers, please visit our website.

We are grateful for the support of Monash Education in producing this podcast.