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.

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.

Facebook groups for history teachers

• 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

State history teachers associations

• 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

Resources and tipsheet

• 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

Voices

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

About Hey History Teacher!

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.

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 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.

Resources and tipsheet

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

Research mentioned in 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

Voices

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

Host: Professor Anna Clark

About Hey History Teacher!

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.

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 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:

1. teaching difficult histories
2. creative history teaching
3. approaching First Nations histories with care and confidence
4. complexity in history teaching
5. how early-career teachers can find their their feet in the history classroom
6. great history teaching, and
7. 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.

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.

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.

Voices

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)

Credits

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.

In this special live recording of Hey History! host Axel Clark asks historians Clare Wright, Anna Clark and Kiera Lindsey what historical objects can tell us about the past?

What can a piece of ochre tell us about Australia’s Deep Time History?

And what about a pair of South Australian pink shorts?

We ask kids what objects are special to them, and play guessing games with objects - including one that's in the Guinness Book of World Records!

This episode of Hey History! was recorded on Kaurna Country for the 2025 Schools Day of Adelaide Writers Week.

Many thanks to

1. Adelaide Festival, especially Suzanne Critchley, and Tahlia Greco
2. The History Trust of South Australia for the use of an image of Don Dunstan's shorts
3. National Museum of Australia for kindly granting permission and usage of images from their collection including: The water bottle of Robert O'Hara Bourke, a gold panning dish, and Chris the sheep

Voices

1. Anna Clark is a Professor of History at the University of Technology, Sydney.
2. Clare Wright is a Professor of History and Public Engagement at La Trobe University.
3. Kiera Lindsey is South Australia's History Advocate and an award-winning historian.

Episode image

Photo of Hey History on stage live in front of primary school students in the Women's Pioneer Memorial Garden in Adelaide, South Australia.

Credits

1. Hosted by Axel Clark.
2. Produced on Gadigal Country by Anna Clark, Clare Wright and Jane Curtis.
3. Executive producers are Clare Wright and Anna Clark.
4. Podcast concept, design and development by Anna Clark.
5. Sound engineering by John Jacobs.
6. Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this episode and their schools and teachers.

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

Impact Studios' executive producer is Sarah Gilbert.

How do you teach and talk about Australian history with kids?

This is a bonus episode for teachers, carers and parents featuring Professor Anna Clark and Professor Clare Wright.

Teaching and talking about history with kids can be rewarding and challenging.

From their experience studying and teaching history, Clare and Anna tackle questions like:

1. How can kids in primary school work with history’s complexity?
2. How can primary students consider the moral lessons of what they're learning?
3. How do you encourage kids when they're interested in history but get some facts wrong?
4. What’s one crucial thing to get across to kids about history?

Anna and Clare look at a concern about saying the wrong thing when talking about Australian history, and look at how to do Reconciliation while teaching or talking about history with kids?

And you'll hear why asking questions is an important part of how you talk about history, and how to use primary sources and historical objects to connect kids with the history of our country.

Voices

1. Anna Clark is a Professor of History at the University of Technology, Sydney.
2. Clare Wright is a Professor of History and Public Engagement at La Trobe University.

Episode image

Photo of Clare Wright (left) and Anna Clark (right) in the recording studio at University of Technology Sydney.

Music

Thannoid by Blue Dot Sessions.

Transcript

1. Download How to talk with kids about Australian history transcript in Word
2. Download How to talk with kids about Australian history transcript as PDF

Credits

1. Made on Gadigal Country by Anna Clark, Clare Wright, Jane Curtis and Britta Jorgensen.
2. Executive producers are Clare Wright and Anna Clark.
3. Podcast concept, design and development by Anna Clark.
4. Indigenous Cultural Consultant is Katrina Thorpe.
5. Story editor is Kyla Slaven.
6. Learning material by Nick Adeney, Victorian primary educator
7. Curriculum advisors are Nicole Laauw, Department of Education NSW, and Rose Reid, Association of Independent Schools of NSW

Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this episode and their schools and teachers: Princes Street Primary school, Marrickville West Primary School, Westbourne Grammar School, Preshil 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.

What were the Gold Rushes? Why did people from all over the world get ‘gold fever’?

What was life like on the Ballarat goldfields of Victoria, on Wada Wurrung Country?

With so many different groups of people, how did everyone get along?

Did First Nations people mine gold too? What was the Eureka Stockade?

How did the Gold Rushes change Australia?

Students from Preshill Primary School and Westbourne Grammar in Melbourne tell us what they know about the Gold Rushes.

Fred Cahir, Andrew Pearce, Sarah Van de Wouw and an oral history about a Chinese miner share the different experiences of goldfields life.

How to use this episode in your classroom

1. Play all the way through (28 minutes) or play half the episode (14 minutes) and pause.
2. We'll tell you when you've reached halfway, and recap the episode.
3. Use the 4 page Learning Materials worksheet PDF with your class, and find more resources on our website.

Voices

1. Professor Fred Cahir is a professor in Australian History at Federation University.
2. Andrew Pearce is the Learning Program Leader at Sovereign Hill, Ballarat.
3. Sarah Van de Wouw is the Education Officer at the Eureka Centre, Ballarat.
4. Gabrielle Wang interviewed by Anna Zhu for the Australians with Chinese heritage oral history project, from the National Library of Australia online catalog.

Episode image

Gold panning dish. Image courtesy of the National Museum of Australia.

Music

Lady Marie, Rush to the Clearing, Borough and Jespen by Blue Dot Sessions.

Transcript

1. Download Gold Fever transcript in Word
2. Download Gold Fever transcript as PDF

Credits

1. Hosted by Axel Clark.
2. Made on Gadigal Country by Anna Clark, Clare Wright, Jane Curtis and Britta Jorgensen.
3. Executive producers are Clare Wright and Anna Clark.
4. Podcast concept, design and development by Anna Clark.
5. Indigenous Cultural Consultant is Katrina Thorpe.
6. Story editor is Kyla Slaven.
7. Learning material by Nick Adeney, Victorian primary educator
8. Curriculum advisors are Nicole Laauw, Department of Education NSW, and Rose Reid, Association of Independent Schools of NSW

Thanks to all the students whose voices you hear in this episode and their schools and teachers: Princes Street Primary school, Marrickville West Primary School, Westbourne Grammar School, Preshil 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.