Hey History!
Hey History!

Hey History!

UTS Impact Studios

Overview
Episodes

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For kids age 8-12, a series on Australian history with stories and music. For teachers, a professional learning series called Hey History Teacher! Season 1 follows Stage 2 and 3 of the Australian curriculum, and of NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland.  Students can listen in class and use our Learning Materials designed and road-tested by a primary school educator. Go back in time to the Gold Rush. What happened at the meetings between Captain Cook and First Nations people at Kamay Botany Bay? Experience life as a convict kid, and hear how First Nations people learn on Country. Season 2 is for teachers, teacher-educators and pre-service teachers. 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, advice for new history teachers, great history teaching, and teaching the Australian Wars. These eight PD episodes are grounded in current research and features fifteen classroom educators and academics from around Australia. Hey History! is made by history professors, so you'll hear from Australia's top historians and experts. It's produced by The Australian Centre for Public History and Impact Studios at the University of Technology Sydney, in partnership with La Trobe University. Hey History Teacher! series is made with the support of the History Teachers Association of New South Wales.

Recent Episodes

Advice for new history teachers
MAR 18, 2026
Advice for new history teachers
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 teachersHistory Teachers Resources AustraliaPrimary History Teachers AustraliaHistory Teachers AustraliaAustralian 5/6 TeachersModern History Teachers NSWHSIE Teachers of NSWNorth West NSW History & HSIE TeachersNSW Ancient History Teachers CommunityDid we miss one? Please let us knowState history teachers associationsHistory Teachers' Association of AustraliaHistory Teachers' Association of Western AustraliaHistory Teachers' Association of South AustraliaGeography and History Teachers Association NTTasmanian History Teachers AssociationACT History Teachers AssociationQueensland History Teachers AssociationHistory Teachers' Association of NSWHistory Teachers' Association of VictoriaResources and tipsheetTeaching History: A Practical Guide for Secondary School Teachers by Jonathon DallimoreAgora: a quarterly professional journal for history teachers published by the History Teachers' Association of Victoria (HTAV)Starter packs for history teachers by the HTAVTipsheet for this episodeVoicesEducators: 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 SydneyAbout 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 historiescreative history teachingapproaching First Nations histories with care and confidencecomplexity in history teachinghow early-career teachers can find their their feet in the history classroomgreat history teaching, andteaching 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.CreditsHey 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.
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24 MIN
What is great history teaching?
MAR 11, 2026
What is great history teaching?
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 tipsheetProject Zero by Harvard Graduate School of EducationSee, Think, Wonder thinking routineTipsheet for this episodeResearch mentioned in this episodeZuleica 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/S1747938X16300343VoicesEducators: Claire Colledge, Sarah Coleman, Ben Lawless, Chad Cary, Natalie Fong, David Boon and Catherine Baron.Host: Professor Anna ClarkAbout 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 historiescreative history teachingapproaching First Nations histories with care and confidencecomplexity in history teachinghow early-career teachers can find their their feet in the history classroomgreat history teaching, andteaching 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.CreditsHey 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.
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27 MIN
7. Walk for truth-telling
JUN 14, 2025
7. Walk for truth-telling
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.Who is Travis Lovett, and why is he going on a really, really long walk?What is the Yoorrook Justice Commission?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:Why telling the truth is important—at school, at home, and in Australian history.That 'history' isn’t fixed — it changes when new voices and stories are heard.What is a 'commission'?What difference does it make when we tell the truth about history?How the Yoorrook Justice Commission has gathered stories and evidence over 4 years.VoicesTravis Lovett, Yoorrook Justice Commissioner 2021-2025Olga Lyons, Principal, St Patrick's Primary School, Port Fairy VictoriaDr Matthew Keynes, Research Fellow, Faculty of Education, University of MelbourneAunty Nellie Flagg's testimony to the Yoorrook Justice Commission (excerpt)Uncle Henry Atkinson's story shared with the Yoorrook Justice CommissionYear Three and Four students of St Patrick's Primary School, Port Fairy VictoriaRosa Ellen (voice actor for news report)CreditsHosted by Axel Clark. Made on Gadigal and Gunditjmara Country by Jane Curtis.Executive producers are Clare Wright and Anna Clark. Production assistance from Alexandra Morris.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 youThis 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.
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30 MIN
6. What can objects tell us about the past? Live at Adelaide Writers Festival
APR 10, 2025
6. What can objects tell us about the past? Live at Adelaide Writers Festival
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 toAdelaide Festival, especially Suzanne Critchley, and Tahlia GrecoThe History Trust of South Australia for the use of an image of Don Dunstan's shortsNational 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 sheepVoices Anna Clark is a Professor of History at the University of Technology, Sydney.Clare Wright is a Professor of History and Public Engagement at La Trobe University. 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.CreditsHosted by Axel Clark. Produced on Gadigal Country by Anna Clark, Clare Wright and Jane Curtis.Executive producers are Clare Wright and Anna Clark.Podcast concept, design and development by Anna Clark. Sound engineering by John Jacobs.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.
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44 MIN