What is great history teaching?

2026-03-11

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 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 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.

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.

No. of episodes

17

Latest episode

2026-04-29

Where can you listen?

Apple Podcasts Spotify Podtail Google Podcasts RSS

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.