Hey History!

About Hey History!

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.

Publisher

UTS Impact Studios

Category

history · kids & family · kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 Apr 2024

Latest episode

29 Apr 2026

Latest episodes

23 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Apr 2026

   Teaching The Australian Wars

   How do we teach the Frontier Wars with honesty, care, and confidence? You'll hear from filmmaker Rachel Perkins, leading academic and advocate Professor Marcia Langton, Culture is Life CEO Belinda Duarte, senior secondary history teacher Bill Lewis, and Professor Melitta Hogarth of Ngarrngga at Melbourne University. Together they dig into the questions many teachers are sitting with: What does truth-telling actually look like in practice? How do we teach histories of colonial violence with care? How can non-Indigenous teachers approach this work without fear of getting it wrong? We're sharing a recording generously provided by Culture is Life and Ngarrngga, two organisations working at the intersection of First Nations knowledge, education, and advocacy. Culture is Life is an Aboriginal-led not-for-profit amplifying the voices of First Nations young people and championing education as a pathway to justice and truth-telling. Ngarrngga is committed to ensuring all educators have access to Indigenous knowledge systems and the tools to embed them meaningfully in their teaching. Both organisations produce practical, curriculum-aligned resources to support teachers in this work. Resources The Australian Wars website (https://www.theaustralianwars.com/) Watch The Australian Wars on SBS on Demand (https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/the-australian-wars) SBS Learn Understanding the Frontier Wars (https://www.sbs.com.au/learn/resources/understanding-the-frontier-wars/): clips with discussion questions and other classroom resources The Australian Wars book (https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Rachel-Perkins,-Stephen-Gapps,-Mina-Murray-and-Henry-Reynolds-(eds)-Australian-Wars-9781761474392) by Rachel Perkins, Stephen Gapps, Mina Murray and Henry Reynolds Ngarrngga (https://www.ngarrngga.org/): 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 Culture is Life (https://cultureislife.org/education/): Free resources including The Australian Wars, Welcome to Country, First weapons, Stolen Generations, and The Australian Dream with Adam Goodes. Watch a video of the original panel https://www.ngarrngga.org/stories-news/teaching-the-australian-wars-panel (https://www.ngarrngga.org/stories-news/teaching-the-australian-wars-panel) Voices Panellists: Rachel Perkins, Arrernte/Kalkadoon (The Australian Wars filmmaker); Marcia Langton, Yiman/Bidjara (academic and cultural leader); Belinda Duarte, Wotjobaluk/Dja Dja Wurrung (CEO, Culture is Life); Bill Lewis (History Teacher, Haileybury College); and Professor Melitta Hogarth, Kamilaroi (Director, Ngarrngga, The University of Melbourne). Episode host: Professor Anna Clark Credits Hey History Teacher! is supported by the History Teachers Association of NSW (https://htansw.asn.au/). Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark (https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Anna.Clark). Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios (https://impactstudios.edu.au/). Sound engineering by John Jacobs. Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

2. 

   22 Apr 2026

   Teaching First Nations 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 (https://www.ngarrngga.org/): 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 (https://australianstogether.org.au/teachers/curriculum-resources): free curriculum resources, covering key learning areas from Foundation to Year 10. A non-profit organisation developing resources with First Nations Educators. Matilda Education (https://www.matildaeducation.com.au/): 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 (https://www.routledge.com/Indigenous-Education-in-Australia-Learning-and-Teaching-for-Deadly-Futures/Shay-Oliver/p/book/9780367207755): 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 (https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/map-indigenous-australia) AIATIS free teaching resources and learning sequences including First Fighters (https://shop.aiatsis.gov.au/collections/all-teaching-resources) AIATSIS Guide to evaluating and selecting education resources (https://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/research_pub/AIATSIS%20Guide%20to%20evaluating%20and%20selecting%20education%20resources.pdf) Yabun Survival Day Sydney (https://yabun.org.au/) Colonial Frontier Massacre Map: Colonial Frontier Massacres, Australia, 1788 to 1930 (https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/map.php) and Introduction to the map (https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/introduction.php) by the University of Newcastle, Australia Yeddonba Aboriginal Cultural Site (https://www.explorebeechworth.com.au/yeddonba/): 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 (https://www.8ways.online/): a NSW Department of Education initiative Tipsheet Free professional development tipsh (https://doi.org/10.64628/AAO.nfmakjwre)eet (https://www.heyhistory.net/for-teachers) for this episode (in Teacher Downloads (https://www.heyhistory.net/for-teachers)) Research The Monash Australian Teachers Survey 2023 (https://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/3404698/MONASH-Australian-teachers-survey-2023.pdf) 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 (https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-025-00944-z) Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody 1991: National Report Volume 5, Recommendations for (https://www7.austlii.edu.au/au/other/IndigLRes/rciadic/national/vol5/5.html#Heading28)Educating the Future (https://www7.austlii.edu.au/au/other/IndigLRes/rciadic/national/vol5/5.html#Heading28) 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 (https://htansw.asn.au/). Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark (https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Anna.Clark). Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios (https://impactstudios.edu.au/). Sound engineering by John Jacobs. Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

3. 

   16 Apr 2026

   More than facts: teaching complexity in history

   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 (https://ambapress.com.au/products/teaching-history?srsltid=AfmBOooeVqV6mqodmpmbRcY_7V4n5QxyOiEHT2EPjmdUwAQoMED_94v1). By Jonathon Dallimore Teaching history, teaching complexity (https://www.htav.asn.au/curriculum/2018/agora-2018-3-teaching-history): 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 (https://theconversation.com/historical-time-helps-students-truly-understand-the-complexity-of-the-past-and-how-they-fit-into-it-264135): The Conversation https://doi.org/10.64628/AAO.nfmakjwre (https://doi.org/10.64628/AAO.nfmakjwre) Free professional development tipsh (https://doi.org/10.64628/AAO.nfmakjwre)eet (https://www.heyhistory.net/for-teachers) for this episode (in Teacher Downloads (https://www.heyhistory.net/for-teachers)) 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 (https://htansw.asn.au/). Executive Producer is Professor Anna Clark (https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Anna.Clark). Producer is Jane Curtis at UTS Impact Studios (https://impactstudios.edu.au/). Sound engineering by John Jacobs. Made on Gadigal Country in Sydney Australia.

Who has been a guest on Hey History!

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Travis Lovett
• Anna Clark
• Clare Wright
• Hamish Maxwell-Stewart
• Marcelle Mangan

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

3.8 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 34 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

56

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

31

Contact Hey History!

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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