Program

VCE History Conference and Examination Reports
Friday 21 February 2025, 9:00 am–3:10 pm
Hawthorn Arts Centre, 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn

Registrations have now closed. Contact events@htav.asn.au with any questions.
Please note: if you have not informed HTAV of your dietary requirements by Wednesday 12 February the conference venue may not be able to cater to your needs.

Final confirmation emails with session allocations and full event details will be issued the week of the conference.

This HTAV professional learning conference is structured to support VCE History teachers to expand their own content knowledge, pick up classroom-ready tips and resources, think deeply about VCE assessment, and catch up with peers and mentors from all over Victoria.

PRINCIPAL SPONSOR

The Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize is proud to be the Principal Sponsor of the HTAV 2025 VCE History Conference.

Download the Session Descriptions and
Presenter Biographies

Program flyer – digital download

Download the program flyer to support your professional learning application

PROGRAM

TIME	SESSION
9:00 am	REGISTRATION
9:50 am	ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TRADITIONAL OWNERS / WELCOME AND HOUSEKEEPING
10:20 am	SESSION 1: Please choose one workshop from this session.
1A	Discerning the American Revolution Chris Hart, Yarra Valley Grammar, and Natalie Shephard, Hume Anglican Grammar UNITS 3 & 4 \| REVOLUTIONS: America \| TEACHING IDEAS
1B	The Enlightenment and the French Revolution Emeritus Professor Peter McPhee AM, The University of Melbourne UNITS 3 & 4 \| REVOLUTIONS: France \| CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
1C	A Toolkit for Teaching the Russian Revolution Ian Lyell, Mentone Girls’ Grammar School UNITS 3 & 4 \| REVOLUTIONS: Russia \| TEACHING IDEAS
1D	Using Sources for Area of Study 1 Australian History Bill Lewis, Haileybury UNITS 3 & 4 \| AUSTRALIAN HISTORY \| TEACHING IDEAS
1E	Let’s Learn about the Land Between the Rivers Geoff Trevaskis, Carey Baptist Grammar School UNITS 1 & 2 \| ANCIENT HISTORY: Mesopotamia \| CONTENT KNOWLEDGE \| BYOD
1F	Unlocking the Past: Metacognition in the History Classroom Siobhan Dwyer, Blackburn High School UNITS 1–4 \| GENERAL \| TEACHING IDEAS
1G	Teaching Empires through Historical Images and Maps Professor Darius von Güttner, Australian Catholic University UNITS 1 & 2 \| EMPIRES \| TEACHING IDEAS \| BYOD
1H	Duck and Cover: McCarthyism, the ‘Red Scare’ and Its Cultural Impact Paul Rossiter, The Knox School UNITS 1 & 2 \| MODERN HISTORY \| CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
11:15 am	MORNING TEA
11:50 am	VCAA Advisory Session – 2025 VCAA Update Ashley Keith Pratt, Curriculum Manager (Humanities), VCAA Ashley will reflect on the first three years of implementation of the VCE History Study Design 2022–2026 and outline what the VCAA has in train for 2025. Ashley Keith Pratt is the Curriculum Manager for Humanities at the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. He manages a wide range of Humanities study designs at the VCE level. He has a long history as a classroom teacher and school leader, having previously been a Head of Humanities, Director of Teaching and Learning, and Deputy Principal in schools across Victoria. He is also completing his doctoral studies in History curriculum analysis and evaluation at the University of Melbourne and was a previous President of HTAV.
12:20 pm	SESSION 2: Please choose one workshop from this session.
2A	Ra-ra-Rasputin Stephen White, Oxley Christian College UNITS 3 & 4 \| REVOLUTIONS: Russia \| CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
2B	Communism Before McCarthyism: Origins of Australia’s Red Scare Matthew Allanby, Xavier College and Robert Menzies Institute, and Dr Zachary Gorman, Robert Menzies Institute UNITS 1 & 2 \| MODERN HISTORY \| UNITS 3 & 4 \| AUSTRALIAN HISTORY \| CONTENT KNOWLEDGE \| TEACHING IDEAS
2C	Liberty, Equality and Engaging Activities: A Teacher’s Revolutionary Toolkit! Olivia Heaton, Carey Baptist Grammar School UNITS 3 & 4 \| REVOLUTIONS: France \| TEACHING IDEAS
2D	Teaching Essay Writing Skills in VCE History Ian Lyell, Mentone Girls’ Grammar School UNITS 1–4 \| GENERAL \| TEACHING IDEAS
2E	Unravelling the Threads of Revolution: Thematic Parallels Between the French and Russian Revolutions Professor Darius von Güttner, Australian Catholic University UNITS 3 & 4 \| REVOLUTIONS: France and Russia \| CONTENT KNOWLEDGE \| BYOD
2F	Cold War Australia: From Allies to Upheaval Dr Nicholas Ferns, Monash University UNITS 3 & 4 \| AUSTRALIAN HISTORY \| CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
2G	Tips and Tricks for Small VCE Classes Marcus Parker, St Joseph’s College, Mildura UNITS 1–4 \| GENERAL \| TEACHING IDEAS \| BYOD
2H	Adding Complexity with Ancient Literary Sources Joel Cripps, Peninsula Grammar School UNITS 1–4 \| ANCIENT HISTORY \| TEACHING IDEAS
1:15 pm	NETWORKING LUNCH
2:05 pm	EXHIBITOR PASSPORT PRIZE DRAWS
2:20 pm	SESSION 3: Please choose one option from this session.
3A	VCE Australian History – Examination Reports James Jacobs, VCAA Chief Assessor
3B	VCE Ancient History – Examination Reports Jeremy Daly, VCAA Chief Assessor
3C	VCE Revolutions – Examination Reports Sam Cavnoudias, VCAA Chief Assessor
3D	VCE Units 1 and 2 – History Workshop Dr Deb Hull, HTAV Executive Officer For those not attending the Examination Reports, HTAV staff will facilitate a fast-paced professional learning workshop that will enable VCE Units 1–2 teachers to: share teaching strategies build assessment skills discover high-quality resources expand their professional network.
3:20 pm	SOCIAL HOUR NETWORKING DRINKS FOR CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS Join colleagues, catch up with old friends, meet new people, harvest good ideas, and enjoy a complimentary drink and a selection of canapés at the HTAV Social Hour. Social Hour will take place at the Hawthorn Arts Centre conference venue.

Events Calendar

20 Mar 25

New to Teaching History Levels 7-10 and the Victorian Curriculum
12.00 pm–3.30 pm 20 Mar 25
27 Mar 25

Lightning Learning and Networking
4.30pm – 7.00pm 27 Mar 25
31 Mar 25

Join HTAV in 2025
8.45am - 5.30pm 31 Mar 25

Program

Events Calendar

New to Teaching History Levels 7-10 and the Victorian Curriculum

Lightning Learning and Networking

Join HTAV in 2025

Sponsors & partners