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Welcome to the Term 2 edition of the Seriously Social newsletter.
In this edition, we are pleased to announce the finalists for the Term 3, Social Sciences Week Great Student Debate competition that will take place in Canberra in September. Thank you to all schools who expressed interest in this competition, and we look forward to continuing to connect with and provide opportunities that promote the social sciences in schools.
Schools still have time to get involved in Social Sciences Week with suggestions offered in this newsletter, including a brand new Event Kit to support teachers and students to host their own debate.
Term 2 has provided opportunities for Seriously Social school program to connect with teachers through teacher conferences and online webinars. It is great to see these connections taking place and to gain positive feedback that learning resources and events provided by Seriously Social are making a positive impact on teaching and learning in classrooms.
Thank you for your engagement. We always welcome feedback and connections with educators about Seriously Social and hope to hear from many teachers to celebrate you during Social Sciences Week.
We wish everybody a well-deserved break during the winter school holidays.
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Professor Lyn Yates FASSA
Chair,
Education Committee |
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Cindy Bin Tahal
PhD Candidate, M.Ed, B.Ed
Education Director |
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The 2026 Great Student Debate – “That Australian politics is alive and well” will take place on Thursday 17 September at the National Library of Australia. We are delighted to report that Lakeland Senior High School from Western Australia and Hurlstone Agricultural High School from New South Wales will be joining us as finalists for this event. |
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Both schools will receive:
The National Library of Australia, University of Canberra and Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia are pleased to collaborate as sponsors of this event |
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Social Sciences Week: 12-20 September |
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We want to celebrate you!
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If you’re a Seriously Social subscriber, we’d love to feature you across our channels.
Send us a photo and a short intro (150 words max) telling us what you love about Seriously Social and why the social sciences matter to you.
Email: info@socialsciences.org.au, marked Attention: Seriously Social
We look forward to sharing your story.
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Events |
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History Teachers Association of Australia Conference, July 2026
Seriously Social will provide a workshop at the HTAA Many stories, many voices 2026 conference.
History Through Inquiry: Building Skills in Investigation and Debate
This presentation will introduce learning content from the Seriously Social school program, focusing on World War history topics for Years 9 and 10. It will also showcase a range of debate topics that support inquiry learning in the history classroom, such as "That Australian history unites us". A key focus of the session will be developing students' research skills using the investigation triangle, a model that supports evidence-based inquiry and helps students construct well-reasoned arguments. The presentation will also provide practical guidance on using debate as a teaching method in the history classroom. Both the research model and debate approaches can be readily applied across history subjects, offering teachers adaptable tools to strengthen student engagement and deepen historical understanding.
If you’re in attendance at the HTAA conference, please come and say hello.
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State Library of NSW Teacher Conference – Lit Up! 200 years of curiosity
Michelle Arrow (Academy Fellow, Professor of History at Macquarie University and Chair, Australian Historical Association) and Cindy Bin Tahal (Education Director) were delighted to attend the conference in May alongside almost 200 teachers and to present their session to a group of approximately 45 educators. Drawing on their respective expertise in history and education, Michelle and Cindy showcased Seriously Social’s approach to supporting teaching, learning and student research through academically rigorous and engaging resources. |
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They presented the Debate Guide for Classroom Teachers, the central focus of the session, with Michelle sharing practical insights from her own experience to demonstrate the value of debate as a learning strategy. Cindy introduced the investigation triangle and other frameworks from the Seriously Social learning modules, highlighting how these tools strengthen classroom practice, student inquiry and research skills.
Educators were also presented with the suite of reading articles and educational videos available through Seriously Social and discussed ways these resources can be effectively integrated into curriculum programs. |
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New Resource: Host your own debate event kit |
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Get involved in #SSW2026
Get your students involved in Social Sciences Week by hosting a debate at your school.
Our new Event Kit for Social Sciences Week 2026 gives you everything you need to make your event a success and includes:
- a step-by-step guide on preparing the debate,
- tips for extra activities to make your event memorable,
- a printable customisable poster to help advertise the event around your school,
- a printable certificate for participants.
This resource is free to view and download.
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Do you follow Seriously Social on Linkedin, Youtube or Facebook?
Interactions from our followers ensure that more people see the free educational social science resources that we offer.
If you see us in your feed, please give us a like or share and help us to spread the word!
Click below to follow and share.
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Seriously Social and the Academy’s Education Committee provide support for teachers through learning modules developed with guidance from leading research experts. These modules offer adaptable classroom content, providing a full scope and sequence for teaching and learning or reliable, research-informed material to complement and enhance existing lesson planning and delivery. Offerings are also expanding to include debate as a teaching method, showcased through the growing Seriously Social Great Student Debate concept.
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Subscribe to stay up to date |
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Please help to spread the word—educators are invited to subscribe to the Seriously Social mailing list to keep informed of developments in the Academy’s school program. |
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Click here to unsubscribe | Sent to: _t.e.s.t_@example.com
Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, 3/95 Northbourne Ave , Turner ACT 2612, Australia |
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