Welcome to the Term 3 edition of the Seriously Social newsletter, where we will share with you all that is on offer for school educators as part of this year’s Social Sciences Week program. 

Schools still have time to get involved in Social Sciences Week, with suggestions offered in this newsletter. We would welcome educators to submit introductions that we can share in an effort of promoting this important subject across social media platforms. 

Thank you for your continued engagement and we hope that Social Sciences Week is a featured and fantastic event on your school’s 2026 calendar.  

Best wishes, 

The Great Student Debate

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 share images of debaters that are due to travel to Canberra from Lakeland Senior High School from Western Australia and Hurlstone Agricultural High School for this event. 

Both schools will receive:  

• A debate coaching workshop led by experts ahead of the competition, 

• A contribution to travel costs to attend the debate workshop and competition in Canberra, 

• The chance to showcase skills at a live debate at the National Library of Australia.  

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

Social Sciences Week: Events for Teachers and Students

There are plenty of events to interest teachers and students this Social Sciences Week, 12-20 September. We’ve collated some of them here to whet your appetite.

Featured Event

Humming into 2027: Empowering Teachers to Strengthen Humanities in our Schools

This event is aimed at Humanities and Social Science (HASS) educators across Australia, particularly those in secondary schools. This online webinar will provide practical strategies and advice on faculty collaboration, analysing HASS curriculum and assessment data, refreshing new units and ideas, and how best to upskill staff in the various subject disciplines so that every HASS faculty can start strong in 2027.

Wednesday 16 September

5.00 - 5.45PM AEST

Online

Register for Humming into 2027 here.

Want more ideas?

Visit Social Sciences Week Teachers and Schools to explore events near you and find a range of ways for students to participate.  

Social Sciences Week: Educator Spotlight

Meet Katrina Davey, author of “Humming Along: Achieving Excellence Teaching Primary and Secondary Humanities”, and host of a special social sciences event for teachers.

In secondary school History and Geography were the two subjects that quenched my thirst for learning. I simply loved the content and had two remarkable teachers. In those classes, everything seemed truly fascinating, and my childhood love of an atlas was gaining more importance in every lesson. I never enjoyed reading fiction stories in English, but I had a constant sense of wonder when exploring a reference text. It is this sense of wonder that I strive to promote in every Humanities and Social Science class that I now teach. 

What is one Social Sciences concept you think every student should understand before they leave school? 

An appreciation that all people think and feel differently. This concept is paramount for adolescents. During this stage of their life, they can be exceptionally headstrong, and it is vital that social science assist students in feeling comfortable with hearing and accepting opposing points of view. I hope that students will leave school with an understanding that they will experience and witness a diverse range of traits and emotions throughout life. Hopefully the case studies explored in Social Science continually assist students understanding of perspectives, stakeholders, contradictory beliefs and the importance of diplomacy. Seeing difference in a positive light will significantly shape a young adult’s future outlook on the world and encourage a proactive attitude.

How do you help students connect what they learn in Social Sciences to real life?

Well as a teacher I am known for getting classrooms involved in elaborate historical reenactments at any opportunity. I have a cupboard at home swamped with costumes and accessories for all ages and eras. After all, dressing up removes inhibitions and allows students to be someone else making it memorable. Learning through real-life scenarios and authentic dilemmas where students adopt current day corporate job roles such as data analyst, project manager, policy officer, lawyer etc is vital in secondary years. Such challenges provide a sense of student agency, empowerment and shared responsibility. It enables them to practice social competencies and soft skills like delegation, compromise, adaptability and leadership. Learning is best when it provides an authentic challenge and a lasting memory. Social Sciences is the ideal subject to cater for this type of learning.

If you could take your class anywhere in the world to deepen their learning, where would you go?

This is hard because as a Geography teacher, I instantly thought “well how much do students even know about their own neighbourhood - its cultural heritage, its treasures and challenges?”. However, if I really wanted to immerse students in something different, I think travelling to India would provide an eye-opening experience for Australian students. The rich culture and sense of community, the enormous difference in their way or life and living conditions, the sheer enormity of the population and its diversity would all provide students with a whole new perspective.

What’s one myth about Social Sciences you’d love to debunk? 

That it is just general knowledge. Too many educators are placed into the subject because there are gaps in the timetable. So often the executive think anyone can teach it, because its just general knowledge. The Humanities and Social Science curriculum is extremely diverse with four disciplines and can be overwhelming due to the variety of concepts and skills taught. When an out of field teacher is placed in this subject they are getting the load of 4 subjects and will have barely any chance to repeat or hone their understanding of the subject throughout the year.

The Social Sciences are not about general knowledge. Taught well the knowledge learnt should help students understand that humans live with purpose, form relationships to build meaningful lives, can cope and adapt, live interdependently with the environment, understand the cause and effect of their actions and proactively shape their own future. A Social Science educator is building the heart of every student, not just reciting facts and figures from a textbook. The complexity of the subject should not be taken for granted.

New Resources

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. 

Connect

Feedback and further inquiries are welcome via email: info@socialsciences.org.au.  

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