HTAV Middle Years Conference


For the past two years, the HTAV has been working with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and the Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA) in shaping a national curriculum document, which will be released around the time that you attend this conference.

The process has shown me that teachers are engaged professionals who want to contribute to the future of education in this country and who are excited that the discipline of History has been recognised as one of the first four subjects to be implemented in a new Australian Curriculum. Furthermore, the process has shown me that this advent for the Australian educational landscape will challenge teachers to think about the new ways that they can deliver courses and invigorate their own professional practice as new topics and areas of study are introduced into the curriculum.

This is the second time that we have offered a conference with such a specific focus on Years 7–10 in recent years. After the success of last year’s conference, it was obvious that we should run such an event again especially at such a crucial time in history education in Australia.

Truly, we are spoilt for choice again this year with the diversity of workshops and lectures offered by academics, classroom teachers, museum professionals and publishers. From the Bayeux Tapestry and using Web 2.0 in History classes to exciting museum collections, the choice on offer is remarkable.

Of course, one of the most important features of a gathering like this one is the way in which it brings together like minds to discuss, contemplate and enjoy all the highs of history education and the profession: this collegiality is certainly a hallmark of HTAV conferences, something that is reiterated to us time and again.

I hope that you have an opportunity to attend the conference and I look forward to seeing you there – at yet another pivotal moment in the history of education in Australia.

Annabel Astbury
Executive Director
HTAV