Panel Presentation

About the Panel Presenters:

Dafina Spahiu is an experienced educator and leader currently serving as a Year 10 Student Manager and teacher of VCE English, Geography, and VCE-VM Literacy at McKinnon Secondary College. Over a seven-year career in government education, Dafina has developed a strong reputation for curriculum leadership and student advocacy. She previously served as the Learning Leader for the English, EAL, and Humanities Domain at Dandenong High School, where she taught VCE English, History, and Geography. Beyond the classroom, Dafina is dedicated to supporting the professional community, having served on the History Teachers' Association of Victoria (HTAV) Board for four years.

Dafina's extensive and varied experience in complex classrooms and across multiple different sociological, cultural, and economic environments have imbued her with a range of relevant and high-level skills for teaching sensitive historical topics.

Joshua Armstrong grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and moved to Melbourne in 2024. He came to Australia as a graduate teacher and has been teaching History at Bacchus Marsh Grammar for three years. Joshua often credits his background as a reason why he enjoys engagement in historical subjectivity within the classroom – growing up in the legacy of ‘The Troubles’, being both exposed and fascinated by the polarized social history of Northern Ireland.

Joshua has used this experience to delve impartially into historical sensitivity through exposing students to controversial histories including the Decolonisation of India, the Holocaust, and the Rights and Freedoms of Indigenous Australians.

Dr Kylie Trask-Kerr is a Senior Lecturer in Education at Australian Catholic University, with over 25 years’ experience across secondary and tertiary contexts. She began her career teaching History, Philosophy and English, before moving into education research and tertiary teaching over ten years ago. She teaches pre-service History teachers and leads several initiatives, including a Masters-level unit focused on 21st century skills, with an emphasis on cultivating critical thinking.

Her research focuses on the purposes and philosophies of education, ethical thinking, practical wisdom, and the role of Humanities education in supporting human flourishing. Kylie has also contributed to research on how policy, public discourse, and classroom practice intersect, highlighting the ethical, epistemic and political dimensions of teaching contested knowledge.

Committed to education for flourishing, Kylie advocates for classroom practices that enable students to engage with contemporary debates while developing the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed for informed and responsible participation in civic life.

Dr Deb Hull is the Executive Officer of HTAV. She has a PhD in History, and believes that coming to terms with thoughts that are wholly new to you is a necessary and profound aspect of historical learning. Deb will provide an update on HTAV’s development of ‘professional practice principles’ for History teachers. These principles will help teachers explain to others what the History discipline requires of them and their students. The principles will also help teachers think about and discuss the ethical and professional boundaries of History teaching.