Fieldwork is an essential element of geography, and is an area where many teachers feel a little apprehensive. But this is nervousness that needs to be overcome, because the collection, collation and analysis of data is a central element of geography and geographic information systems, and are vital skills that lead to genuine employment pathways. This session will introduce approaches to both fieldwork, and how students can be exposed to some initial GIS skills that will help them to understand how we can use spatial data to solve real world problems. We will start local, by looking at fieldwork that can be undertaken in your school, and how we can use free GIS tools like Felt.com to build skills in an engaging (and non-threatening way)! Come along on Saturday May 2 2026 to improve your skills as a teacher of geography! Location to be advised, but morning tea will be provided! Free for GHTANT members, $15 for non members. Consider joining if you aren't a member! Venue to be advised: it will be in Darwin.

Session Blurbs Explicitly Teaching Inquiry Presenter: Loraine Caldwell Explicit Direct Instruction and inquiry-based learning are in some ways the antithesis of each other. However, utilising EDI strategies can make students more confident and capable of undertaking research and inquiry tasks. This workshop will explore strategies to support students to master the foundation skills required to develop the higher order thinking required to successfully complete their own investigations. General Capabilities in action: Designing Meaningful HASS Learning Presenter: Nelly Labiche This session explores ways to embed the General Capabilities within Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS). Participants will deepen their understanding of how this dimension of the curriculum can be authentically integrated into both formative and summative HASS tasks. Teachers will learn how to design learning experiences that build students’ disciplinary knowledge while strengthening the transferable skills. Addressing antisemitism in the education setting Presenter: Justin Zammit This session focuses on addressing antisemitism in school settings and on teaching the Holocaust safely, respectfully, and professionally. Participants will explore age‑appropriate strategies for building students’ historical understanding while fostering empathy and critical awareness to help them navigate the complexities of the contemporary world.

GHTANT would like to invite our members who are teaching geography (or who have a strong passion for geography) to meet for a coffee to discuss the professional learning we can offer during the year. Our first conference had a history focus, so we'll put together a similar event for geography teachers in Term 2. But before we do that, we'd like to check in with members to identify areas of interest and need. If you can't make it but would like to contribute ideas, please email them to hello@ghtant.org.au  Coffee provided!

Join us for a free meet-and-greet for GHTANT members and other associations.  ACPHER and STANT have arranged a social catch up at the Darwin Ski Club on 19 March, and have invited other associations to join them. GHTANT will book a table. There is no cost and some non-alcoholic drinks and nibbles will be provided.  We'd love to see you there!

Details of the sessions Scaffolding Success: Using the ALARM Matrix to Develop Analysis and Extended Responses. Presenter: Tully MacPherson. This professional development session explores how the ALARM (A Learning and Responding Matrix) framework can be used to explicitly teach analytical thinking and extended response writing in HASS classrooms. Using historical case studies, the presentation demonstrates how ALARM supports students to move beyond narrative and description toward sustained, evidence-based analysis. Teachers will unpack the matrix, examine model responses, and engage with practical classroom strategies for scaffolding higher-order thinking, improving paragraph structure, and lifting the quality of student writing across stages. The session equips teachers with clear, transferable approaches to develop confident analytical thinkers and writers in HASS. Practical History: Using archaeological methodology in the classroom Presenter: Aaron Chettle In this session, the presenter will draw from their academic and professional fieldwork and lab experiences to reveal the variety of ways in which they have crafted various lessons that build understanding through practical approaches. Teaching about antisemitism and the Holocaust Presenter: Justin Zammit This session deals with teaching/combating antisemitism in the classroom and teaching the Holocaust safely and professionally through the use of themes, concepts and sources. The presenter will also show attendees approaches to a school excursion at the new Holocaust Museum in Darwin. Embedding the National History Challenge in the curriculum Presenter: Loraine Caldwell The National History Challenge is a free, inquiry focused competition open to students from upper primary to Year 12. Students compete within their year levels and may also be eligible for special categories. This year’s theme is “Voices”. Join NT NHC Coordinator Loraine Caldwell to unpack the theme using both the Australian and SACE curricular to develop an assessment task that will double as an entry to the National History Challenge. Become a member here: GHTANT | TidyHQ

As the academic year draws to a close, we invite you to a dedicated morning of reflection, collaboration, and forward-thinking practice. This event offers a range of workshops for primary and secondary Humanities and English teachers. This event will give you the chance to meet other teachers and expand your network, providing valuable assistance for teaching in 2026 and beyond. We'd love to see you there! Tickets are free for members, including those from a school with an institutional membership. Non-member fee is $10 to cover the cost of catering.  Sessions include: Embedding local issues in HASS programs for meaningful learning (Presenter: Bae Hooper) Frontier Violence in Sydney (Presenter: Tully MacPherson)    

As the academic year draws to a close, we invite you to a dedicated morning of reflection, collaboration, and forward-thinking practice. This event offers a range of workshops for primary and secondary Humanities and English teachers. This event will give you the chance to meet other teachers and expand your network, providing valuable assistance for teaching in 2026 and beyond. We'd love to see you there! Tickets are free for members, including those from a school with an institutional membership. Non-member fee is $10 to cover the cost of catering.  Sessions include: Using AI to support great teaching Formative assessment/drafting to promote students' better understanding of standards and developing stronger self- evaluating skills Planning for Inclusion in History/ HASS Secondary classrooms

Geography Technology Industry Careers: Making connections The event will commence at 7.30pm (AEDST, from Sydney NSW Australia). Presentations will include time for questions. Please join via zoom: https://macquarie.zoom.us/j/89220327675 Registration here is not essential. Please join in via Zoom. https://www.geonight.net/25336-2/ 7.30pm - 7.35pm - Welcome and overview of the Australian context Presenter: Dr Susan Caldis (Chair Australian Geography Teachers Association; Senior Lecturer Geography Education, Macquarie University, NSW Australia) 7.35pm - 8.00pm - Getting the G into STEM: Lessons learned from a geography teacher and research scientist partnership in the Northern Territory, Australia Presenters: Yuliya Snoxall (senior geography teacher, AGTA Board member) and Dr Adam Liedloff (research scientist CSIRO) Yuliya Snoxall is a geography and history teacher at Darwin High School, in the Northern Territory, Australia and a board member of the Australian Geography Teachers Association (AGTA). With extensive experience in both the UK and international education sectors, she is committed to advancing geography education and fostering critical thinking skills in students. Having taught in the UK and at international schools in Qatar, Yuliya focuses in enhancing students’ high-level thinking in geographical inquiry. In 2023, she joined STEM Professionals in Schools program run by CSIRO to enhance and refine Year 12 independent study (fieldwork) experiences, ensuring students gain valuable hands-on learning opportunities. Dr Adam Liedloff is an ecologist and systems modeller working for CSIRO in the tropical savannas of northern Australia. His work includes understanding the role of fire in Australian landscapes, predicting how native species respond to climate change, investigating how a wide range of farms can operate in an environmentally sustainable way, and determining the value the Darwin community places on biodiversity and natural places. This research requires explaining how complex systems function and what outcomes we can expect from changes in management decisions and climate change. Adam has used simple conceptual models to explain the fundamentals of fire around the Top End of the Northern Territory to primary school students and now seeks to encourage secondary students to use the scientific approach to answer questions and consider a STEM-based career. Abstract: This presentation will discuss the insights gained from a STEM Professionals in Schools partnership between a Darwin High School geography teacher and a research scientist (ecologist) from CSIRO. This partnership has significantly benefited the year 12 geography students and both professionals. We present some of the challenges of teaching geography in Darwin and how access to a STEM professional’s skills, understanding and alternate point of view can assist teachers. The new understanding highlights the lack of understanding of geography in Australia and how geography deserves a fundamental place in education where students with a strong geography background will provide the criteria demanded by STEM-based careers answering society’s most demanding questions. 8.00pm - 8.25pm - Geography is more STEM than STEM in a Queensland state high school Presenter: Brett Dascombe (geography teacher; GTAQ Committee member) Brett Dascombe is a geography teacher at Wavell State High School in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He is also a committee member at the Geography Teachers Association of Queensland. He has taught geography in Queensland for over 20 years and has worked as a syllabus writer, lead endorser, lead confirmer and marker for the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA). Brett supports teachers around Queensland with Professional Development opportunities, assistance with project development and geospatial and STEM resources for their classrooms and schools to enhance geography teaching. Brett and his students have been recognised nationally and globally for their innovative use of industry standard geospatial tools and data in projects ranging from urban encroachment on Koala habitats to finding high levels of E.coli and Faecal coliforms on one of Southeast Queensland favourite beaches. Brett innovative use of technology on field trips including drone and 360 degree camera footage and in class teaching using interactive assessment platform has seen the QCAA accept new modes of field work and investigative assignments. Abstract: The true scope and potential of geography reaches far beyond traditional boundaries, placing it squarely at the heart of STEM education. In this presentation, "Geography is more STEM than STEM," we explore how geography, when taught through modern technological approaches, powerfully integrates science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to tackle real-world challenges. Drawing from firsthand experiences in classroom environments, industry partnerships, and collaborative projects, this session highlights how geospatial technologies and innovative problem-solving connect students directly to tangible career pathways. From urban planning and sustainability initiatives to disaster management and climate adaptation, geography provides a dynamic, multidisciplinary lens through which students engage with complex issues, blending technological proficiency with critical thinking and spatial literacy. This talk will demonstrate practical strategies and successful case studies illustrating geography's unique capacity to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and industry readiness. Educators and STEM advocates will gain insights into leveraging geography as a central pillar of STEM education, empowering learners with the skills and mindsets necessary to thrive in an interconnected, technology-driven world

You’re invited to an exclusive guided tour of the exhibition: Action – Film and War. Come and discover how the materials from the exhibition can be powerful teaching tools.  

All HASS teachers are invited to a Professional Learning and networking event hosted by the Geography and History Teachers’ Association of the Northern Territory (GHTANT). We have three workshops designed to support your teaching, with opportunities to meet other teachers, ask questions and share ideas.  Three sessions are offered, and the detals are available in the linked program. In addition to the workshops, we want the first event of the year to provide opportunities for teachers to get together to identify future events that will be of benefit. When: Saturday 01st March 2025 at ‘The Hudson, Apartment Hotel,’ 4 Berrimah Rd, Berrimah NT 0828 Time: 8.45am-12.30pm followed by lunch and networking from 12.30pm onwards Cost: $10 or free for members. Become a member here: https://ghtant.org.au/public/membership_levels Whether you’re a preservice teacher, new to teaching Humanities or highly experienced, we’d love to see you there! Morning tea and lunch provided.

Join us for an end-of-semester event which combines some professional learning and socialising together! We will have a tour of the Aviation Museum, followed by nibbles at the Midway at 644 Stuart Highway afterwards.  Bring a colleague! We hope to see you there!

All HASS teachers are invited to a Professional Learning and networking event hosted by the Geography and History Teachers’ Association of the Northern Territory (GHTANT). When: Saturday 02nd March 2024 at Palmerston College (10-12 Campus) at 10 Tilston Ave, Driver 0830. Cost: $10 or free for members. Become a member here: GHTANT | TidyHQ Time: 8.45am-1.45pm There will be a range workshops and resources relating to all Humanities subjects. Whether you’re new to teaching Humanities or highly experienced, we’d love to see you there! Morning tea and lunch provided   Event image by RAEng_Publications from Pixabay