Today my guest is Heather MacDonald, an Education Specialist and Primary School Teacher. Heather has been designing, developing and implementing education programs and strategies for non-profit and other organisations for over 20 years. In this episode we explore a range of global sporting events, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games and how they provide a meaningful, engaging and practical context for learning and community connection. Heather outlines the value of “twenty-first century s...
Nov 13, 2020•47 min
Today my guest is Astrid Pickup, a Yoga Teacher and President of the International Yoga Teachers Association. In this episode we explore the ancient practice of yoga and its place within contemporary western culture. Astrid reflects on her early enthusiasm for physical activities and outdoor sports such as hockey, cross-country skiing, canyoning and rock climbing, which lead to the physical techniques and practice of yoga. From this perspective, Astrid brings a practical and down-to-earth approa...
Oct 17, 2020•50 min
Today my guest is Associate Professor Kelly Matthews, a teacher and Academic Researcher at The University of Queensland’s Institute for Teaching & Learning Innovation. Kelly asks: Why can’t students be more involved in curriculum and assessment decisions? In this episode we look at Students as Partners, currently a growing practice in higher education that challenges assumptions about the role of students in learning, teaching, and university decision-making. We explore the value of curiosit...
Oct 17, 2020•51 min
Today my guest is Associate Professor Marina Harvey, an Academic Researcher and Director of Academic Development Services at the University of New South Wales. Over the past decade, Marina and her team have researched student reflection and how it is used to support learning and teaching. In this episode we look at the value of higher-order thinking skills, such as reflection, in a rapidly changing world and how reflection might be viewed as being (not only) a cognitive process but also a somati...
Sep 07, 2020•46 min
Today my guest is Dara Sampson, a Social Worker, Teacher and Researcher. Dara uses fiction, and other literature, in her social work teaching. Her creative and innovative “book club” approach, which she used as her form of action research for her PhD encourages and supports a safe and comfortable context for students to develop empathy, critical thinking and interpersonal skills. Dara’s approach, which she has used in her teaching over a six year period also facilitates students’ exploration of ...
Aug 12, 2020•48 min
Today my guest is Paul McKercher, a music Recordist, Producer and Mixer. Paul has worked with many Australian and international artists and has been awarded ARIAs for Producer, and Engineer, of the year. In this episode, Paul shares formative memories of playing guitar and cello, lessons learned whilst working at ABC and radio Triple J and insights into the creative and professional dynamics at play when collaborating with artists in the studio. Paul also reflects on the art and science of recor...
Jun 30, 2020•51 min
Today my guest is Vicki Cornish, a Fibre Artist and teacher from Newcastle, New South Wales. Vicki creates contemporary textiles with ancient tools and techniques. Her craft practice focuses on hand spinning, weaving and stitching using natural fibres and low impact methods of processing and dyeing. Vicki also has a particular interest in historical tools and techniques, including those used by Vikings over a thousand years ago. In this episode we explore Vicki's studies in Visual Arts, Applied ...
Apr 16, 2020•45 min
Today my guest is Matt Cosgrove, an Australian author and illustrator of children’s books. Some of Matt’s recent work includes the “Macca the Alpaca” series of books, along with other favourites like “Attack of the Giant Robot Zombie Mermaid”, which is part of the “Epic Fail Tales” series. In this episode we explore Matt’s love of art and design and his earliest memories of drawing and illustration. We trace Matt’s pathway through school, study and work as he reflects on a range of creative role...
Feb 23, 2020•50 min
Today my guest is Adam Dunn an Associate Professor in the Centre for Health Informatics at Macquarie University. Adam his team use informatics and social media data in their clinical research related to public health. Informatics - the structure, behaviour and interactions of natural and engineered computational systems - is very much related to the idea of a single butterfly flapping its wings to potentially create a hurricane on the other side of the earth. In this episode we explore complex s...
Jan 24, 2020•52 min
Today my guest is Amanda Howard, who is an Associate Professor at The University of Sydney’s School of Education and Social Work. Amanda’s teaching and research relates to social work: that is, the social connections and dynamics found when groups of people – communities - come together and do things. We chat about the importance of social work in understanding how human systems and structures work as well as the ideas around inclusion, exclusion and how power with a group is distributed. Amanda...
Jan 02, 2020•45 min
Today my guest is Renee Brack, a screen & media creative and communicator with a passion for eclectic and engaging stories across print, television, film, radio and digital. Renee’s YouTube channel has racked up over 1.3 million views driven by her unique approach to interviews. Renee is a Writer, Producer, Director, Interviewer and Researcher. She’s also a Lecturer and Seminar Moderator working across higher education and corporate. In this episode we explore a wide range of topics, reflect...
Dec 10, 2019•39 min
Today my guest is Jo Anne Rey, a teacher-librarian, author and researcher. Jo is also a Dharug community member; Dharug Country covers the majority of Sydney, Australia. In this episode we explore Jo’s Australian Indigenous identity, her research approach and methodologies and her family storying as woven into Sydney’s Dharug and colonial heritages. Jo’s storying is the basis of her recent doctoral thesis Country Tracking Voices: Dharug women’s perspectives on presences, places and practices, th...
Sep 10, 2019•54 min
Today my guest is Peter Holz, an ARIA-award winning audio mixer, producer and songwriter. Peter has mixed, recorded and written songs for a range of Australian and international artists and performers including The Veronicas, Jessica Mauboy and Delta Goodrem as well as Gang Of Youths, Peking Duk, Vance Joy and many others. In this episode, Peter recounts his strong fascination with music and sounds, early experiments with multi-track recording and his pursuit of the mysterious sparkle of vocal h...
Aug 16, 2019•48 min
Today my guest is Jeni Thornley, a documentary filmmaker, writer and film valuer. Jeni’s poetic essay documentaries “Island Home Country”, “To the Other Shore”, “Maidens” and collaborative feature “For Love or Money” are landmark films in Australian independent and feminist cinema. Jeni is an Honorary Research Associate in the School of Communication, FASS, University of Technology, Sydney, where she lectured in documentary and completed her doctorate. In this episode we talk about Jeni’s ongoin...
Jul 12, 2019•54 min
Today my guest is Les Kirkup. Les is an Adjunct Professor in Science at the University of Technology, Sydney and an Honorary Professor in the School of Physics at Sydney University. In this episode, Les and I speak about his active contributions to learning, teaching and research in higher education and his long-term commitment and enthusiasm for a student-centred approach to science and engineering. Les is a recipient of the Australian Institute of Physics medal for his work in undergraduate sc...
Apr 14, 2019•46 min
Unexpected and profound insights from smart people you’d like to meet. Today my guest is Grace Kingston a multi-disciplinary conceptual artist. Thematically Grace looks at notions of connectedness, intimacy, identity and how they manifest themselves in our every day lives and the spaces and environments we occupy. These works often manifest themselves as installation, sculpture, textile and photography work, or some combination of those mediums. Grace has exhibited New York, Finland and Germany....
Mar 16, 2019•54 min
Unexpected and profound insights from smart people you’d like to meet. Today my guest is Michelle Arrow, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Modern History, Politics and International Relations at Macquarie University in Sydney’s north. Michelle is also co-editor of the Australian Historical Association’s journal History Australia. In this episode, Michelle and I speak about her early enthusiasm for modern Australian history and research interests related to popular culture. We al...
Feb 08, 2019•54 min
Unexpected and profound insights from smart people you’d like to meet. Today my guest is Jennifer Byrne, who is Professor of Molecular Oncology at the University of Sydney and the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, in Sydney’s west. In this episode, Jennifer and I speak about her role at the Children’s Cancer Research unit, her current research interests and her scientific career. In her research, Jennifer analyses childhood and adult cancers at a molecular level, which involves working collaborat...
Feb 06, 2019•50 min
Unexpected and profound insights from smart people you’d like to meet. Today my guest is Amber Boardman, an artist from Bushwick South, a studio space in Sydney’s northern beaches. In this episode, Amber and I speak about her creative obsessions, art making practices and some recent exhibitions, including The Art Gallery of NSW’s Archibald Prize. In her art making, Amber invents alter ego characters, explores the ideology of the American Dream and the endless desire to transform and improve the ...
Feb 06, 2019•51 min
Unexpected and profound insights from smart people you’d like to meet. Mark Parry has a perspective, but as a conduit, he wants you to hear the perspectives of others. Mark’s longstanding commitment to learning, teaching and communication gets more engaging than ever as he chats with a broad and diverse range of intelligent, friendly and interesting people—artists, researchers, scientists, psychologists, film makers—who are thinking up new ideas and then getting on with making a big or small imp...
Feb 02, 2019•1 min
