Teaching Excellence Talks
Listen to our engaging subject matter experts as they discuss their work and its links to education. Sessions are led by our Expert Teachers in Residence.
Humour is a serious business
Tuesday 10 June 2025, 4:00 – 5:00 pm
How did education shape Sammy J’s sense of humour and how did humour shape his sense of education?
In a very special hour to lead our inaugural 'Teaching Excellence Talks', Sammy will share his experiences in the classroom and the workplace to help us unpack the role of:
- humour as curriculum · humour as pedagogy
- humour as wellbeing and why we all need it to make sense, and occasionally non-sense, to help us manage life beyond the school walls.
Facilitators
Sammy J
Australian comedian author, composer and broadcasterSammy J is an Australian comedian author, composer and broadcaster.
Sammy J has made a living being funny. He has done it in school halls, town halls, concert halls, even the halls of power. He has done it for television, radio, stage and page. He has written it, sung it, played it, acted it, drawn it. He has parodied, satirised, but above all humanised.
Sam Mackie
Expert Teacher in Residence for The ArtsSam Mackie is the Expert Teacher in Residence for The Arts. Thirty-five years of teaching, across regions and sectors, has taught him a fair bit about teaching. Consequently, he has developed numerous resources for arts organisations and curriculum bodies, devised and run workshops here and abroad, won awards, and built up a teacher network dedicated to teachers helping teachers. He is dedicated to raising the status of the teaching profession.
These discussions will enable educators to reflect on:
- teaching practice
- student outcomes
- curriculum
- pedagogy.
2025 Teaching Excellence Talks include:
- 1 hour online sessions
- subject matter expert led presentations and conversations
- audience engagement via breakout rooms and/or question and answer sessions.
Audience
Roles
Designed for all Academy alumni and Teaching Excellence Program participants wanting to improve their knowledge and practice.
School sectors
This program is available to the following school sectors:
- Victorian government
- Catholic
- independent.
Learning outcomes
Teaching Excellence Talks aim to:
- strengthen engagement, teacher knowledge and deep thinking in the discipline and education space
- foster relationships and connect with educators across Victoria.
Fees and financial support
| Government school | Non-government school | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee per participant | Fully subsidised | Fully subsidised |
