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Education
2020-21 to 2022-23
The History Trust of South Australia delivers world-class education programs for South Australian schools.
233 North Terrace - our new History Trust headquarters from June 2023.
233 North Terrace - our new History Trust headquarters from June 2023.
About us
We run great museums. We advocate for history awareness. We build SA history online and in print. We hold major events. We give out grants. We support history makers across the State.
Our job is to encourage current and future generations of South Australians to discover that this state’s past is rich, relevant and fascinating. Among the many stories unfolding across South Australia in the present, there are many worthy of being preserved for sharing for the future.
Education is key to delivering on our promise to give our special past a future. You can read more about the impact of our work in our annual reports and highlights publications.
Your History - Our Responsibility
As a statutory authority, we report to the Parliament of South Australia and our Board of Trustees are accountable through the Minister for Education.
Read more about our Act, our governance and our vision and values to appreciate both our fiscal and cultural responsibility towards safeguarding South Australia’s material heritage and encouraging research and the public presentation of South Australian history.
Education
The History Trust of South Australia delivers world-class education for South Australian students. The past 24 months marks a significant shared investment in, and commitment to, our education mission.
Our in-museum education programs are highly valued by students and teachers alike, but they only reach 11% of South Australian school students annually. Regional, remote and (category 1-4) disadvantaged schools find it increasingly difficult to undertake museum excursions, and our students know more about New South Wales than their local South Australian history. Our time poor teachers look to us for support in engaging students with South Australian history in the classroom. These challenges, and a commitment to equitable state-wide access to quality learning experiences for both teachers and students has driven our education work over the past 2 years.
What we have done.
From 2021, with your help, we have been developing programs to take South Australian history into schools. Our approach has included:
- Digital Learning Strategy,
- Learning Advisory Panel,
- industry partnerships,
- education website,
- a suite of digital learning resources,
- four Museum in a Box outreach kits,
- an Education YouTube Channel.
You can explore our growing body of curriculum-aligned videos, interactive digital programs, structured online quizzes, and quality classroom resources on the new Explore, Engage, Learn website, launched October 2022.
10 Year Goals
Goal 1
Ensure most South Australians have a highly positive experience of The History Trust annually.
Goal 2
Be recognised as the leading voice for making the stories of South Australia relevant across the world, for the world.
Goal 3
Explain the complexities of the past and build wisdom for today.
Goal 4
Be a leader of excellence in the network of historical enterprises.
Goal 5
Significantly grow earned income.
Digital Learning Strategy
To support educators and students to teach and learn about South Australia’s stories, employing a digital-by-design approach, we have developed four overarching strategies:
Strategy 1
Enable all students and teachers in SA to access the HTSA’s museums, galleries and programs using a digital-first approach.
Strategy 2
Develop a strong online presence as a trusted source of information, resources and training for the teaching of South Australia’s history.
Strategy 3
Demonstrate innovative and dynamic practice to address digital and societal change.
Strategy 4
Share past and present-day stories, experiences and perspectives of South Australia’s First Nations peoples.
What our supporters are saying.
Learning Advisory Panel
Elspeth Grant, Seaton High School
I’m a high school teacher responsible for delivering the national Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum from Years 7 to 10. Our state’s diverse young citizens deserve to understand where they live and belong. The History Trust of South Australia play an integral role in helping young people learn about our state’s history, as well as civics and citizenship. Without the significant stories and artefacts their education resources bring to life, our courses would be telling a national story without South Australian and local perspectives.
SA History Guardian
Lainie Anderson
"I had the personal pleasure of working closely with the History Trust team in 2019 on the Vickers Vimy Centenary of Flight celebrations and it was inspiring to see that passion and commitment they hold not only for their education mission but also in bringing history to life for all South Australians. I’m proud to be able to support this work now as a South Australian History Guardian".
Industry Partner
Mandi Dimitriadis, Makers Empire
"I’ve always respected and valued the work that the History Trust does, through its museums and history festivals. I particularly value the commitment that the History Trust has to education, and helping South Australia’s young people learn about our state’s history, care about the significant stories of our state and have their own stories heard, and their voices heard.
How we are making a difference.
Bringing South Australian history to the classroom.
Education website
Created to provide trusted curriculum aligned resources and experiences on South Australian history, this website delivers engaging programs on demand for teachers and students.
Vickers Vimy aircraft
The History Trust worked with Adelaide Airport Limited to create engaging education content for the launch of the new Vickers Vimy exhibition space at Adelaide Airport in late 2022. Curriculum aligned programs now support teachers in bringing this historic airplane and stories to life for more South Australian students.
Makers Empire
In partnership with Adelaide edtech company Makers Empire, we created the design challenge course If I Were a Leader. Fusing civics and citizenship, PHDPE, and STEM, the course uses the State History Collection and historical South Australian figures to explore and develop leadership skills in young people.
Education YouTube channel
Our Education YouTube channel is catered towards the needs and interests of students and teachers. Knowing that the History Trust of South Australia is a trusted source of information provides teachers with the reassurance that the content found on our channel is backed by evidence and research.
University of South Australia
We have partnered with the University of SA's Education Futures and Centre for Research in Education and Social Inclusion (CRESI) to ground our approach in sound scholarship and digital pedagogies. Reimaging History in South Australia: engaging primary students in local history is a pilot study exploring young people’s engagement in local history and the potential of design-based research approaches.
Learning Advisory Panel
The History Trust Learning Advisory Panel is a valued group of volunteer teachers who work with the education team at the History Trust of South Australia. The panel currently consists of nine dedicated primary and high school teachers from across the state, including those from government, catholic and independent schools.
A Closer look at one of our newest programs.
Museum In a Box
Museum in a Box engages students using different pedagogical approaches, including gamification, play-based learning and inquiry-based learning. All boxes include museum handling objects and are accompanied by hard-copy and digital curriculum aligned teaching materials to aid teachers in using the boxes in the classroom.
Conflicts and Colonisation
Comparing the colonisation of South Australia to that of the first British colony on the east coast of Australia, NSW. Students are given recreations of important documents, objects and images from both state's histories.
A Tale of Torrens Island
A gamified experience to teach students about the quarantine history of Torrens Island. Students are immersed in a historically derived escape room experience, learning about Torrens Island and its time as a quarantine station.
Communication: Now and Then
Play and object-based learning kit for students in preschool to year two, exploring the history of communication both in South Australia and more broadly. The kit includes an array of authentic objects and support materials.
Unpacking History
Using object-based and inquiry-based learning, students will discover and explore the lives of migrants from the 19th century to today. The kit includes five travel cases containing objects that tell the migration stories of a diverse group of South Australians over the last two centuries.
...it was a fun way to challenge your mind and learning skills
Development of all boxes has included consultation with First Nations communities to bring pre-colonisation and First Nations perspectives. This consultation has strengthened our relationships with local First Nations groups and initiated conversations about the need for more First Nations led museum boxes for South Australian schools.
Our Shared Commitment
Revenue 2020-21 to 2021-2022
Since June 2022 the new education team has focused its work on developing the foundational programs, infrastructure and partnerships that underpin our new approach in delivering education programs into South Australian schools.
Our future plans.
We remain committed to developing quality curriculum aligned education programs and experiences for South Australian schools and to bringing history to life in both the classroom and in our museums. This includes growing the suite of digital programs, deepening professional development opportunities for teachers, working with communities to further embed First Nations perspectives in our shared understanding, capitalising on research and industry collaborations and supporting disadvantaged schools to visit our museums.
School Partnerships
Designed to improve collaboration between South Australian Department for Education schools and the History Trust, the School Partnerships program will strengthen connections with schools, teachers, students and communities across the state. It is due to roll out in Term 3 of 2023.
First Nations Content
Many teachers have told us that they lack the confidence to teach and meaningfully include First Nations perspectives in the classroom. We will continue to collaborate with First Nations communities and knowledge-holders, recognising the importance of including their perspectives and histories in telling the story of South Australia.
Online Excursions
Removing barriers to participation is vital in reaching students from across the state and those from less advantaged communities. Featuring State History Collection objects and presented by trained museum and education professionals, our curriculum aligned online excursions provide a cost-effective way for schools to experience and learn about our state's history. The first excursion, Encounters, examines the first point of contact between European explorers and South Australia's First Nations peoples; exploring the legacy, both good and bad. Further online excursions are in development for late 2023.
What can your donations do?
Thank you to our supporters.
SA History Guardians
Our South Australian History Guardians and donors continued to build our fundraising efforts to strengthen approaches to South Australian history throughout 2021-2022.
The History Guardians philanthropic initiative has raised $145,000 since its inception in 2020. The History Trust prioritises funds towards special projects including education, which, without the generous support of the History Guardians, could not be realised.
We would like to thank our History Guardians for their important and ongoing support.
Donors
We would also like to thank our many Giving Day donors from 2021 and 2022. We especially thank our over $300 donors for their important and ongoing support, as every donation helps us bring South Australian history to more teachers, students and schools, so that together we can imagine a better future.
Learning Advisory Panel
Since its inception in 2021, the learning advisory panel has been an invaluable source of knowledge and guidance to our education team. We would like to thank all our learning advisory panel teachers past and present.
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