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Hannie Rayson on writing complex roles for women

Watch as Hannie Rayson describes her early desire to write multidimensional, complex roles for women in her plays. What was this in response to?  Why is it important for audiences to see female characters as well as male characters driving drama in plays? 

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How to be funny

What is the key to being funny? As Tim Ferguson explains, if you can laugh, you can write comedy. Has something funny happened to you lately? Or is there something in particular that you find puzzling or amusing about the world around you? Put your thoughts on paper and experiment with telling your story in different ways. ...

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Exploring themes with David Williamson

Watch this clip to learn about David Williamson's background and what themes fascinate him as a playwright. What ideas does he enjoy exploring in his plays?

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Introduction to Food Security

This is a video that defines and explores the concept of food security using animated illustrations, spoken commentary, and pauses for discussion. Identifying the accelerating growth of population and the proportion of people who are chronically hungry, it provides the United Nation's definition of food security and its ...

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Othello: The birth of the green-eyed monster

You'd never want to get into an argument with Shakespeare, who certainly knows how to use words to convince! A key moment in Othello is in Act 3, scene 3, where Iago plants the seeds of doubt in Othello's mind about his wife's faithfulness. It is a study in masterful manipulation, as illustrated by Hazem Shammas and Damien ...

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Residents seek action

This report is about a local park in suburban Brisbane, which you can see in the background. How important do you think it is to show the subject of your story? Do you think the report would have had the same effect if it had been filmed in a studio and you couldn't see the park? Why do you think this?

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Othello: Is Iago the vilest villain?

Some characters we just love to hate! Iago, the villain in Shakespeare's 'Othello', is a perfect example: scheming, manipulative but oh-so-clever. James Evans and actor Damien Ryan both of Bell Shakespeare, discuss the complex role of Iago. Evans explains just how skilfully Shakespeare employs language to fashion the dark ...

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Othello: Was Shakespeare a feminist?

Shakespeare seems to have a complicated relationship with his female characters. Some of his heroines are quite timid and compliant while others are complex and strong. Here, James Evans and Kate Mulvany from Bell Shakespeare explore Emilia's impassioned speech to Desdemona in Act 4, scene 3 of 'Othello'. They consider ...

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Othello: 'Tis a wrong in your own world

What's good for the goose is good for the gander, so the saying goes. But does everyone agree with this? In Act 4, scene 3 of 'Othello', Emilia and Desdemona discuss the concept of fidelity. In doing so, they raise moral questions about gender and equality in Shakespeare's times. Listen as Kate Mulvany and Eryn-Jean Norvill ...

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How to use rhetoric to get what you want

This short video for students describes the fundamentals of rhetoric and shares some tips for appealing to an audience's ethos, logos and pathos in your speech.

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Q+A: Debate surrounding ethics classes in school

Imagine you were walking down the street and found a wallet full of money. What would you do with it? Ethics is the branch of philosophy that explores the concepts of what is right and wrong. In this episode of Q&A, a group of panellists respond to the axing of ethics classes in New South Wales schools. As you watch, explore ...

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MathXplosion, Ep 48: The most important thing when solving word problems

It's very important to read problems carefully so you can determine the important facts and understand the questions you are being asked to solve. You may find an answer using pictures and numbers, but if you didn’t answer the right question, what seems right can actually be wrong.

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Jennifer Byrne Presents: Anything's possible

What are writers of Young Adult (or YA) fiction seeking to achieve? What obligations do they have to their audience, if any? In this clip, listen as four successful authors share their ideas on these things.

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Heywire: This isn't English, it's Australian English!

Mara Zeissig had a hard time understanding what was going on when she first went to school in Australia after moving from Buenos Aires, Argentina. In her Heywire audio story, explore the importance of language in our social interactions.<br /><br />Could you write or record a story about yourself and/or your community? ...

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In My Blood It Runs: First Nations education

While watching this clip, consider Article 14 of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods ...

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The language of criticism

Language is a powerful tool and the way it is used can sometimes disempower or devalue people and their ideas. Listen to young art critic and aspiring painter Robert Hughes as he discusses the Beat Generation. Explore how questions can be used to influence listeners and how language can reveal the attitudes and values of ...

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Heywire: Persuade me to make a difference

Can Matt Dombrovski encourage you to be a donor or a volunteer? Test his powers of persuasion in this Heywire audio story, and hear about his own experience of donating something. Could you write or record a similar story about yourself and/or your community? The ABC's Heywire competition calls for stories from 16-22 year ...

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BTN: Who was Banjo Paterson?

Banjo Paterson was an Australian writer and a poet, most famous for writing 'Waltzing Matilda' and 'The Man From Snowy River'. It could be said that his writing, based on his own experiences of the Australian bush life, has shaped Australia's identity. Do you agree? Why/why not?

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Heywire: Leaving home, leaving yourself

Leaving the only home you've ever known can be tough. For Janet Brown, it led to a serious case of depression. Although she was able to work through this, for a time Janet felt that she had lost everything, including herself. In her Heywire story Janet constructs a powerful image of her condition.<br /><br />To talk with ...

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Four Corners: Making a case for and against the use of fluoride

When presenting an issue for debate, what should we include? Follow this television current affairs story to see how the case for and against fluoridisation of public water is presented. Analyse the evidence and the perspectives of the people chosen. This black-and-white clip is from a Four Corners program aired in 1963.