Search results

Listed under:  Health  >  Psychology  >  Cognition  >  Thinking  >  Critical thinking
Video

BTN: Bank loans

When we need to buy a house we usually have to take out a loan from the bank. We have to pay back that loan with interest. A $350,000 loan can mean paying back $869,000! Listen to Nathan Bazley explain why a small change in interest rates can mean a big difference to the total amount you repay. This clip provides a context ...

Video

First Tuesday Book Club: Navigating 'Cloud Atlas'

Some authors like to take readers on a journey, none more so than David Mitchell, the author of 'Cloud Atlas'. His novel is a complex tale that attempts to weave together six different narratives over a period of hundreds of years. Join in this discussion and find out if he succeeds. This clip is the second in a series of two.

Video

Radio National: Is the Great Gatsby 'tilting at windmills'?

Intertextuality is about the process of making connections, either consciously or subconsciously, and can shape the way we interpret a text. In this audio clip, explore the intertextual link between two classic novels: 'The great Gatsby' by F Scott Fitzgerald and 'Don Quixote' by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. This clip ...

Video

Heywire: Drinking the substitute

While working as a barmaid, Cara Ferguson formed strong views about alcohol. Listen to her Heywire audio story and consider how she represents heavy drinking. Find out her attitude to the glamorisation of alcohol consumption and the downplaying of dangers associated with it. How does she maximise the impact of her views?<br ...

Video

Wuthering Heights: Who is Heathcliff?

Heathcliff is one of the main characters in Emily Bronte's classic novel, Wuthering Heights. As Professor John Bowen from the University of York notes, we know very little about this mysterious character and his apparent contradictions. Ms Bronte offers suggestions about Heathcliff's background but provides few details ...

Video

Writing London: Discovery and rebirth

How do writers respond to, and write about, the great city of London. Listen as some of London's greatest writers, including Andrea Levy, Jeremy Reed, Ian McEwan and Bernard Kops, reflect on the experience of writing in and about London. Consider what Bernard Kops means when he asks, 'Where was I born after I was born?'

Video

This Day Tonight: Using visual language to represent status

Have you ever felt judged because of where you live? This clip from 1967 explores the reactions of residents to a survey that ranks Melbourne's suburbs. But is this clip as guilty as the survey for reinforcing particular views of these places? You be the judge.

Audio

Heywire: Visits from a Christmas Island crab

Discover the lush beauty and extraordinary wildlife of Christmas Island, a tropical paradise in the Indian Ocean more than 1,500 kilometres off the Western Australian coast. In this Heywire audio story, Isabelle Bolland shares some of her experiences of life on Christmas Island and reminds her audience that there is far ...

Audio

Heywire: Young people making a difference

Have you ever considered what it must be like to be homeless? Often it is not until we are confronted with a personal experience that we realise the significance of such social issues. Luke Owens from Bendigo Victoria, was a finalist of the 2012 Heywire storytelling competition for young people. Listen to how he found out ...

Video

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?

Video

Great Expectations: Victorian and Gothic

How does Charles Dickens weave Gothic elements into his classic Victorian novel, Great Expectations? Listen as Literary Professor John Bowen explains some of the ways in which Dickens draws on the Gothic tradition to challenge the conventions of Victorian literature. Consider the importance of time, repetition, violence, ...

Video

Catalyst: Take the Phi Golden challenge

The golden ratio, Phi: fact or fallacy? What about the Fibonacci sequence? We are told this ratio and its cousin Fibonacci occur everywhere in nature. Let's see which of these claims stacks up when put to the test.

Video

Heywire: Crocodiles, jellyfish and self-expression

Have you ever sat through a classmate's oral presentation and nearly fallen asleep in the middle of it? Often this is because the speaker isn't using their voice in a way that gets your attention and keeps you interested. In this Heywire audio story, explore how Alpha Capaque, a young woman from the Northern Territory, ...

Video

You Can't Ask That: Why a Welcome to Country is never boring

In this clip, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people talk about the importance of giving and receiving a genuine Welcome to Country. They say an Elder needs to welcome people with care so that no harm will come to them, and so that those receiving the welcome can pay respect to the Traditional Owners.

Video

First Tuesday Book Club: Navigating 'The Secret River'

Kate Grenville's multiple-award-winning novel 'The Secret River' explores an earlier period of Australian history. What is it that makes this novel so compelling and troubling for its many Australian readers? As you watch this clip, consider how this book encourages readers to re-evaluate their beliefs and values.

Video

William Dalrymple: Inspiration

In this resource William Dalrymple talks about his inspiration for writing. Learncast video.

Video

Peter FitzSimons: Approach to history 2

In this resource Peter FitzSimons talks about his approach to writing history. Learncast video.

Text

William Dalrymple: Teaching Notes

This resource consists of teaching notes relating to William Dalrymple. Learncast PDF.

Video

Peter FitzSimons: Writing history

In this resource Peter FitzSimons talks about the approach he takes to writing about historical events. Learncast video.

Interactive

Engaging with poetry - odes

This resource focuses on a selection of odes. Students have the opportunity to learn about how language forms and features of odes, how composers use language, rhythm and imagery to engage their audience and the ways in which imaginative texts can explore and express emotion and feeling. Students have the opportunity to ...