When Will They Learn?

This week we deep dive researchED Melbourne and some of the highlights from the recent conference, including conversations and recurring themes from the day. This includes stories about “sailor dudes”, malt wort, terrible attempts at Australian nicknames and lethal mutations of cognitive science. Obviously.
Next, we switch to a new paper by Kean Poon and John Sweller that considers a reconceptualisation of cognitive load theory within special education, and how instructional practices and learnings from this dense body of research might have an application in special education. In particular, we unpack the distinction between biologically primary and biologically secondary knowledge, and the idea that some things we assume students will acquire naturally may function more like biologically secondary knowledge - and of course, the learnings we can take from research into instructional design if this is the case.
Finally, it wouldn’t be a topical Australian education podcast without a discussion of everyone’s favourite annual education discourse event: NAPLAN. Obviously. This time, prompted by a piece written by Pamela Snow, we discuss the pattern of persistent underperformance in NAPLAN results by around a third of Australian students, the impacts of this on students both in school and post school, and some flaws within this assessment system itself.
It’s going to be a fun one! Obviously.
Want to get in touch? Reach out on our socials
Get in touch on any of our socials below! We get a lot of listener requests, but will try to cover as many of your suggestions as possible.
Greg Ashman
Greg is a school leader at Ballarat Clarendon College and holds a PhD in instructional design from UNSW.
Substack – Filling the Pail
LinkedIn – Greg Ashman
X/Twitter – @greg_ashman
If you’re interested in working with Greg at Ballarat Clarendon College, please see here for open roles and expressions of interest.
Caiti Wade
Caiti is a leader of pedagogy at a boys’ secondary school in Brisbane, education consultant and is doing her doctorate in cognitive science.
Substack – The Disruptive Educator
LinkedIn – Caiti Wade
X/Twitter – @caiti_wade
Episode resources
* Inspired by researchED Melbourne? researchED Canberra is coming up! Tickets have sold out, but access the waitlist here
* Applying cognitive load theory to special education: a reconceptualisation through evolutionary psychology | Poon & Sweller, 2026
* The Snow Report: NAPLAN – safety net or tangled net? | Pamela Snow
Acknowledgement of country
We would like to acknowledge The Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we record this podcast, the lands of the Wadawurrung People, and the lands of the Jagera and Turrbal Peoples, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whenwilltheylearn.substack.com

This week we’re serving up the latest education scandal: the scandal du jour!
Before we get into that though, we start off by talking about the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, specifically referencing the review of the standards. And if you’re an early-bird listener, you can respond to Caiti’s call to action below and get in on the review yourself! Along the way, we unpack the purpose of the standards and whether they really align with that, or even support best practice in the classroom.
Next, we dive into Daisy Christodoulou’s latest piece on transferable skills. This is a refreshing take on a popular topic in education discourse, acknowledging why transferable skills are so desirable, and why the research doesn’t support teaching them.
Finally, we tackle the scandal du jour: the allegations surrounding Jason Arday. Rather than focusing on the individual, we explore the bigger question of institutional responsibility. What happens when universities, publishers and the wider academic ecosystem all have opportunities to ask difficult questions but don’t?
Want to get in touch? Reach out on our socials
Get in touch on any of our socials below! We get a lot of listener requests, but will try to cover as many of your suggestions as possible.
Greg Ashman
Greg is a school leader at Ballarat Clarendon College and holds a PhD in instructional design from UNSW.
Substack – Filling the Pail
LinkedIn – Greg Ashman
X/Twitter – @greg_ashman
If you’re interested in working with Greg at Ballarat Clarendon College, please see here for open roles and expressions of interest.
Caiti Wade
Caiti is a leader of pedagogy at a boys’ secondary school in Brisbane, education consultant and is doing her doctorate in cognitive science.
Substack – The Disruptive Educator
LinkedIn – Caiti Wade
X/Twitter – @caiti_wade
Episode resources
* Review of the Teacher Standards - Closes August 7th - Caiti’s Call to Action for our listeners
* What should an Australian teacher look like now? This is your chance to help decide - AARE
* Australian Professional Teacher Standards | AITSL
* The Problem with Transferable Skills | Daisy Christodoulou | American Enterprise Institute - AEI
* Playbooks, plagiarism and a pig’s head: new claims surrounding a star Cambridge professor | University of Cambridge | The Guardian
* Leave Jason Arday alone - this is a scandal of academic educational leadership | Stephen Vainker
Acknowledgement of country
We would like to acknowledge The Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we record this podcast, the lands of the Wadawurrung People, and the lands of the Jagera and Turrbal Peoples, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whenwilltheylearn.substack.com

This week, we begin with the remarkable story of Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy, exploring how one of England’s highest-performing schools found itself at the centre of controversy over discipline, behaviour, and what happens when a school is accused of being too strict. Greg takes us through the long and fascinating history behind the headlines, raising questions about whether the media really does present the full picture.
From there, we discuss the persistent gender imbalance in senior mathematics subjects, unpacking what the evidence says about why these patterns remain and the assumptions that often dominate public debate.
Finally, we turn to the use of parent/guardian behaviour contracts in schools, considering what they reveal about the changing relationship between schools and families, where responsibility for student behaviour begins and ends, and why these policies generate such strong reactions.
Get in touch on any of our socials below! We get a lot of listener requests, but will try to cover as many of your suggestions as possible.
Greg Ashman
Greg is a school leader at Ballarat Clarendon College and holds a PhD in instructional design from UNSW.
Substack – Filling the Pail
LinkedIn – Greg Ashman
X/Twitter – @greg_ashman
If you’re interested in working with Greg at Ballarat Clarendon College, please see here for open roles and expressions of interest.
Caiti Wade
Caiti is a leader of pedagogy at a boys’ secondary school in Brisbane, education consultant and is doing her doctorate in cognitive science.
Substack – The Disruptive Educator
LinkedIn – Caiti Wade
X/Twitter – @caiti_wade
Episode resources
* The school punished for being too strict | Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy
* VCE maths enrolments: Victorian student numbers rebound after pandemic slump but gender gap persists
* Private school parent behaviour: Why elite schools are introducing mandatory contracts to combat rising entitlement
Acknowledgement of country
We would like to acknowledge The Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we record this podcast, the lands of the Wadawurrung People, and the lands of the Jagera and Turrbal Peoples, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whenwilltheylearn.substack.com

This week, we’re talking education gossip - not the staffroom kind, but the stories that dominate headlines and social media before anyone has had time to think them through.
We start by discussing the debate surrounding school suspensions, isolation, and behaviour management, following on from last episode’s conversation. Along the way, we explore how schools are portrayed in the media and how public narratives can shape perceptions of education.
From there, we turn our attention to science education in Australasia before the conversation inevitably drifts into internet arguments, education social media, and why online debates seem so determined to turn every issue into a binary.
Finally, we wrap up with a discussion about working-class students in the UK, using a recent news story to reflect on disadvantage, opportunity, and the stories we choose to tell about education.
Have something you want us to discuss in a future episode? Or want to find us?
Get in touch on any of our socials below! We get a lot of listener requests, but will try to cover as many of your suggestions as possible.
Greg Ashman
Greg is a school leader at Ballarat Clarendon College and holds a PhD in instructional design from UNSW.
Substack – Filling the Pail
LinkedIn – Greg Ashman
X/Twitter – @greg_ashman
If you’re interested in working with Greg at Ballarat Clarendon College, please see here for open roles and expressions of interest.
Caiti Wade
Caiti is a leader of pedagogy at a boys’ secondary school in Brisbane, education consultant and is doing her doctorate in cognitive science.
Substack – The Disruptive Educator
LinkedIn – Caiti Wade
X/Twitter – @caiti_wade
Episode resources
* Isolation as a form of discipline: how should schools manage poor student behaviour?
* No one pedagogy is best: science academics call out ‘binary’ debates in new blueprint — EducationHQ
* [Warning: EXPLICIT] How to Disagree | Paul Graham
* White working-class children 'failed by schools system'
Acknowledgement of country
We would like to acknowledge The Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we record this podcast, the lands of the Wadawurrung People, and the lands of the Jagera and Turrbal Peoples, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whenwilltheylearn.substack.com

This week we’re diving into three topics that have generated plenty of headlines, strong opinions, and more than a few questionable cases of what we’ve termed ‘neurononsense’.
We unpack discussions around the Victorian' Government’s decision to give principals more powers to suspend students, finally talk about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and its inherent similarities to learning styles (the neuromyth that keeps on giving!), and talk to technology in the classroom.
As always, we’re less interested in what’s popular than what’s supported by evidence - or what’s not.
Have something you want us to discuss in a future episode? Or want to find us?
Get in touch on any of our socials below! We get a lot of listener requests, but will try to cover as many of your suggestions as possible.
Greg Ashman
Greg is a school leader at Ballarat Clarendon College and holds a PhD in instructional design from UNSW.
Substack – Filling the Pail
LinkedIn – Greg Ashman
X/Twitter – @greg_ashman
If you’re interested in working with Greg at Ballarat Clarendon College, please see here for open roles and expressions of interest.
Caiti Wade
Caiti is a leader of pedagogy at a boys’ secondary school in Brisbane, education consultant and is doing her doctorate in cognitive science.
Substack – The Disruptive Educator
LinkedIn – Caiti Wade
X/Twitter – @caiti_wade
Episode resources
* Victorian public schools suspend about 150 students a day | The Age
* Lessons (not) learned: The troubling similarities between learning styles and universal design for learning. | Guy Boysen
* ‘They can’t resist them’: teacher reveals extent of digital device distraction | Sarah Duggan
Acknowledgement of country
We would like to acknowledge The Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we record this podcast, the lands of the Wadawurrung People, and the lands of the Jagera and Turrbal Peoples, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whenwilltheylearn.substack.com