Conference program – Sociology

Below is a list of all sessions in our VCE Sociology conference stream. 

Please note that registrations have closed.

Registrants will be invited to select their sessions in the weeks prior to the conference, which will take place on Friday 31 March at Melbourne Polytechnic Conference Centre, Preston.

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Differentiation for Deviance                                                         

If you’re a new Sociology teacher looking for ideas and activities to support your journey, this session is for you. This is a simple sharing session for activities that cater to the different learning styles and needs of diverse students in the classroom, with a particular focus on Unit 2, AoS 1 – Deviance. 

Wei Yenn Ung currently teaches VCE Sociology and EAL at Caroline Chisholm Catholic College and has over 10 years of experience teaching Sociology in various capacities in both tertiary and secondary settings. Formerly a lecturer overseas in the areas of communications, media, culture and society, Wei Yenn brings with her a wealth of knowledge in teaching students of diverse cultural and learning needs.

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Supporting student writing in Social movements

In this interactive session, Gabrielle will be sharing and discussing various scaffolds and activities that can be used to support student writing in Sociology, with a particular focus on Unit 4, AoS 2 – Social movements and change. Building skills in breaking down questions, structuring responses can help students to approach written assessment more confidently as well as deepen their knowledge. This session aims to build transferable skills using illustrative examples and terminology from Unit 4.

Gabrielle Bent is an experienced Humanities teacher, having taught VCE Sociology for the past four years at Toorak College. During this time, she has also designed and implemented Sociology electives for Years 9 and 10, with a keen focus on skill development. Gabrielle is passionate about equipping students with the tools to become independent and self-sufficient learners.

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Homelessness: Private trouble, public issue

Netta Shmerling
The Big Issue

The Big Issue runs social enterprises and programs that help people experiencing marginalisation, homelessness and disadvantage positively change their lives and reconnect with the community. Through interactive workshops, The Big Issue Classroom provides school groups with real-life insights into homelessness and disadvantage, and creates employment opportunities for guest speakers, who share their lived experience of homelessness with students. In this session, teachers will have the opportunity to experience a ‘taster’ of The Big Issue Classroom’s popular “Discussions about Homelessness and Disadvantage” workshop, which discusses some of the statistics and stereotypes of homelessness, with a particular focus on issues affecting. youth. We also consider how marginalisation can affect both the individual and the wider community. This session will feature a guest speaker who will share their personal story of homelessness and employment with The Big Issue, providing a real-life insight into an individual’s experience. This workshop will demonstrate how The Big Issue Classroom can be a valuable resource in the study of Sociology.

Netta Shmerling works as Program Coordinator for The Big Issue Classroom, where she facilitates school-focused, tertiary and corporate workshops. Prior to joining The Big Issue in 2019, Netta held a variety of education and volunteering roles, including teaching young children about safety around animals, mentoring young people in remote indigenous communities, and working with vulnerable refugee communities in Melbourne

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First Nations resources and pedagogy

Shelley Ware
Culture is Life

In this interactive session, Shelley will share some of Culture is Life’s resources including The Australian Wars, The Australian Dream and their new Heal our History campaign. This will serve to open a broader conversations about approaches for teaching First Nations history and perspectives (so bring your questions, challenges, and ideas). We are at a pivotal point for First Nations education in this country; this session will feature unmissable conversations that will help attendees to build skills, knowledge and confidence for teaching Unit 3 AoS 1: Australian Indigenous Cultures.  

Shelley Ware is a teacher, journalist and presenter who is passionate about embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History and culture into classrooms and the national curriculum. She consults and works closely with school’s, teaching and upskilling staff and leadership, in Aboriginal History and Culture. Shelley hosts workshops in Aboriginal history, culture and art within primary and secondary school classrooms around Australia. She also hosts the webshow Colour Of Your Jumper, and her own Facebook show Ware2Now?, sharing everyday people’s stories. She is a member of ABC’s Outersanctum podcast, also appearing regularly on the Facebook show Broad Radio. Shelley also writes a fortnightly AFL column for the Koori Mail, and is a well known part of the ground breaking NITV-SBS football program Marngrook.

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Poverty and inequality in uncertain times (keynote)

Dina will be leading a deep dive into the experience and impacts of poverty. This session will draw on current and past research – including the youth unemployment monitor – and highlight some of the issues and the importance of applied and public sociology for making sense of social issues.

Dr Dina Bowman is a Principal Research Fellow for Work and Economic Security with the Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL). Dina is also an honorary principal fellow with the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne. With a PhD in economic sociology, Dina leads BSL’s research and policy work on employment and economic security. Her work focuses on the drivers, experience and impacts of poverty, insecurity, and financial stress. Current projects include Making Ends Meet in Tough Times, Life Chances (a longitudinal study that began in 1990) and policy research on social security and related payments.

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Curriculum update – VCE Sociology

VCAA will be providing an update on the design and implementation process of the new study design for VCE Sociology from 2024.

Leonie Brown is Curriculum Manager for Sociology with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA).

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2022 External assessment report – VCE Sociology

Fiona Gontier
2022 Chief Assessor – VCE Sociology

This session will feature 2022 Chief Assessor for VCE Sociology, Fiona Gontier, presenting the External assessment report. This address represents crucial professional learning for all VCE teachers and provides useful insight into trends, common points of confusion and recommendations. This year’s report will provide key insights into 2022 examination process which will be of relevance to this years' cohort.

Fiona Gontier is a highly experienced VCE Sociology 1-4 teacher, serving as Head of Sociology at Haileybury College and having taught the subject since 2012. She has authored five resources published by Social Education Victoria to assist students and teachers.

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Youth digital cultures, media and misinformation (Q+A)

All young people, and particularly students of politics and sociology, need to be able to interpret and make sense of the competing voices within the media ecosystem. This interactive session will give teachers a chance to discuss and reflect on youth digital cultures, media misinformation and pedagogies that can support students to build skills in these areas.

Dr Clare Southerton is a Lecturer in Digital Technology and Pedagogy in the School of Education at La Trobe University. Her research explores how social media platforms and other digital technologies are used for learning and sharing knowledge, as well as disinformation and misinformation practices. Her previous work has explored digital youth cultures, surveillance and privacy, digital health and sexuality. She currently teaches digital literacy, and has previously taught sociology and media studies, at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. Before joining La Trobe, Clare was a postdoctoral fellow at UNSW Sydney, and Aarhus University in Denmark. Her work has been published in New Media & Society, Social Media + Society and the Journal of Sociology.

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Communities: past and present

This session will explore the challenges facing Australian Muslim youth, the role of families in the community, how Australia's history of ethnic diversity impacts the culturally diverse Muslim communities in Victoria.

Kym Wilton is the National Education Manager at the Islamic Museum of Australia. Prior to this appointment in September 2021, Kym was an AITSL certified Highly Accomplished Teacher with over ten years teaching experience in Victoria, the Northern Territory and the United Kingdom. Kym has a passion for inclusive education that allows every student to access their full potential.

Kym holds a Bachelor of Arts (International Relations) from Deakin University and a Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) from Monash University – both with distinctions. She has presented at a number of different education conferences on engagement and differentiation strategies. She has also contributed to a number of newspapers and journals on the values of connecting and understanding Australia’s uniquely diverse history.