2020 Conference

Melbourne Grammar School
27 – 29 March 2020

Our current age has been described as volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. We seem to be preparing our young people for a future of unparalleled change and uncertainty.

The environmental crisis, artificial intelligence, advances in gene editing, rising wealth inequality, the evolution of social media, fake news, geopolitical tensions, challenges to democracy … The list can go on … and, amidst all of this, young people struggle with questions as ancient as human civilization – Who am I? and How shall I live? – and many struggle to find meaning and purpose in a world that can seem individualistic, competitive and shallow.

There are clearly larger questions here about schooling and life-long education – how best to equip students with the critical and emotional skills they will need to make good decisions and live fulfilling lives.

Religious Education and Philosophy can play a significant role in this broader educational landscape and this Conference will bring together international academics and successful classroom teachers to explore these important issues.

Speakers

  • Tim Costello AO (Former Chief Executive of World Vision Australia)
  • Dr Felicity McCutcheon (Head of Teaching & Learning, Melbourne Grammar School)
  • Professor Toby Walsh (Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of New South Wales and Data61)
  • Mark Case (Deputy Head of Pastoral, Oxley College, NSW)
  • Dr Luke Russell (Lecturer in Moral Philosophy and Critical Thinking, University of Sydney)

Plus practical workshops led by experienced classroom teachers.

REGISTER NOW

Conference workshop proposals

There is still the opportunity to submit a workshop proposal for the 2020 DAN Conference. The workshops will have a practical classroom focus and broad guidelines are as follows:

  • Teaching ethics
  • Critical and creative approaches
  • Introducing a scheme of work or lesson plan
  • Secondary or primary curriculum

Topics to include:

  • Teaching ethical theory
  • Applied ethics
  • Christian ethics
  • Comparative religious ethics
  • Inter-disciplinary approaches
  • Ethics and film
  • The General Capabilities and the Australian Curriculum

Please send proposals to Jeremy Hall (dan@dialogueaustralasia.org) as soon as possible and no later than Friday 31 January 2020.