Education | DEV Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia

Seriously Social Initiative

Seriously Social is an initiative of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, aimed to support teachers and students with free quality resources and a range of events to support teaching and learning in the social sciences.

Seriously Social provides school resource that are informed and peer reviewed by Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, who are experts in related fields.

Collaboration with teachers, students and curriculum authorities ensure resource relevance.

The Academy’s award-winning Seriously Social program offers quality-assured, curriculum-aligned resources that support Australian teachers and students in achieving strong learning outcomes across the social sciences. Modules include high-quality educational videos, reading materials, differentiated classroom activities, teacher guidance, and assessment tools. All resources are freely accessible to educators and parents via a range of online platforms.

Launched as a pilot program, Seriously Social is now expanding through collaboration and funding support from aligned organisations.

The program seeks to address the shortage of specialist social science teachers, improve student enrolments and representation across social science disciplines at high school and tertiary levels, and strengthen the workforce skills required for future careers in social science fields.

To achieve these goals, Seriously Social will continue to grow its bank of learning modules and develop accessible information about social science career pathways for all Australians.

If you or your organisation is interested in discussing Seriously Social further, please get in touch via info@socialsciences.org.au.

Visit Seriously Social

Education team

An Education Committee, led by Professor Barry McGaw provides strategic advice and support for the Academy’s education work.

Cindy Bin Tahal

Cindy Bin Tahal joined the Academy as Education Director in September 2023, following a long career in teaching and school leadership. Since 2002, she has held senior roles in schools across Australia’s Torres Strait Islands, Far North Queensland, Southeast Queensland, and internationally in Brunei Darussalam. Cindy has also taught in Queensland, Tasmania, and in British Columbia, Canada. Cindy works remotely from Southeast Queensland, where she lives with her husband Tobias and teenage son, with an adult child having already left the nest.

At the Academy, Cindy leads Seriously Social, a strategic outreach initiative that connects research from the Academy’s Fellows with classrooms around the country.

Cindy’s academic background includes teacher training in early childhood, primary, and middle years education. Her postgraduate studies included school leadership, pedagogy, adolescent learning, and current PhD research focuses on international mindedness in education.

With Cindy’s ongoing interest in the connection between academic research and classroom practice, the role of Education Director at the Academy provides a perfect fit.