Episode
Episode #10 All Ashman's Fault
- Podcast
- When Will They Learn?
- Published
- Jun 11, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3501
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/when-will-they-learn-7689880/episodes/episode-10-all-ashman-s-fault/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/when-will-they-learn-7689880/episode-10-all-ashman-s-fault.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
In this episode of When Will They Learn? , Greg and Caiti tackle a stack of education policy debates - beginning with the most pressing and meta question of all: is it, in fact, all Ashman’s fault? From claims that evidence-informed approaches have reduced teaching to “death by PowerPoint” and scripting, to the shift from the reading wars to the emerging learning wars, the conversation explores how policy, ideology and evidence continue to shape the education landscape. The pair also unpack proposals to assess students’ use of AI in NAPLAN, asking what schools are actually for and why writing still matters in an age of generative technology. Finally, they discuss NAPLAN’s role as an accountability measure and whether it can help schools identify ineffective teaching practices. It’s policy-heavy, slightly controversial, and somehow, it all comes back to Ashman. 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! 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 * Marty’s Blog with the long title on Ashman and Ochre (Warning: explicit language) * Victorian schools: The reading wars are over. The learning wars are just beginning * Principals call for NAPLAN writing test to be axed | The…