A dedicated educator,  researcher and advocate for the teaching profession, Professor Susan Ledger is on a mission to inspire the next generation of teachers, shape the future of education and bring change to the system.

Susan Ledger sitting in a lecture theatre

"My research impacts policy and practices related to preparing preservice teachers for the complexity of teaching in the 21st century," says Susan.

"For our future teachers to be life-ready graduates, they need to be prepared to teach diverse students within diverse contexts."

Her high-level goal is simple: she wants policymakers to ensure that equity, excellence and innovation are at the forefront of all policy decisions and recommended practices, in particular for those living in rural, regional and remote areas, multicultural contexts and low socio-economic status (SES).

She believes education is the key to societal improvement and should be valued accordingly.

An SES achiever turned advocate

Susan's passion for education and its ability to improve lives came from her own experience of the system.

As well as being a first-in-family with a degree from a low SES background in regional WA, she spent many years as a teacher in regional, rural, remote and international school settings within Australia, the Asia Pacific and the UK.

During this time, she saw the impact of metro-centric (one-size-fits-all) policy decisions on these diverse contexts and is committed to addressing these inequities within her research.

"There's a need for teachers to understand the importance of equity, excellence and innovation in education and the role that language, culture and mathematics play in providing options for students."

Shortages, complexities and scrutiny

There are several challenges Susan is trying to solve through her research.

One of them is the current shortage of teachers we're seeing globally, coupled with excessive media and political scrutiny of the profession.

Another is the complexity of the teaching profession. Much of teachers' work happens outside of the classroom. This includes designing work programs, working collegially with others, reporting the growth of students systematically with parents, and being diagnostic about their daily decisions.

"As an advocate for teaching, I need to entice good people into initial teacher education (ITE), support them during their degree and ensure that our graduate teachers are job-ready and prepared for the complexity of the profession", she says.

"Conversely, I need to ensure that schools are graduate ready and systemically prepared to support and mentor students as they transition into the workforce."

In doing this work, there are barriers she needs to overcome.

These include the fact that education only draws a small amount of research funding through the Australian Research Council (ARC). This means many new initiatives are difficult to fund or sustain and have required local and creative ways to succeed.

She has also faced structural barriers within organisations and institutions. However, she says this can be more easily overcome if you have the resilience and rigour to support your endeavours.

"Honesty, rational reasoning, and respect usually break through most barriers."

A local, national and global reformer

Susan provides a global-to-local perspective on the teaching profession.

She leads reform by implementing simulation into the initial teacher education program and developing a state, national and international community of practice.

She has initiated a successful 12-month internship program unique to WA and introduced the Post Graduate Certificate in International Education aligned with the International Baccalaureate Teaching and Learning Certificates while at Murdoch University.

As former VP of the Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia (SPERA) and Editor of its aligned Journal (AIJRE), she's committed to preparing teachers for living and working in the regions. And her advocacy has seen the appointment of the inaugural Federal Minister for Rural Education.

As Chair of the Australian Council of Deans of Education Network of Professional Experience subgroup, she's also worked alongside other educators committed to improving the practicum experience for our student teachers.

Their recommendations have resulted in changed policies relating to placements during the pandemic and shaping change as navigate 2023.

In part due to a critique by Susan and a team of international collaborators, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) global competency measure (part of the PISA suite of measures for school-aged students) has been modified for its next iteration.

The Rural and Remote teacher program (WA) is listed as an online examplar by the OECD.

Susan is also starting an Australian chapter for the Alliance for International Education (AIE), and her research offers solutions for better preparation of teachers for rural, remote postings in Australia, Mexico and South Africa.

Simulating the learning environment

To better prepare teachers for the complexities of teaching, Susan introduced Simlab (Mursion) into Australia in 2017.

This interactive virtual reality (VR) tech offers initial teacher education and an innovative and diagnostic approach to teaching. It can replicate any interaction a teacher experiences within the workplace, from teaching a small class to coping with angry parents.

The art and science of teaching can be practised in a range of simulated learning environments at University of Newcastle: simulated classroom (Mursion), online gaming platform (SimSchool) or 360-degree cylinder (iCAVE). These combined simulated experiences are instrumental in improving the confidence and skill levels of teaching graduates before they go into schools.

"Unlike traditional placements where students teach a diverse range of students in a classroom with the guidance of a tutor, simulation provides a controlled learning environment where all students experience the same interactions, and we can monitor responses and behaviours first-hand,” says Susan.

"This allows us to better prepare students for placement by addressing their specific needs and personalising the program."

Simlab is now being used in five universities: Murdoch, UWA, Swinburne, UNSW and  Newcastle.

Inspiring a love of teaching and learning

Susan takes pride in promoting the benefits of education and the role teachers, teaching, schools, and education play in our daily lives.

As an advocate for the teaching profession and a change agent for innovative practice in initial teacher education and schools, she's proud that her work helps inspire and better prepare future teachers.

"I believe that education starts from home and is supported by schools. No matter where you are or what postcode you live in, we all need to develop a love of learning, thirst for knowledge, ability to discern, capacity to survive and a desire to care for others."