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Dr Lisa Ryan

Dr Lisa Ryan
Name Lisa Ryan
Position Lecturer (Curriculum and Pedagogy - Primary Education)
Section School of Education
Office A202.A
Location Springfield Campus
Email
Qualifications DipT McAuleyColl , BEdSt Qld , MEnvEd Griffith , PhD Southern Cross

Biography

Lisa Ryan is a Lecturer in the School of Education at University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and an Adjunct Research Fellow in the Sustainability Research Centre at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC). She is passionate about the role of education in contributing to sustainable futures. Lisa has been teaching and researching in environmental and sustainability education for over 20 years, across formal education, government and community-based contexts in Australia and internationally. Her research is positioned in the field of sociology of education and is inspired specifically by post-structural and postcolonial theories of power and discourse. Lisa is particularly interested in the shaping of environmental and sustainability identities, spaces for agency and resistance, and the intersections of knowledge systems occurring across global and local fields. Lisa’s PhD “Localising the Global Eco-Schools Program in South Africa: A postcolonial analysis” drew on the underutilised theory of postcolonialism to challenge dominant ways of conceptualising agency within the environmental education field. Her PhD was awarded the Chancellor’s Medal for best thesis in 2017 at Southern Cross University. Lisa has also completed recent research involving systems approaches to change in teacher education.

Prior to joining USQ, Lisa was the Environmental Education Officer for Sunshine Coast Council. She managed the Kids-in-Action Program, which won the 2020 Queensland Government Reconciliation Award for Partnerships. During this time Lisa was also part of the team leading Australia’s first vertical BioBlitz, which was awarded the 2019 Australian Banksia Prize (Government).

Lisa is currently serving on the executive of the Queensland Chapter of the Australian Association of Environmental Education. She is also an invited member of the International Reference Group for the Agents of Discovery program, a digital locative explorer platform that aims to engage young people in exploring nature.

Her current research is concerned with teacher environmental and sustainability education and the use of digital platforms in engaging young people in the environment.

Research Career


  • Environmental Education Curriculum And Pedagogy ( 390105 )
  • Sociology Of Education ( 390203 )
  • Teacher Education And Professional Development Of Educators ( 390307 )
  • Curriculum And Pedagogy ( 390100 )
  • Education Policy ( 390200 )
  • Education Systems ( 390300 )

environmental education, sustainability education, teacher education, postcolonial theory

Teaching


EDM5001 Understanding Learners and Learning
EDM5003 Science Curriculum and Pedagogy
EDM8004 Teacher Identity

Supervision


  • Environmental Education Curriculum And Pedagogy ( 390105 )
  • Sociology Of Education ( 390203 )
  • Teacher Education And Professional Development Of Educators ( 390307 )
  • Curriculum And Pedagogy ( 390100 )
  • Education Policy ( 390200 )
  • Education Systems ( 390300 )