Susan trained as a primary classroom teacher at the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (Toowoomba) and began her teaching career  in Redcliffe in a year 3 classroom in 1981.  Susan worked full-time, part-time and as a supply teacher for Education Queensland for twenty-five years, teaching across all year levels at various schools including Hercules Road State School (Redcliffe), Sunset State School (Mt Isa) and Bli Bli State School (Sunshine Coast).  During the latter part of her classroom teaching career, Susan also worked as an educational consultant for the Queensland Mining Council.  Susan moved to the university sector and to Central Queensland University in 2005, beginning as a sessional staff lecturer before assuming full time teaching and lecturing responsibilities in 2007. 

Susan is currently the Senior Education Academic (SEA) on the Noosa campus. In this role, Susan oversees the daily operations of the Education faculty at the local level, managing staff, students and course delivery considerations.  As a lecturer in the School of Education and the Arts, Susan combines lecturing duties with the co-ordination and management of pre-service teachers in their professional placement experiences at local schools. 

Susan's doctoral research investigated teacher homework practices in Queensland state primary schools.  Susan is now publishing in that field as an Early Career Researcher.

Central Queensland University

Brisbane College of Advanced Education 

Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education

Central Queensland University

Susan Richardson's doctoral research was recognised with a CQUniversity award for Thesis Academic Excellence in 2016.

Susan has also been recognised with the following teaching awards:

• Student Voice Award for On-Campus Educator of the Year 2015 (Faculty of Education & the Arts)
• Valuing Quality Teaching Student's Choice Award 2011 (Faculty of Arts, Business, Informatics and Education)
• Valuing Quality Teaching Student's Choice Award 2010 (Faculty of Arts, Business, Informatics and Education)
• UniJobs Lecturer of the Year (2010) - top ten nominee

Homework - Channel 7 News report to metropolitan and Queensland regional stations - 21 April 2016

Developing courses for, and teaching into new courses for, Bachelor of Education program, Central Queensland University since 2014

Developing courses for, and teaching into new courses for Bachelor of Learning Management program, Central Queensland University since 2005

Primary school teacher working in Education Queensland schools for 25 years

Educational consultant with Queensland Mining Council for 3 years

2009 - Present: Senior Education Academic (SEA), CQUniversity (Noosa)

The SEA role involves:

• the recruitment, management and mentoring of sessional lecturing staff;
• the management of mechanisms that support effective facilitation of the Bachelor of Education programs such as timetabling, room allocation, assessment and moderation processes, staff welfare
• the management of student issues and student welfare.

2005 - Present: Lecturer in Education, CQUniversity (Noosa)

The lecturing role requires:

• conversancy with course content and strong pedagogical skills that underpin the effective and engaging delivery of that content;
• strong relationships with students;
• conversancy with university systems requirements and mechanisms such as Moodle, assessment, marking and moderation requirements; and
• capacities to build courses and to manage teams of lecturers through course coordination duties.

1981 - 2005: Primary classroom teacher and senior teacher, Education Queensland (a number of state schools throughout the state)

• Susan worked full-time, part-time and undertook supply work, working across all year levels from Prep - Year 7

2001 - 2004: Educational consultant, Queensland Mining Council

• Susan worked as part of a team of consultants who visited primary and secondary schools around Queensland. The consultants provided professional development for staff and interactive information sessions/workshops for students in year levels 3,5, 7 and junior secondary.

Susan Richardson is currently a professional member of the following organisations:

• Australian Association of Researchers in Education (AARE)

• Australian Literacy Educators Association (ALEA)

Susan's professional responsibilities have been outlined in the professional experience section above.

Susan's professional interests are aligned with the following key areas:

PRIMARY SCHOOLING CONTEXTS:

• developing strong pedagogical skill-sets in pre-service teachers in readiness for classroom professional experiences
• developing rigorous knowledge about the 'work of a teacher' in the primary schooling context and the professional expectations for that work

HOMEWORK:

• the nature of homework and the teacher homework practices used to facilitate homework in the primary classroom context;
• working with classroom teachers to undertake audits of current homework practices with a view to homework reform; and
• initiating action research projects with teachers and with primary schools that focus on homework and homework reform.

RESILIENCE:

• investigating ways in which primary classroom teachers can be up-skilled to better support the development of resilience strategies in young people

Susan counts the following among her key achievements:

• Completed doctorate (Ed D) in 2015; conferred in 2016
• Awarded a scholarship to attend Summer School (2010) at Georg-Eckert Institute (Braunschweig, Germany)
• Stayed happily married to the one man for over thirty years

2007 - 2009: Educational Consultant/Professional Development Facilitator  (Australian National Schools Network, CQUniversity)

The consultancy was a joint venture between the Australian National Schools Network (ANSN) and CQ University with staff from both organisations working in the consultancy team.  The role required expertise in the Dimensions of Learning Framework (Marzano & Pickering, 1997) and the capacity to build professional knowledge and capabilities for, and with teachers. Professional development workshops were facilitated with private and state primary schools around Queensland and in Darwin.