Rate My Professor Susan Caldis

Susan Caldis is a Senior Lecturer in the Macquarie School of Education at Macquarie University, serving as Course Director for the Master of Teaching (Primary and Secondary). Her teaching expertise centers on social sciences with a specialisation in geography education. She convenes and teaches into professional experience units and methodology units for Geography and Economics-Business. Caldis holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Education from Macquarie University, awarded in 2021, on the transformation of pedagogical practice in the secondary Geography classroom as pre-service teachers transition into the profession. Additional qualifications include a Master of Research from Macquarie University (2018), Master of Education with Research Specialisation from Macquarie University (2016), Asialink Leadership Course from the University of Melbourne (2016), and Bachelor of Education (Secondary; Humanities; Geography major) from the University of Sydney (1995).

Caldis's career encompasses extensive roles in education and leadership. She worked as Geography Teacher (1996–2002), Teaching and Learning Coordinator (2003–2005), and Head Teacher HSIE (2005–2010) in the Department of Education, followed by Senior Project Officer for Australian Curriculum Geography at ACARA (2010–2013). She has served in leadership positions such as Chair of the Australian Geography Teachers Association (since 2021), Immediate Past President of the Geography Teachers Association of NSW and ACT (until 2022), Ex-Officio Member of the National Committee for Geographical Sciences (since 2023), and member of advisory groups for NESA and ACARA. Her research focuses on transition into the profession, transformation of pedagogical practice in geography classrooms, out-of-field teaching, and longitudinal qualitative research design. She is Chief Investigator on a three-year ARC DP24 project led by Deakin University titled 'Shifting the Culture of Out-Of-Field Professional Education for Teachers'. Funding includes Macquarie's Early-Career Enabling Scheme, Early Career Fellowship, and runner-up in the 2023 Incubator Research IMPACT program. Notable publications are 'Can you teach it if you cannot see it? Finding "the Anthropocene" and enhancing its visibility in the NSW geography syllabus' (Australian Geographer, 2024), 'The power of geography meets powerful geography with pre-service teachers in Australia' (Springer, 2024), 'Climate Change Education (CCE) position paper: a call to action' (2026), and chapters on out-of-field teaching. Awards include GTANSW&ACT Fellowship (2023), MacDonald Holmes Medal (GNSW), James Sturgiss Award for Exceptional Service (Professional Teachers Council of NSW), and Outstanding Educator in Residence for geography education in Singapore (2019). She has contributed to international curriculum development for Timor Leste and Vanuatu.