Professor Suzy Edwards

Professor Susan Edwards is Director of the Early Childhood Futures research program in the Institute for Learning Sciences & Teacher Education, Australian Catholic University. Her group investigates the role of play-based learning in the early childhood curriculum for the 21st century. Professor Edwards has completed work as a Chief Investigator on three Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Grants: the first examining play-based learning in early childhood education settings the second, the role of play-based learning in wellbeing and sustainability education and, the third identifying the characteristics of &lsquoconverged&rsquo play in early childhood. Most recently, Professor Edwards was successful in her application to lead a major ARC Linkage Project awarded to develop an online tool guiding the use of digital technology for service providers in early childhood.

Please see my ORCID entry.

My research interests are focussed on dimensions of the early childhood curriculum, including theories and philosophies of learning and development, play based learning, teacher thinking and digital technologies. My current research is examining different approaches to play-based learning in early childhood settings and the role and relationship between consumption, digital technologies and children's play. Current research students I am working with are examining the role and use of play in early childhood curriculum, the use of sociocultural theory in early childhood education, children's play-based activities with digital technologies and the role of digital technologies in the early childhood curriculum. 

• Curriculum
• Play and play-based learning
• Digital technologies
• Teacher thinking
• Consumption 
• Sustainability