Dr Olivia Johnston

Dr Olivia Johnston is an academic and lecturer in secondary and Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) education at Edith Cowan University. She obtained her PhD, Masters by research, Bachelor of Education, and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Australia. Her experience includes more than fifteen years as an educator in Western Australia, including teaching English and HASS in private and public secondary schools in the Perth Metropolitan area. As a teacher, she has enjoyed working with a diverse range of students in a variety of schools, including both elite private schools and difficult to staff public schools. This experience led to her research interests in social justice and how schools cater for diverse learners. She has also contributed to professional associations including ECU’s Early and Mid-Career Researcher Network, three school boards, and as a member of the executive board for the Australian Association for Educational Research. Since starting with teaching at the tertiary level in 2014 in Educational Leadership, Olivia has instructed in initial teacher education (ITE) programs in HASS curriculum units for both lower and senior secondary school. She also has experience teaching and coordinating ITE units at both the postgraduate and undergraduate level in classroom management, learning theory, diversity, assessment theory, and research methods. This positions her to equip future secondary school teachers with the skills they will draw upon to be successful in teaching adolescents, specifically in HASS and English curriculum contexts.