Simon Leonard

Simon Leonard is Professor of the Learning Sciences at University of South Australia, located within UniSA Education Futures at the Mawson Lakes Campus. He is an active research-degree supervisor and is currently available for media commentary.

His research sits at the intersection of learning sciences, educational design research, STEM education, teacher professional learning, and emerging technologies. Core interests include spatial reasoning, mathematics education, creative body-based learning, mixed-reality and AI-enhanced pedagogies, and the use of learning analytics within complex learning environments.

Leonard’s recent work explores how co-design methodologies can translate the science of learning into sustainable classroom practice, and how pragmatic adaptive change frameworks empower educators to lead innovation locally. He employs design-based research, phenomenography and interdisciplinary collaboration to investigate the conditions under which teachers and students develop creative self-efficacy, empathy for justice, and future-ready capabilities.

Representative publications (2022–2025) cluster around three themes:
• Technology-enhanced learning environments – leveraging AR/VR, makerspaces and AI to improve spatial reasoning and STEM engagement.
• Teacher professional development – expansive, arts-based and body-oriented approaches that foster justice-oriented dispositions.
• Mathematics and STEM education reform – integrating executive-functioning skills, learning analytics, and authentic industry contexts into curriculum design.

Research leadership & teams
Leonard contributes to the Centre for Change and Complexity in Education and the Centre for Educational and Social Inclusion, UniSA. He partners with schools, government, and industry to co-create scalable educational innovations, and supervises higher-degree research students investigating learning analytics, STEM equity, and professional learning.