Profile

Dr. Susan Hanisch

Dr. Susan Hanisch

Research Fellow

Grundschuldidaktik Sachunterricht unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Naturwissenschaft und Technik
Haus 3
Marschnerstraße 31, Room 230
04109 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97-31496

Send email

Abstract

Susan Hanisch is a research fellow at the Faculty of Education as part of the project "Developing A Field Approach to Cultural Evolution" of the organization Prosocial World (duration March 2022 - Dec. 2024, funded by the John Templeton Foundation), in which she is research coordinator of the Prosocial Schools area.


Prosocial is a theoretical framework and toolkit for strengthening participation, collaboration and well-being in groups of all kinds, including in schools. As part of the project, methods for the participatory improvement of school culture are being developed and tested in cooperation with Leipzig schools and international partners.


She is also co-founder of the organizations Global ESD (http://www.globalesd.org) and EvoLeipzig e.V. (http://www.evoleipzig.de) and co-coordinator of the OpenEvo project (https://openevo.eva. mpg.de/).

Professional career

  • since 06/2022
    Researcher, Primary School Science Education, University of Leipzig, Germany
  • since 03/2022
    Researcher, Research Group for Biology Education, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany
  • 07/2020 - 03/2022
    Researcher, Primary School Science Education, University of Leipzig, Germany
  • since 11/2018
    Independent lecturer
  • 05/2015 - 08/2015
    Researcher, Post-Doc; University of Kassel, Germany
  • 01/2011 - 12/2014
    Research Assistant/doctoral student; University of Kassel, Germany

Education

  • 01/2011 - 04/2015
    Dissertation: Improving cropping systems of semi-arid south-western Madagascar under multiple ecological and socio-economic constraints; University of Kassel, Germany
  • 10/2007 - 02/2010
    M.Sc. International Organic Agriculture; University of Kassel, Germany
  • 10/2004 - 10/2007
    B.Sc. Geography; Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena, Germany

In my educational research, I am particularly interested in the question of the status and potential of the concepts, research questions, methods and nisights of evolutionary anthropology and behavioral sciences in K-12 education, especially in education for sustainable development.


For this purpose, I mainly build on approaches in design-based research (McKenney & Reeves, 2018. Conducting Educational Design Research. Routledge) and networked improvement science (https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/our-ideas/) which focus on long-term collaboration between researchers and practitioners and on the coordinated exploration of interventions across contexts through iterative cycles of design, implementation, and evaluation.


Past and planned research includes:


  • Conceptual clarification of the current state of science in evolutionary anthropology and behavioral sciences and its significance for the development of educational standards, curricula and teaching methods
  • Content analysis of curricula and educational materials
  • Development of a design concept for interdisciplinary teaching and learning about human behavior
  • Development, implementation and (qualitative & quantitative) evaluation of interventions in teacher training and in the context of primary and secondary schools in cooperation with international partners

  • Developing a Field Approach to Cultural Evolution
    Hanisch, Susan
    Duration: 03/2022 – 12/2024
    Funded by: Ausland
    Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Grundschuldidaktik Sachunterricht unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Naturwissenschaft und Technik
    show details
  • Climate schools in Saxony - Climate Schools in Saxony - Creation of subject-related and didactically prepared teaching materials for elementary schools
    Landwehr, Brunhild
    Duration: 08/2020 – 03/2024
    Funded by: Andere sächsische Ministerien (ohne SMWA und SMWK)
    Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Grundschuldidaktik Sachunterricht unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Naturwissenschaft und Technik; Bereich Grundschuldidaktik Werken
    show details
  • Evolutionary anthropology in primary school
    Hanisch, Susan
    Duration: 09/2020 – ongoing
    Funded by: keine Drittmittel
    Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Grundschuldidaktik Sachunterricht unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Naturwissenschaft und Technik
    show details
  • Climate change as a transdisciplinary sphere of action - sustainability and empowerment
    Hanisch, Susan
    Duration: 06/2023 – 05/2025
    Funded by: andere Bundesministerien
    Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Grundschuldidaktik Sachunterricht unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Naturwissenschaft und Technik
    show details
  • Human Behavior as an interdisciplinary theme in pre-service teacher sustainability education
    Hanisch, Susan
    Duration: 08/2019 – ongoing
    Funded by: keine Drittmittel
    Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Grundschuldidaktik Sachunterricht unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Naturwissenschaft und Technik; Zentrum für Lehrer:innenbildung und Schulforschung
    show details

more projects

  • Hanisch, S.; Eirdosh, D. W. W.
    Lehren und Lernen über Evolution, Verhalten und nachhaltige Entwicklung. Ein Leitfaden
    2020.
    show details
  • Hanisch, S.; Eirdosh, D. W. W.
    Educational potential of teaching evolution as an interdisciplinary science
    Evolution: Education and Outreach. 2020. 13 (25).
    DOI: 10.1186/s12052-020-00138-4
    show details
  • Hanisch, S.; Eirdosh, D. W. W.
    Cooperation as a causal factor in human evolution: a scientific clarification and analysis of German high school biology textbooks
    Journal of Biological Education. 2022.
    DOI: 10.1080/00219266.2021.2020875
    show details
  • Hanisch, S.; Eirdosh, D.
    Behavioral Science and Education for Sustainable Development: Towards Metacognitive Competency
    Sustainability. 2023. 15 (9). p. 7413.
    DOI: 10.3390/su15097413
    show details
  • Hanisch, S.; Eirdosh, D.
    Developing Teacher Competencies for Teaching Evolution across the Primary School Curriculum: A Design Study of a Pre-Service Teacher Education Module
    Education Sciences. 2023. 13 (8). p. 797.
    DOI: 10.3390/educsci13080797
    show details

more publications

  • Grundschuldidaktik Sachunterricht unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Naturwissenschaft und Technik
    OpenEvo
    Start Date of Collaboration: 20/01/2021
    External participating organisations: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig, Germany)
    Involved persons: Eirdosh, Dustin William Wright; Hanisch, Susan
    show details
  • Grundschuldidaktik Sachunterricht unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Naturwissenschaft und Technik
    Prosocial Schools
    Start Date of Collaboration: 01/07/2020
    External participating organisations: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig, Germany)
    Involved persons: Hanisch, Susan; Eirdosh, Dustin William Wright
    show details

more cooperations

My main areas of teaching are


  • Evolutionary anthropology and behavioral science in education for sustainable development
  • Development of social-emotional competencies, particularly based on the Prosocial approach
  • Project-based learning through Community Science


  • Human behavior and sustainable development

    Summer semester 2023

    Winter semester 2021/2022

    Summer semester 2021

    Summer semester 2020

    Winter semester 2019/2020


    Zentrum für Lehrerbildung und Schulforschung (University of Leipzig Center for Teacher Training and School Research)


    (for module syllabus and more information: https://openevo-learninghub.eva.mpg.de/course/view.php?id=114 )

  • Community Science Labs for participatory school improvement

    Summer semester 2023

    Winter semester 2022/2023


    Zentrum für Lehrerbildung und Schulforschung (University of Leipzig Center for Teacher Training and School Research)


    (for module syllabus and more information: https://openevo-learninghub.eva.mpg.de/course/view.php?id=143)

  • Evolutionary Anthropology in Primary School Science Education

    Summer semester 2021

    Winter semester 2020/2021

    Primary School Science Education

  • The potential and challenges of school gardens: from gardening knowledge to motivation and cooperation

    Summer semester 2021

    Summer semester 2020

    Primary School Science Education