Dr. Lihua Xu is a Senior Lecturer of Arts and Education at the School of Education, at Deakin University. She obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (Education) in 2010 and her Master of Education in 2006 at the University of Melbourne. She obtained her Bachelor of Education at Shanghai Normal University in 2003. Her research aims to make an impact on and improve teaching and learning practices in science and mathematics education. Since 2005, her research has been dedicated to a research program that explores the complexity of the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in classrooms, underpinned by contemporary learning theories such as Distributed Cognition, Variation Theory, and Social Semiotics.