My name is Genevieve Firmer and I am a passionate science educator that loves to play with new ideas about engaging students in learning. I have experience teaching F-12 science and STEM, senior chemistry and biology and in curriculum leadership in Australian schools. I am currently working on my PhD in Chemistry Education as part of the SCOPE Group, supervised by A/Prof Alice Motion and Prof Siggi Schmid.
My thesis title is:
I am hoping my research will provide insights into curriculum design for scientific literacy for all, as well as some directions for improving chemistry research & innovation in Australia. I am using this repository and website to share my research journey. Below I have hyperlinked some of the areas I've started to share my work in. Please feel free to have a browse. If you have any queries, ideas or feedback, please get in touch via the discussions tab.
You can also find me on Twitter @Genevieve_Echo, LinkedIn and Research Gate
I am starting my project with a comprehensive analysis of the year 11-12 chemistry courses in Australia. They are all based on the Australian curriculum framework, but each state has created a syllabus with their own flavour. I'm interested in how each course differs when it comes to content, specified context, and how they align to Australian science and innovation research priorities.
Curriculum Analysis Project Overview
While doing my more 'traditional' research, I am also exploring ways that research can inform teaching practice in different ways. Examples of my work include designing: school outreach workshops, student outreach workshops, units of study for in-school implementation and teaching resources which can be used in classrooms. Read about some of this work in more detail below:
E$$ENTIAL MEDICINE$ is a Breaking Good intiative. We are investigating the accesibility of the world's most important medicines, to the people who need them the most. I have been working with the team on the school-based project, where we involve school students in our research. At the same time, students learn about the importance of chemistry in their everyday lives. Read more about our work here:
E$$ENTIAL MEDICINE$ Repository
E$$ENTIAL MEDICINE$ in Schools blog
We are researching ways to communicate chemistry concepts through sound. Listen to our first four sonaphors below:
And read our first publication! Sounding Out Science: the Sonaphor and Electronic Sound Design as a Learning Tool in Secondary Science)
In the NSW RACI Chemistry Education Group, we are working on bridging the gap between secondary and tertiary chemistry education. The first project I got involved in was the RACI Nomenclature Document, a comprehensive 'how-to' for IUPAC Nomenclature of Organic compounds that Australian students need to be familiar with.
You can access the document here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ac0vgjjxworklza/AAASeqIZTmUailOVfY44GSvja?dl=0
USYD International Science School Chemistry Workshop 2021 The Second Law of Thermodynamics
I am working as a Program Manager (Science & STEM Specialist) for Future Anything. We use the curriculum as a vehicle to support students to see that they can do something about the problems they see in the world. Find out more here
Antibiotic Plants in the Jawoyn Region
Me at the beginning of my project
I am part of the SCOPE (Science, Communication, Outreach, Participation and Education) research group. We're a team of open source research students, post-docs and academics, who combine multi-disciplinary research and experience to develop better resources, practices and general approaches to science engagement. Our work is open source so please have a browse. To have a look at more of the work we do, head on over to the group wiki to find information about us and the projects we are working on.
SCOPE is based in the School of Chemistry at the University of Sydney, Australia.