Staff News
08 June
During her formative years, Jennifer was afforded the freedom to explore, she was encouraged to enquire by asking the “What-if’s?” and “How’s?” of the world around her. Initially this led to a career in Forest Science. Fresh out of university she ventured to Tasmania to take up a role in the Forestry Industry as a Planning Forester. It was a perfect marriage of her career and her love of weekend adventures, conquering the many mountain trails Tasmania had to offer.
Through her industry experience, Jennifer sought the expansion of her skills in digital technologies through GIS programming and interface development. This was coupled with the application of mathematics and science in forest measurement and predictive planning. For Jennifer, this was the ideal blend of integrating the STEM disciplines into a career, which was then further strengthened with additional studies in Bushfire Management and Planning.
Following extended overseas travel, Jennifer found herself drawn to a career where she could use her practical experiences and broader perspectives to foster inquiry in others. She viewed working with young people as a new pathway and welcomed opportunities to support students to assume a greater ownership over their learning. In particular, she was keen to encourage students to ask probing questions and explore the possible contributions they could make as a global citizen.
Since 2005, Jennifer has been a Damascus College staff member and believes that the college has afforded her the flexibility to adapt her teaching to each individual class, enabling her to encompass the class’ diversity and uniqueness into targeted learning contexts. Together with a supportive team of accomplished educators, Jennifer has been proud of the collaborative development of Damascus’s ESTEEM program. ESTEEM is a challenging Year 8 program involving the fusion of the STEM disciplines, highlighting the importance of learning transfer across traditional curriculum areas to develop strategies and solutions. Such a program resonates with her as it formed an integral part of her early career. Jennifer hopes to continue to explore innovative technologies and promote the importance of collaborative cross curricular development amongst her peers whilst continuing to challenge herself by experiencing a range of outdoor pursuits.