Our pānui for Pēpuere introduces exciting PLD opportunities and new content that supports learning across the years.
Online support for inclusive science education
We’ve exciting new PLD and resources – inspiring opportunities for you and your students.
Puna Aronui – free, in-depth PLD
Puna Aronui – inclusive science education is a free, 4-week part-time online professional learning course running 17 March–11 April. Shift your classroom practice by exploring various resources and tools designed to support science education that is accessible and engaging for all.
Puna Aronui is a mix of online webinars/discussions and self-directed supported learning and forum contributions, requiring a weekly time commitment of around 2–3 hours. It’s a collaboration between the Hub and the New Zealand Association of Science Educators, funded by the Ministry of Education through NEX. It will be of value to both primary and secondary teachers.
Registrations close on 12 March. If you have any questions, please email us.
Drawing for thinking – webinar
Move from the digital world to the analog world with this one-off PLD session. Join Andrew James in Drawing for thinking. It’s a hands-on workshop where we’ll leave the screen behind and learn simple and achievable drawing techniques to help you and your students generate ideas, plan, take memorable notes, discover connections and more.
Tuesday 11 March 4:00–4:45 pm.
Living and non-living – a knowledge systems approach
There are lots of categories in science. One of the broadest groupings is living and non-living. In science, we often explore these groupings via the characteristic of living things. In te ao Māori, the concept of non-living is viewed from a different perspective as explained in the māramatanga Māori article Living or non-living? Use this article to explore connections within the natural world – where mātauranga Māori and science meet and overlap – and where they differ.
Nature in harmony
Iwi Māori acknowledge the whakapapa (interconnectedness) and mauri of all things – mountains, rivers, rocks and even objects crafted by humans are often regarded as having their own mauri.
Pounamu adze image copyright of The Trustees of the British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
The Hub has an online interactive or paper-based graphic organiser that delves into what makes something living or not. The graphic organiser may seem quite simple, but it is designed to generate discussion. The activity download/graphic organiser is in Word and can be edited to include and explore features of both knowledge systems.
The urban carbon cycle and student action
GNS Science partnered with schools to monitor patterns of greenhouse gas emissions at drop-off and pick-up times during term time and the school holidays. Project data was the inspiration for ākonga to take action, and for a suite of resources to teach younger students about the carbon cycle. Drive it Down! resources use simple yet effective diagrams to illustrate and explain concepts that we more often associate with the secondary curriculum.
Drive it Down! – the carbon cycle and climate change
This interactive provides an overview of climate change, greenhouse gases, the carbon cycle and other related concepts. To use this interactive, move your mouse or finger over any of the labelled boxes and click to obtain more information.
Select here to view the full transcript and copyright information.
Our interactive planner introduces some of the key science concepts that underpin climate change and the carbon cycle – along with links to resources to deepen understanding. We’ve worked with GNS to create:
- The carbon cycle and climate change – key terms – article
- Climate change and the carbon cycle – kuputaka – article
- Drive it Down! – climate change discussions – activity
- Drive it Down! – climate change and carbon cycle quiz (online or paper-based) – activity
Agency and scientific literacy are key to building classroom competencies when addressing climate change. So, we hope that you get inspired to Drive it Down! and reduce emissions at your own school.
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We offer added value through our social media. Contact us about creating collections or boards tailored to your needs. We can help foster connections between the education and science communities.
Your feedback
We hope you enjoy using the Science Learning Hub – Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao in your teaching and would love to hear from you. Your comments, ideas and feedback can be emailed to enquiries@sciencelearn.org.nz.
Noho ora mai
Science Learning Hub – Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao
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