Science Education: Fit for Purpose was a national summit co-hosted on 2 July 2024 in Auckland by the Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao and Royal Society Te Apārangi. The aim was to foster national discussion about future directions for inclusive, engaging, meaningful science education across primary and secondary schooling. At the time, the science learning area of the New Zealand Curriculum was under review.
There were 80 participants, including 24 (30%) primary/intermediate teachers, 12 (15%) secondary teachers, 14 education researchers and/or teacher educators, 14 resource and/or PLD providers, 4 scientists, 6 Ministry of Education, 5 Royal Society Te Apārangi and 1 representative from UNESCO.
2024 science education summit presentations
This interactive image map showcases videos of the keynote presentations from the national summit Science Education: Fit for Purpose. Click on a label for information and links to the video.
Select here to view the full transcript and copyright information.
The programme for the day included keynote addresses followed by round-table discussions. The following questions guided the discussions. We invite you to engage with the video recordings of the presentations and to consider your own responses to these questions.
1. What are some key themes that have emerged from today’s presentations?
- What do these mean to you?
- What do they look like in your context?
- What new thinking has emerged?
2. What does inclusive science education look like for our ākonga Māori?
- What are the opportunities?
- What are the challenges?
- What new thinking has emerged?
3. What are the challenges for science education for us living in the Anthropocene?
- What are the implications for your practice?
- What do you want to see in science education in Aotearoa moving forwards?
3. In the context of today’s discussions, what do we need our science education to look like?
- What does/could this look like in your context?
- What changes are needed?
- How do we get there?
4. What points have not been discussed that you want to put on the table?
- What are your key take-aways from today?
A summary of the round-table discussions can be downloaded here.
Related content
More from our guest speakers on the Hub:
- Milly Grant-Mackie was part of the Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa | New Zealand Garden Bird Survey work – resources designed for Māori-medium classrooms.
- Yvonne Taura – the Hub collaborated with Yvonne to develop Repo (wetlands) – a context for learning. She was also part of the Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa | New Zealand Garden Bird Survey work – resources designed for Māori-medium classrooms.
- Simone Marsters is Kaihautū Māori | Māori Advisor for the Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao.
- Dianne Christenson’s case study using The Plastic Tide online citizen science project with year 2–4 learners and her reflections on using citizen science projects to support school science.
Associate Professor Chris Eames presented a series of webinars on teaching and learning around climate change:
- Understanding the basics of climate change
- Exploring climate change education in secondary schools
- Exploring climate change education in primary schools
Read more about Agency in the Anthropocene.
