Examining the integration of knowledge in educational settings
In a recent recorded professional learning session, titled "Exploring Mātauranga in the Classroom", Chloe Stantiall, a year 5-6 kaiako at Silverdale Normal School, shared her experience using kōwhai, a native New Zealand tree species, in English medium classrooms.
The session, which includes a week-long teaching and learning sequence about kōwhai, was developed by Chloe herself. This educational journey delves into how Māori traditional knowledge (mātauranga Māori) can be integrated into teaching practices, even in settings where English is the primary language of instruction.
Chloe's contribution to the webinar detailed practical approaches and reflections on incorporating kōwhai as a culturally significant element to enrich learning about the natural environment while maintaining accessibility for English medium students. This highlights how mātauranga can be explored authentically beyond Māori language immersion contexts.
The resources for the kōwhai topic are available at bit.ly/kohai or through individual links. They include an article about Mātauranga Maori of kōwhai, an article about Exploring kōwhai mātauranga in the classroom, an activity for collecting kōwhai seeds, an activity for planting kōwhai seeds, an activity for observing kōwhai, an activity for sharing scientific understanding through poetry, and an activity for creating kōwhai infographics.
To ensure student safety when planning for hands-on activities with plants, useful links for learning about poisonous plants are provided. These include Manaaki Whenua's Poisonous plants (downloadable poster), National Poisons Centre's Common Poisons Around the Garden, The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network's Poisonous native plants, and The Science Learning Hub's Poisonous plants in New Zealand.
Greta Dromgool is also a participant in the recorded professional learning session. The session's content is organised under topics, with corresponding slide numbers and video timecodes provided in an index. A Slideshow from the webinar provides additional support for the video tutorial.
Chloe Stantiall worked with Associate Professor Maurice Cheng and Bronwen Cowie from The University of Waikato in a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) funded research project: Envisioning student possible selves in science: Addressing 'plant blindness' through place-based education. This project explores students' sense of place and science-related possible selves through local curriculum units that focus on plants.
Acknowledgement is given to Chloe Stantiall, and the resources she has developed based on her class's learning will be shared and unpacked during the session. The slideshow for the session can be downloaded (23 MB).
In addition to this webinar, there are other recorded PLD webinars available on topics such as whakanui pūtaiao, Mātauranga Māori, Opportunities for using te reo Māori, Mātauranga and the Living World, Te Repo - wetlands as a context for learning, Kaitiakitanga with Tame Malcolm, Local curriculum, mātauranga and science, Te Kāhui o Matariki and the environment. These resources are valuable for educators seeking to integrate mātauranga into their teaching practices.
- The session's resources, which delve into Māori traditional knowledge (mātauranga Māori) about kōwhai, demonstrate how online education can enhance learning in science, education-and-self-development, and learning about the natural environment.
- Chloe Stantiall's collaboration with The University of Waikato in the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) project highlights the integration of mātauranga into science education, emphasizing the importance of education-and-self-development in online-education settings.
