INTRODUCING NEW ZEALAND TO
STEM EDUCATION Visions & Aspirations from our Community
“You don’t need to teach a child curiosity. Curiosity is innate. You just have to be careful not to squash it. Our children are going to be faced with enormous challenges over their lives – environmental, economic and social. The future of our country will depend on their ability to understand how the world works and find solutions. If we can inspire them to face the unknown with wonder rather than fear and follow their questions with confidence and discipline, they are sure to succeed. It all comes back to education. The future prosperity of our country rests in the hands of our teachers.” Professor Sir Paul Callaghan
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STEM Aotearoa
OUR VISION STEM Education is about people
OUR FUTURE
Our vision is for Linwood College to be a world-class centre of innovation in education. We want to return to the core purpose of education and create a place of transformation where every student, whatever STEM is about people realising their potential theirEducation race, gender or temperament, can discover their passions, and talents, find a path centre to Our vision is forstrengths Linwood College to beand a world-class follow them.to create a place of of innovation in education. We want transformation every down student whatever theirthe race, Our visionwhere is to break the–walls between gender school or temperament – discovers passions, strengths and the outside world,their so that students, and teachers, talents, and finds aand path follow them. parents thetocommunity as a whole can and grow together. We have a vision oflearn Linwood College as a thriving centre of an international of people, opportunities ideas. Our missionnetwork is to empower students with theand critical We want to break down the between schoolofand the thinking, creativity andwalls courage to bethe creators outside and create a place where College students,toteachers theirworld, own worlds. We want Linwood be an and whincubator anau learnforbytomorrow’s connectinginnovators with businesses, other and leaders. schools, tertiary organisations, international thought leaders, scientists and researchers. Our mission is to empower students with the courage, creativity, critical thinking, and communication skills to be creators of their own worlds. We want Linwood College to be an incubator for tomorrow’s innovators and leaders.
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand
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Welcome to Linwood College New Zealand has a reputation for being a laboratory for the world, and in Christchurch we have a rare opportunity to create something entirely new. In 2013, the government’s national Science and Society Challenge recognised the urgent need for better education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in New Zealand schools. At Linwood College we are well placed, excited and determined to respond to this challenge.
When the earthquakes hit Linwood College, they launched us onto a new path, clearing a space, both physically and culturally, for innovation. This booklet tells the story of an exciting new initiative that is growing out of the rubble. It’s called STEM Education, and its aim is to build strong connections between our school and the world, and make education relevant to all our students.
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In 2014 we opened our doors to Years 7 and 8 students, giving us the opportunity to develop streamlined pathways and programmes throughout secondary education and beyond. Rebuilding our school on a new site offers us an incredible opportunity to design our physical environment from scratch, without the limitations of former philosophies and models of education. We have the chance to genuinely address the achievement gap and create an educational environment that all students can thrive in. We have prepared this booklet to welcome you into the conversation. It contains stories of what we’re already doing, visions for our future, challenges we are facing, and questions we’d love you to consider. The changes we are embarking on are ambitious, but the benefits will be enormous for the school, the community and New Zealand.
Key Facts about Linwood College •
800 students
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36% Maori and Pacific students
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Decile 2
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Year 7 – 13
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Established 1954
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Trades Academy introduced in 2011
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Scheduled to be rebuilt on the current site
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School Motto: Kimihia – to seek (pursuit of excellence)
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Well known for strengths in music and performing arts
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Reputation as an innovator in developing new learning programmes
We invite you to join the conversation. We have enormous energy, commitment and vision. We are ambitious for the future of our school and our students. We need your support and input to make this a success.
Ms Margaret Paiti Principal
www.linwoodcollege.school.nz
Professor Steve Wratten (Lincoln University) visiting students at Linwood College's planned horticultural learning space.
Jeremy Baker – Assistant Vice Chancellor, Business Development, Lincoln University
Professor Sir Peter Gluckman – New Zealand Prime Minister’s Chief Science Adviser
Eileen Harrity – Program Officer, Next Generation Learning, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
“I’m really excited about working with Linwood College…We would love to work with more schools and Linwood is a very good place to start, given the enthusiasm of Margaret Paiti and the senior staff to look at how we can do this.”
“Linwood excites me because it is not your classical top decile school but it has got a lot going for it… It’s in a city starting to think about its future, in a part of the city that’s been hit hard. It’s got good teachers and enthusiasm. It’s forwardlooking. It’s going to be rebuilt. It’s already developed relationships with a number of entities including universities and crown research institutes. It’s great! I would hope every school moves in this direction. I think the challenge will be to stay dynamic; to engage the parent body and the broader community in which Linwood is based – but I think they can do it.”
“The school is not a stand-alone entity. It is part of a whole. In the US, building strong community and business partnerships is seen as a leading practice and is something a lot of schools strive for. It gives students more context and relevance and allows them to see their place in the world. If Linwood can pull in a model for building a strong community base, it will not only be helpful to schools in New Zealand but to those in the US, the UK and other countries too. My message to Linwood is to keep doing what they are doing. They have the right idea and are getting the right supports in place. Just keep working on it.”
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand
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WHY STEM Education? Every country in the world is reforming public education at the moment. Why? Because our current system is not giving our children the skills and attributes they need to prosper in the 21st Century. Humanity is currently undergoing changes comparable in effect to the agricultural revolution. Never before have we been faced with such rapid technological change, and such complex challenges to our environment, our economy and our communities. Never before have young people had access to such an overwhelming amount of information, or been faced with so many choices. Science and technology are at the heart of every major challenge we face: rebuilding our city, responding to climate change, and creating a healthy economy. But every year the number of New Zealand graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics decreases.
What’s wrong with the way we’re doing things now? There’s nothing wrong with the teachers or the students. It’s the underlying system that needs a revamp. We need a system that teaches young people how to address important real world problems; like how to rebuild our city in a way that’s sustainable and supports community and innovation, and how to improve the productivity of our land without damaging our environment. Students need to learn how to transfer their skills, take risks, communicate, and be creative and entrepreneurial.
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PLEASE JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Overseas research has shown the single most important factor in the success of a STEM school is the support and contribution of the community.
Introducing STEM Education All over the world – in the UK, US, Australia and Asia – STEM education is being adopted to address this challenge. Linwood College has decided to lead the charge and become the first official STEM school in New Zealand. At the most basic level, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. A core objective is to inspire more of our children to engage in these subjects. Regardless of which career they pursue, we want all our students to appreciate the importance of science and technology so that they can make informed decisions and participate in solving future challenges.
Common Misconceptions: •
STEM EDUCATION IS NOT “ALL ABOUT SCIENCE” Integrated STEM education incorporates and values ALL subjects including the arts, social sciences and the humanities.
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STEM EDUCATION DOES NOT LIMIT STUDENTS TO TECHNICAL FIELDS. It creates pathways to ALL fields, and broadens real life opportunities.
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STEM EDUCATION IS NOT DRIVEN BY BUSINESS AGENDA. In the US, STEM education was conceptualised by the National Science Foundation in response to the shortage of graduates with a technical education. US corporations welcomed the idea and funded initial programmes. Since then STEM has been picked up and driven by educators seeking improved outcomes for young people. Our primary objective is to develop a New Zealand STEM education model that serves our communities. We are working in partnership with business, scientists, tertiary institutions and others to achieve this objective.
The form of STEM education we are adopting at Linwood College is called Integrative STEM Education. It includes ALL subjects and aims to achieve the following goals: •
MAKING LEARNING RELEVANT – Presenting skills and knowledge in a real world context. When students understand why they are learning something and how they can use it they are far more motivated to learn.
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PROJECT-BASED LEARNING – Encouraging students to develop their own questions and find creative and entrepreneurial solutions to real world problems NURTURING THE INDIVIDUAL – By discovering each student’s unique talents and interests we help them develop aspirations for their careers. INTEGRATION OF SUBJECTS – Real life is never split into subject categories; solutions are found by
integrating the perspectives of many subjects. This approach is fundamental to STEM education. •
COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP – Working with universities, research institutes, businesses and community groups to enrich education.
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CREATING PATHWAYS – Giving students the resources, skills and confidence to navigate their own pathways through education and into exciting careers.
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand
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21st Century Teachers If anyone has the potential to change the course of history, it’s teachers. Teachers work at a pivotal position where the characters and future pathways of our young people are being formed. I’m sure you all have a story of a teacher that changed the course of your life, for better or worse: the English teacher that inspired you to read; the music teacher that told you couldn’t sing; the science teacher that blew up the lab. We have amazing teachers here at Linwood College, and we would like to give our teachers the recognition they deserve for the incredible role they play. We also recognise the pressure they face to cope with dramatic changes in the education system. Our ambition is to inspire all our teachers to make the transition to STEM education, and support them with professional development, strategic planning and encouragement every step of the way.
“Teachers are like gardeners. Every gardener knows that you cannot make a plant grow. What you can do is provide the conditions for growth. The great challenge for teaching is not just to know your discipline but to know your students; what will make them flourish and become the best thing they can be.” SIR KEN ROBINSON
Teacher training will be one of the biggest challenges to introducing STEM Education.
Traditionally, the role of the teacher was to stand at the front and impart information to students. In these days of Google and YouTube a new role is emerging for teachers. Specialist skills and knowledge are still vital but as Sir Ken Robinson, the leading education reformer, points out the most important thing is to help the students grow.
Many countries such as the US and Australia have dedicated units developing STEM curricula and resources for schools. In New Zealand this responsibility falls on teachers. At Linwood several teachers are applying almost super-human effort to this task – working in their own time to up-skill, research and design resources, develop collaborations, and create opportunities for students.
Often, teachers need to push students out in front and let them lead the way. They are not expected to know everything. It is a new approach for both teachers and students. And it takes courage, dedication, time and resources.
To support the efforts of our teachers, Linwood College is working with the Canterbury Tertiary alliance and other educational institutions, both here and overseas, to develop new STEM content and source resources from around the world.
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So, how will STEM education work in practice? Linwood College’s new Assistant Principal Jill Pears is overseeing the creation of a brand new curriculum for Years 7 and 8. Jill is a passionate advocate of STEM education. At her previous school she developed a robotics and computer science programme for Years 0-7. The starting point for the new curriculum is the Government’s new National Science Challenges. These ten challenges will guide the direction of New Zealand’s research focus over the next 30 years, so engaging students with them at an early age will help them to shape the future of New Zealand. Jill and her team have developed four learning units bridging the Science Challenges, with specific achievement objectives in the National Curriculum. The units incorporate English, Arts, Health, Physical Education, Languages, Mathematics, Statistics, Science, Social Studies and Technology. But unlike traditional curricula, the subjects are integrated into multidisciplinary projects. “Behind the new classrooms there is a gorgeous garden," says Jill. “As part of Design Factor the students will design and create their own garden. In Get Growing they will grow their own food while learning about health and nutrition. In Disaster Blaster they will engage with local issues in Christchurch with the rebuild. The unit I have the Power is about selfdevelopment, sciences, health and physical education.” “I really want to get across to kids that they have the choice to make decisions in their own life,” she says.
“By the time they are Year 7 and 8 it is not up to Mum or Dad or Caregiver or anybody else, it is up to them to decide what they eat and how they live.” Each unit follow a process of enquirybased learning where students develop their own questions and investigate them through research. “We’ll constantly pull in people from the community,” says Jill. “We’ve got all these experts in Christchurch doing exciting things. Why not use them? Sometimes you get the idea that the school is separate from the real world, but it’s not! Children need to be part of the real world.” Each unit also includes a “Careers Focus” that encourages students to start relating their learning to
specific career pathways. A Civic Engagement or Action Focus gets them to apply their learning to their own lives and to service projects within their community. Finally, Global Focus encourages students to consider the global implications and connect with students overseas. The new curriculum will be rolled out for both Years 7 and 8 in 2014. In 2015, Jill and the team will build a second layer of enquiry-based learning for Year 8. “By focusing on Year 7 and 8 we’re hoping to establish really strong ground that we can build and grow from. Students will start to realise that science and technology have the power to change the world and impact it in a positive way.”
“Sometimes you get the idea that the school is separate from the real world, but it’s not! Children need to be part of the real world.” JILL PEARS Assistant Principal, Linwood College
Robotics: The Way Forward Diane Atkins is a robotics and ICT teacher at Linwood College. Over the last 3 years she has developed highly successful courses in computer programming, database development and robotics. Her vision for STEM education is to create pathways all the way from Year 7 through to further study and careers in technology. Diane’s incredible contributions to education were recognised by the robotics group Kiwibots when they awarded her New Zealand’s top teacher nationwide in 2012 and 2013. “There are a huge number of jobs out there for programmers, system developers, database developers and analysts,” Diane says. “That’s where the growth industries are – and they are getting bigger.”
Diane’s experience exemplifies a shift in the role of the teacher in STEM education, with the teacher acting more like a facilitator or coach, creating a framework for learning and then cheering the students on.
Almost every modern product and service has an element of programming in its creation. Whether students aspire to be filmmakers, product developers, business owners, designers or any other career, a grounding in programming will be a big advantage.
“For me it’s about recognising and nurturing talent,” Diane says. “They’re all doing little projects for me. Michael is doing a website for my robotics group. I’m giving him credits for that and he’s doing a marvellous job. Rupert and Robert are working together to develop a database for the physical education department.”
So how does a teacher who has never done programming in their life prepare their students for this future? Diane Atkins has discovered a brilliant solution. “I realised I didn’t have to be the expert,” she explains. “It was okay not to know everything, and to bring people in to help.” Every week an expert from Canterbury University comes in and teaches the basics in programming. Dianne sits and learns alongside her students. She says their respect of her has actually increased by seeing her actively engaged in the learning process with them. “My students have gone beyond excellence,” she says. “They all admit that they work the hardest in my class. Even though I don’t know everything, it doesn’t matter. They’ve got the younger minds and the quicker thinking.”
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Through these self-driven projects students are gaining credits, and learning complex communication skills, social skills, selfmanagement, self-development, teamwork and non-routine problem solving. Their experience at school is genuinely preparing them for the kind of challenges they will face in their lives and workplaces. Employers tell us these are the skills they are looking for. “I think it is very important for students to see the real world stuff,” Diane says. “I took my students to the new EPIC Centre. They were blown away. It’s not just what they do, it’s the environment they do it in. The EPIC Centre is all glass and all open-plan. They have a bar and food laid out and they have scooters that they wheel around the office in.” She has also taken students to SLI Systems, Tait Communications and SMC Pneumatics.
“I realised I didn’t have to be the expert,” she explains. “It was okay not to know everything, and to bring people in to help.” DIANE ATKINS Assistant Head Technology Linwood College
One of her dreams is to set up an IT hothouse in the school, which would take on projects such as websites and databases for other departments and groups in the school.
Contributing to a New World Three years ago Harry Loughnan was a quiet boy who was struggling at school. That was before Diane Atkins introduced him to the Linwood College robotics club. “Since then everything in my life has related to robotics,” Harry says. “I just love the problem solving. You can always find something to make it go faster, stronger and better.” Every year Diane takes her students to the national robotics competition organised by VEX, a US-based robotics group dedicated to STEM education. The students spend months preparing. The competition provides an incredible amount of learning disguised as fun. As Harry explains, “you learn problem solving, stress techniques and how to design something that won’t fall apart. A big aspect of the competition is scouting. Each team has a dedicated scout and they go around to every team and find out what their robot does. So when it comes to competition time, you know what your opponents are doing.” Phil O’Reilly, the CEO of BusinessNZ points out: “What Harry was learning was not just communication, but also the capacity to take a risk – what do I reveal about my robot, and how do I engage you to make sure you reveal what you know about your robot. It’s about talking, listening, making judgments, contextualizing… It’s the soft skills that enable you to translate between science and business.” The New Zealand team has won the VEX robotics world championships five years in a row. Harry attributes this success to a culture of support and collaboration.
Michelle Hemmingson, Joshua Murrell, Harry Loughnam and Diane Atkins
“It’s not trying to break your competition down, it’s trying to push your competition up, so you have a reason to work harder,” he explains. At one of the competitions a robotics expert suggested to Harry it would be useful to learn to make his own parts. So Harry came back to Linwood and hopped alongside the technology students to learn practical skills like welding, machine-work and casting. “We made a go-cart and raced that, and traction engines…I loved it! That’s why I’m doing engineering now.” STEM education puts aside the traditional hierarchy of academic and vocational career paths, and lets students chose their own paths according to what they love doing. Harry is now in his second year of Mechanical Engineering. Despite her humility, it is clear that Diane plays a pivotal role in her students’ success. As Harry says, “It is a great help letting us figure it out, rather than getting told what to do. You’ve either got to give up or keep
“It’s about talking, listening, making judgments, contextualizing… It’s the soft skills that enable you to translate between science and business.” PHIL O’REILLY CEO, BusinessNZ
going. If you give up you know the outcome, but if you keep going the possibilities are endless.” “I’d love to go into research and development to come up with the next great thing,” Harry says. “I’d like to see robots out there helping people, making their lives better.” By discovering that one thing that gets his heart pounding, Harry has found his path, his voice and a way to contribute in the world.
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand 11
Canterbury Tertiary Cluster As the great New Zealand scientist Professor Sir Paul Callaghan observed: “The key idea is partnership. Rather than people trying to go it alone and build egos around institutions owning things, you’ve just got to take a New Zealand-wide view.” Professor Callaghan saw the potential for NZ to be a world centre for collaboration. He was a strong advocate for tertiary organisations working together, believing it was the only way to achieve worldclass results. After the shock of the Canterbury quakes the local tertiary institutes realised that they needed to collaborate to survive. As a result, Lincoln University, the University of Canterbury (UC) and Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) have formed a partnership. “Post earthquake, one of the things we have realised is that we’re actually complimentary, we’ve each got our own strengths, and between us we offer a wide and diverse array of futures for young people, not just in the science and technology area, but across the whole range,” says Hamish Cochrane, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic at UC. The tertiary cluster’s first project centres on Linwood College. “We have been wanting to work with secondary schools more, and Linwood College is the perfect place to start,” says Hamish. The aim is to streamline pathways from secondary school to tertiary study, and get students thinking about their career path from an early 12 STEM Aotearoa
“Between us we offer a wide and diverse array of futures for young people, not just in the science and technology area, but across the whole range.” DR HAMISH COCHRANE Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) University of Canterbury
age. To many secondary students, university seems like a scary world for academic types, and many don’t know how to connect their interests or talents to a viable career path. As a result, they often study the wrong subjects at school, choosing easy options and limiting future opportunities. “We want to give students an informed choice about futures they may never have thought of,” says Hamish. “Having someone from a university or polytechnic come and talk to the students will broaden their minds in terms of what careers and opportunities studying English or science could lead to.”
What will this collaboration mean for Linwood College students? • Joint courses for senior students hosted partly at a tertiary institute and partly at school • Tertiary researchers mentoring students on individual research projects
• Access to state of the art equipment such as the University of Canterbury nanotechnology facility • Teachers working with the UC College of Education to develop and assess STEM curriculum The tertiary cluster aims to apply the models, courses and resources developed at Linwood to other schools in the region, and eventually nationwide. “We are really excited to work with Linwood College,” says Jeremy Baker, the Assistant Vice-Chancellor of Business Development at Lincoln University. “If we can get children excited, they can begin to understand what kind of skills they need, and what kinds of educational choices they want to make to further develop themselves.” “These students are an enormous resource for the university,” says Jeremy. “It’s not just about preparing them for creativity in the future – they have it now. This is a wonderful opportunity for young people to get involved in science and technology. We want more of them to go ‘Oh that’s exciting, I want to be in that’.” If the tertiary cluster can get the collaboration working at the scale of a single school, then the possibilities for the country are endless. As Eileen
“These students are an enormous resource for the university. It’s not just about preparing them for creativity in the future – they have it now.” JEREMY BAKER Assistant Vice-Chancellor – Business Development, Lincoln University
Dr Jan Wikaira, Senior Lecturer at the University of Canterbury.
Harrity pointed out, community collaboration in education is a leading practice abroad. New Zealand could export its learnings and become known as a centre for collaboration.
How do we build partnership into the curriculum, so that it’s not just a side dish but part of the main course? Linwood teachers are working on connecting the knowledge and resources of partner organizations with the core requirements of the New Zealand curriculum. This involves developing relationships with researchers, and collaborating and building new resources and units of study for each year group. It takes a lot of work but the results are incredibly effective in engaging real world education for all types of students.
Collaboration means higher return on investment… Currently each of the individual tertiary institutes invests in outreach activities for schools and professional development for teachers. But their activities aren’t coordinated. “It’s all a bit haphazard,” says Dr Michael Edmunds (Head of Department, Engineering and Architectural Studies, CPIT). “Someone needs to coordinate and timetable all the activities so that students and teachers know where the opportunities are and how to get involved. The Linwood College collaboration gives us the chance to do this. It’s absolutely brilliant. By rationalizing and not duplicating we can save a lot of money and resources.”
“Wouldn’t it be great if we could build seamless pathways as far back as year 7 where children are asked what interests them and then supported to find their passion – because they want to do it, not because of the NCEA credits or the salary they might get.” DR JEREMY SHEARMAN Head of Department of Applied Sciences and Allied Health, CPIT
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand 13
Making STEM Education Real When was the first time you met a scientist? With STEM education Linwood College students work with scientists from year 7 onward. Helen Mora, Head of the Science Learning Area, has a flair for setting up collaborations. Before coming to Linwood College in 2013, she spent five years working with the innovative LENScience programme pioneered by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Adviser. Based at the Liggins Institute for Health Research in Auckland, the aim of LENScience is to connect school students with cutting edge research and real life scientists. “We developed a whole lot of resources translating research into programmes for schools,” Helen explains. “One of the programmes that Sir Peter took part in was the Meet a Researcher day, where children got to have conversations with real scientists. The students loved it, and they realised that scientists were real people.” “At LENScience we wrote articles translating research into Year 13 scholarship level, we produced live televised programmes that generated dialogue between students around the country, we ran professional development for teachers, and a mentor programme where students generated their own research ideas and worked through them with the help of a scientist mentor.”
presented at an international conference.” Helen is pouring her experience, resources and connections from LENScience into the Linwood College STEM curriculum. In 2013, groups of students from Linwood College’s feeder primary schools came in to study the local stream with a biodiversity expert from Lincoln University.
One of the key challenges at LENScience was finding scientists who could engage with the students.
“There were so many living things in the stream, we couldn’t get the students out of the water,” says Helen. “They just loved it. Next year we’ll do the same with our Year 7 and 8 students. We’ll also be using the stream to study biodiversity and sustainability with the Year 12 and 13 students, collaborating with Lincoln University and Environment Canterbury who have all the equipment and the programmes set up.”
“We gathered the most amazing range of scientists, technicians and PhD students,” Helen says. “We watched students form relationships with the scientists – they got to know them and developed the confidence to send them emails, ask them questions, have conversations. These children were doing literature searches on science articles; they would co-present at the end of the year in front of lots of people. One student even had her research
Year 7 and 8 students will also be designing and building beehives for the new garden area behind their classrooms, and planting wildflowers to feed the bees and encourage biodiversity in the local area. This is all part of a collaboration that Helen is setting up with Lincoln University and Kings Seeds, a seed company based in Kati Kati. The project was sparked when a wellknown Christchurch-based musician, Arthur Baysting, had the idea of
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sowing wildflower bee food in the wastelands following Christchurch’s devastation. He got in touch with Professor Steve Wratten from Lincoln University’s Bio-Protection Research Centre, who assembled a list of seed-grown flowering plants that bees would love. Kings Seeds have produced the seeds in economical, easy to grow packets and have donated one dollar for every packet sold in November 2013 to the Linwood College STEM education programme. Through planting flowers, looking after bees and visiting local community gardens, Linwood College students will learn about biodiversity and its importance for our food supply and economy. That is STEM education. 1 LENScience (Liggins Educational Network for Science) University of Auckland
Working with Educational Researchers to develop STEM Education… “How do we know what we’re doing is going to make a difference? It has to be research-based. I think that should be another link to the university through the education faculty. We need someone to do the research to show where the students are at now and to look at the programmes we’re using or that we develop. The teachers should be co-authors in this research. We are part of the thinking, so we should be part of the research.”
Professor Sir Peter Gluckman engages with students.
MAGIC MOMENTS IN TEACHING
“It’s those magic moments – seeing shy children in the LENS classroom that have come from a low decile school suddenly take on major scientific projects. It will be a different magic moment for every student. Irrespective of what they do in their lives, they’ll have a different appreciation of the role of knowledge from that moment onwards.” PROFESSOR SIR PETER GLUCKMAN, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER’S CHIEF SCIENCE ADVISER
Helen Mora, Head of Science Learning Area, Linwood College “In the US, we have a variety of data that we can use to determine how specific educational programmes are impacting student learning. However, much of that data is used for “high stakes” decisions, which can seem punitive and create a stressful environment for students. In New Zealand, the government has the laudable goal of increasing the number of students who are attaining NCEA Level 2, but doesn’t appear to collect much data on how individual schools are helping students to achieve that goal. I think that New Zealand could benefit from collecting more data on how programmes like STEM are improving student achievement, while ensuring that the data is used in productive, not punitive ways.” Eileen Harrity, Program Officer, Next Generation Learning, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand 15
STEM for M¯ aori and Pasifika All around the world minority groups are falling behind in STEM subjects. In NZ, 24% of the population under 18 years are Ma¯ori, and 12% are Pacific. These percentages are increasing every year. Our ambition with STEM education is to make STEM subjects culturally relevant and responsive for Ma ¯ori and Pacific communities. Our rich bicultural heritage gives New Zealand a unique resource to draw on. Since pre-European times Ma ¯ori culture has been steeped in science and technology. The Ma ¯ori voyages from the Pacific were incredible feats of navigation: reading subtle wave patterns, winds and birds for signs of land. In many ways Ma ¯ori tohunga were like scientists, observing patterns of nature and developing practices for planting crops based on the moon, healing using plants, navigating, carving and many other skills. The science of that time was deeply embedded in daily life, integrated with mythology, and was grounded in a deep connection with the natural world. In contrast, the language and culture of modern science is impersonal and often divorced from daily life, arts and humanities. Dr Gina Colvin, the Chair of Linwood College Board of Trustees, has a vision to reimagine science, integrating it with a more traditional place-based approach to make it really accessible to students. “I’m really excited about STEM education,” says Gina. “I would like to assure wha ¯nau that we have high expectations. We believe your children can do miraculous things – transformative things.” “As far as I’m concerned it’s not going to be real achievement until we see Ma ¯ori and Pacific students achieving in the same subject areas as Pakeha and non-Ma ¯ori – in chemistry, biology 16
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and physics. If we look at STEM education as a social justice leveller, and provide pathways for students to achieve, then I think we are doing something really grand.”
New Zealand’s History in Bicultural Education The work of integrating Ma ¯ori practice (tikanga Ma ¯ori) into modern education has its roots back in the 1940s with a remarkable man named Clarence Beeby. As the Director of New Zealand’s Department of Education, Beeby led an overhaul of educational priorities, which won New Zealand international acclaim and laid the foundations for a modern bicultural education system. The reforms of the 1940s, just like today’s reforms, were prompted by economic challenges. The depression of the 1930s had brought to light the inadequacy of the existing system to meet the needs of modern day New Zealand. Although the catalyst was largely economic, the educational practices that emerged had a particular focus on art, crafts and Ma ¯ori culture. These creative and cultural aspects of education were recognised as profoundly important for encouraging the level of innovation needed to address the pressing economic challenges. The approach proved extremely successful, especially with students who has been underachieving. One of Beeby’s great strokes of genius was appointing Gordon Tovey, a charismatic artist and educator to the position of ‘supervisor of art and
“It’s about knowing the students – knowing who they are and where they come from – and creating a context where they bring all their experience and their relationships into the classroom.” ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MERE BERRYMAN Faculty of Education, The University of Waikato
crafts’ and giving him free reign to reinvigorate arts education around the country. It was Tovey that first took an interest in incorporating Ma ¯ori arts and crafts into education. He formed close relationships with Ma ¯ori in the East Cape and through his networks and programmes he proved the wider educational value of incorporating Ma ¯ori legends, craft and song into the general curriculum. For the first time, almost every New Zealand teacher and child was aware of and participating in their bicultural heritage. Although much of the arts based approach was lost in the 1980s due to reforms, Tovey's legacy remains and offers a strong model from holistic education today. The exploration of tikanga in education has continued to this day. Foremost among modern organisations is Toi Whakaari,
David Elia and Haylee Kereama, Linwood College students from year 7, enjoy an interactive modern learning environment for STEM.
The New Zealand School of Drama and Dance, who in 1989 took the step to embrace tikanga Ma ¯ori as an essential element in the life of their school. Since then they have built a unique approach to training, involving Ma ¯ori practices of group work, craft, partnership, listening, respect, selfdevelopment and self-awareness. The results have been so impressive that Toi Whakaari have been sought out by corporate groups such as Kiwibank and Downer to help build collaboration and group culture within their organisations. In terms of secondary education there are some excellent modern examples of incorporating tikanga Ma ¯ori. In order to implement the government’s Vocational Pathways programme, a number of colleges
have focused on generating a supportive wha ¯nau (family) culture within the classroom where teachers are seen as big brothers and sisters and students are encouraged to support each other’s learning. This kind of relational response is at the heart of Te Kotahitanga, a wellrenowned research and professional development programme, which supports teachers to improve the learning and achievement of Ma ¯ori students. The Manaiakalani programme in Auckland has had great success at engaging Ma ¯ori and Pacific students at twelve low decile schools in the suburbs of Pt England, Glen Innes and Panmure by hooking them up with personalised netbooks and wireless internet access at home.
“If we can reimagine science and integrate it with a traditional approach, that's just tremendous.” DR GINA COLVIN Chair, Board of Trustees, Linwood College
At Linwood College we are excited to build on New Zealand's legacy of innovative, bicultural education, drawing on the models and experience of all these organisations.
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand 17
Arts and STEM Education The first question many people ask when they hear about STEM education is: what happens to the arts? So let’s address the elephant in the room. The arts and humanities are fundamental to STEM education. Why? Because they instil the creativity, communication skills, and the human perspective that students will need to thrive in the 21st Century. Every important issue we face as a community has a science side and a human side: rebuilding Christchurch; fossil fuels; nuclear energy; green energy; water security; food production; biotechnology. Do we want to leave the decision-making on these important issues to technical people? No – we live in a democracy. To make wise decisions, we need all citizens to understand the basics of these issues. Science and engineering may give students technical understanding and problem solving skills, but they offer no insight into ethical, cultural and social questions. It is the arts and humanities that give students the critical thinking to question, contribute, and make informed choices in society. Rex Bartholomew, who lectures on science teaching at Victoria University of Wellington’s education faculty, states that, “Science doesn’t do the expansive, niggly ‘why’ questions. It’s important that students can ask, ‘What are the implications of what I’m learning for me?’” When learning becomes personal, it becomes creative. Activities such as drama, creative writing, visual art, and music enable children to engage emotionally with their learning. They learn to apply curiosity to their own thoughts and feelings, as well as to 18 STEM Aotearoa
the external world, and this gives them the ability to develop original ideas and to express them with clarity and nuance. “The arts are the carrier of independent thinking,” says Emily Whiteman, Head of the Arts Learning Area at Linwood College. “They teach imagination, visual communication, processing, evaluating and making connections. I’m excited about STEM Education because it gives the opportunity for my subject to be talked about in other contexts, and to be valued by more students.” When it comes to business, the skills developed through the arts and humanities are essential. Phil O’Reilly, Chief Executive of BusinessNZ, is himself a history graduate. “English, history, and social studies teach very important human skills, and they teach context. They are also more likely to develop emotional intelligence, the capacity to work together, context, and resilience. These are massively important things.” “Similarly, I don’t think you can be a proper historian or geographer without a broad understanding of statistics or numbers,” Phil adds. “I have always employed people based on the twinkle in their eye,” says Peter Townsend, CEO of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce. “It’s arts and creativity that make up that twinkle; those soft skills, social skills, the humanitarian experience of life.” In order to embrace STEM education, we need to move beyond the surface differences between subjects – the paintbrushes, test tubes and computers – and focus on the essential skills and habits of mind that each subject develops. Each discipline provides a different lens to view the world through, and together they can create a more complete picture.
Many of you will know musician will.i.am from the US supergroup, The Black Eyed Peas. You may not know that will.i.am is a dedicated supporter of STEM education, donating millions of dollars around the world to STEM education programmes. Speaking on the Graham Norton Show, he explained, “In every ghetto right now (or disadvantaged area) STEM is not in them, so that means the ghetto twenty years from now is going to be worse than the ghetto today, as technology is going to be everywhere.” will.i.am presented a $100,000 donation to the Manaiakalani Education Trust to encourage better education by giving all children access to technology. The funds will be used across nine schools in the Auckland suburbs of Glen Innes, Point England, and Panmure.
“Creativity is as important as literacy and numeracy.” SIR KEN ROBINSON
Many of you will remember actor Alan Alda from the popular American TV show M*A*S*H. You may not know that he now dedicates his time to promoting better science education and science communication in order to break down the artificial barriers between science and the arts. In 2012 he initiated a worldwide competition challenging scientists to communicate complex ideas to eleven-year-old children. The seed idea for the competition was planted over 65 years ago when the actor was 11. “I asked my teacher one of those apparently simple yet devilishly complex questions,” he explains. “What is a flame? What is going on inside a flame? All I heard from the teacher was ‘it’s oxidation’. That didn’t explain anything to me. I didn’t know what oxidation was.”
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand 19
Engaging our community If there is one thing the earthquakes have taught us, it’s the importance of strong communities. Our vision is for Linwood College to become a hub for the wider community, a place where wha ¯nau and friends can feel safe, welcome and inspired to engage and learn alongside the students. “Schools have a special place in society,” says Professor Sir Peter Gluckman. “They’re trusted places, valued places…The more a school can give to its community, the more the community will give it back. I think that there’s enormous potential for Linwood College.” Helen Mora, Head of the Science Learning Area, would like the school to be a place where knowledge is disseminated to the whole community. Scientists do important work that could have a dramatic impact on the health, prosperity and resilience of communities, but often that knowledge gets stuck in the lab. Scientists don’t have the channels to communicate their discoveries to people, and they often lack the communication skills to convey their knowledge. Schools would be an ideal place to connect scientists and researchers with the community. “How do you communicate research out into the community where you want to make a change?” asks Helen. “Through your children! Working with the ones who are going to make the decisions in the future, and teaching them how to make decisions. This is - and especially the case with Maori Pacific who make decisions as a community. We have to engage with the whole community.” Dr Gina Colvin, Chairman of the Linwood Board of Trustees, is excited by the idea of engaging the community in ‘citizen science’ projects,
20 STEM Aotearoa
where the community work with scientists to design and implement research projects in the local area. “Science and technology offer a profound way to give back to the community,” says Gina. “The context of Christchurch offers opportunities for enquiry that actually have pragmatic results…questions like, what are the implications for the way we plan our city? What does a sustainable city look like? Things like that.” It’s more than just a school assignment. It is the community contributing to issues that actually affect us. It’s the community collaborating with scientists, engineers, and experts to work out what’s happening, what we want, and how to get there. “Bringing in community partnership is a leading practice overseas,” says Eileen Harrity, international expert on vocational pathways. “The most successful STEM schools are driven by the community and have community engagement and support.” And it’s not just wha ¯nau, scientists and experts. Businesses have a great deal to offer as well. “We need to better understand the interdependency between healthy communities and healthy businesses,” says Peter Townsend CEO of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce. “Because you can’t have one without the other.”
“A lot of people make the mistake of thinking businesses and communities are separate. They’re not. It’s businesses that are likely to provide most of the employment in the community, so it’s valuable to listen to them. Not to be beholden to them, but to listen and form a partnership, as a way of creating wealth in the community to enable choices.” PHIL O’REILLY CEO, BusinessNZ
There is a clear vision developing around the community’s part in STEM education, but we’ve got a long way to go to make it a reality. The key component is community engagement. Our vision is to take down the walls between the school and the community and to invite the community in. What that requires is trust: trust from the parents in the school’s leadership, and trust from the school in what the community has to offer.
Artist's impression courtesy of Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA)
David Reid: Alumni Perspective I have always felt the disconnect between school and the “real world”. When I was at Linwood College, my friends and I didn’t think about careers, or going to university. If our parents had a trade, or were bank clerks or labourers, that is often where we ended up too. I believe we have a social responsibility here. Children don’t always realise how good they can be – we should open our children’s eyes, so their dreams will follow. This is why STEM education is so exciting. By adopting a partnership attitude between business and education, we can help road map opportunities for students, and make education real. In my field, engineering and construction, we have the ability to create a legacy. With what we have learnt from the earthquakes,
we can create the safest and most environmentally friendly engineering and building practices in the world. For the first time ever we have big business interest in high schools. The construction sector is booming, and the workload and demand in the foreseeable future is huge. We need to think outside the square to attract smart young people and grow a future pool of staff. For example, each year Downer inducts 1200 new people into the business. Career opportunities include project management, IT, civil construction, heavy machinery operation, surveying, and many more. By partnering with schools, Downer can directly demonstrate and encourage these career opportunities to students and provide work experience. This will map out real life opportunities to students while they are still in their
David Reid, Falcon Construction
formative years. With many schools to be rebuilt across the region there are real projects that the students could be involved in – again making the theory real. I believe STEM education is a win-win relationship. And most importantly, it gives students the ability to dream big and build a pathway to achieve their dreams.
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand 21
Building a city for the future “The big thing for Christchurch is that we are going somewhere new,” says Peter Townsend, CEO of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce. “We are not taking our city back to where it came from. The Harvard University Professor Herman B. “Dutch” Leonard said something that I’ll never forget: “As you recreate your city you must create it to ride on the great tail winds of our time, not the tail winds of yesterday.” “I say to the young people of Christchurch, that this community has more opportunity for career development than any other city in Australasia – not just in the rebuild, but in the new technologies and service industries evolving as a result. It is a positive feedback system. The more unique our city becomes, the more people want to be here for its uniqueness. So you get this incredible momentum.” “It is all in the context of creating something that is world class and completely different,” says Peter. “Something that flows right through from the basic functioning of the city.” As all city planners and architects know, the structure and layout of a city shapes the way people feel and behave within it. The old structures lent themselves to old ways of thinking and behaving – Christchurch was a conservative, largely monocultural society. But those traditions crumbled with the buildings that upheld them. The space that is left creates an incredible opportunity. The massive endeavor of rebuilding Christchurch raises many questions, like, how do we collaborate better? How do we scale for the enormity of what’s going to happen? How do we accelerate sustainable economic development? How do we apply technology to natural capital to make it better for us all? How do we keep water clean for drinking and still have enough for irrigation and farming? The city has become a living laboratory with complex challenges that are perfect for STEM education 22 STEM Aotearoa
and project-based learning. All of them require a multidisciplinary approach. As Jeremy Baker from Lincoln University points out, children offer an incredible resource of imagination and creative thinking skills. “It’s not just about preparing them for creativity in the future,” he says. “They have it now.” One of the ideas emerging for the rebuild is the formation of city precincts: “there might be an education precinct on the CPIT corner,” says Peter Townsend, “a health precinct on hospital corner; an innovation precinct; perhaps a science precinct.” Peter is very excited about the possibilities this would raise for more collaboration and innovation. Peter’s message to children is that they need “a hunger to learn, a hunger to experience, and a hunger to contribute. And what could be a more motivating opportunity for STEM education than contributing to the re-creation of your own city?
“I say to the young people of Christchurch, that this community has more opportunity for career development than any other city in Australasia.” PETER TOWNSEND
“I have a partial vacuum theory of management. I firmly believe that every one of us has unlimited potential, but not all of us are put in the right environment to realize it. I think it is the responsibility of anyone in a position of leadership to create opportunities in front of people so they are continually drawn into this partial vacuum, into these opportunities. Getting rid of the boxes is a good start and I think that is what STEM might be about: freeing people up, taking them out of their boxes and providing the right stimulus to encourage people to be drawn into new opportunities – then you see people shine.” PETER TOWNSEND, ONMZ CEO Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce
Silicon Valley of the South Christchurch: the Silicon Valley of the Southern Hemisphere, a global magnet of innovation and technology development. That’s the vision that Henry Lane, 26-year-old entrepreneur and video game developer, has for Christchurch. Henry is one of a team of four behind the brand new EPIC IT Hub (Enterprise Precinct and Innovation Campus), which is bringing innovation into the heart of Christchurch’s red zone. The EPIC Centre is home to nineteen innovative start-ups and technology businesses. EPIC’s supporters range from international goliaths Google and Cisco, to national talent Weta Workshop, to locally run Christchurch businesses like Duncan Cotterill and Warren & Mahoney. When you talk to the people working in the hub you get the sense that Henry’s vision is not so far-fetched. The energy is palpable and there is a sense that something fresh and totally new is growing out of the rubble. “Christchurch is one of the best places in the country to be kicking around right now,” says Henry. “There are opportunities for artists, engineers, coders, innovative start-ups and for brand new absolutely whacky ideas. My advice to students is to learn as much as you can so you can jump on board these opportunities.” EPIC has been so successful that plans for a second campus commenced after just a few months of operation. “We’re at full capacity,” says Henry. “We’ve got a waiting list of over 100 companies from all over Christchurch. That’s why we’ve instigated plans for an EPIC Stage 2. What you’re looking at now is a giant-scale
prototype. We see the potential to turn the entire country into a sort of Silicon Valley by establishing multiple hubs like this. You’ve got to start somewhere, and Christchurch is the obvious place to do it. The earthquakes were a horrible tragedy, but ultimately it’s given us a blank piece of paper to work with, from which we can build literally anything.” The philosophy behind the Epic Centre is collaboration, or as Henry calls it, “co-opertition,” where competitors share their resources and experiences to get a greater outcome than they could achieve alone. It is the only approach that makes sense for a small, isolated country like New Zealand. “It’s going to take a lot more coopertition to create the Silicon Valley of the Southern Hemisphere,” says Henry. STEM education is making a start. Harry Loughnan’s attitude towards robotics exemplifies co-opertition: “It’s not trying to break your competition down,” he said. “it’s trying to push your competition up, so you have a reason to work harder.” We envisage that students who emerge from STEM education at Linwood will be bursting with the ideas, the confidence and the inspiration to help transform
Christchurch into the Silicon Valley of the south. After our visit to the Epic Centre, Henry Lane got in touch with Linwood College with a proposal to set up a usability lab for Linwood College students. Henry’s company, CerebralFix, develops educational games, and they need people to test them. Not only will students get to play fun new games, they will get a taste of working in a real life software company: a real life introduction to an exhilarating career path.
“There are opportunities for artists, engineers, coders, innovative startups and for brand new absolutely whacky ideas. My advice to students is to learn as much as you can so you can jump on board these opportunities.” HENRY LANE Global Development Coordinator, EPIC
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand 23
Vocational Pathways & STEM Linwood College has a legacy of innovation. The Government's new vocational pathways programme was pioneered right here at Linwood College by the head of our technology department, in collaboration with Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. It was so successful that the government took the idea and implemented it nationwide last year. The aim of Vocational Pathways is to address a serious skills shortage in New Zealand industry. Linwood College's STEM education programme fits hand in hand with Vocational Pathways, providing an engine of teaching practice to achieve this. Although the term ‘vocational pathways’ has a connotation of trades, the government programme includes all pathways: academic, creative, trade and professional. As Eileen Harrity, an international expert on vocational pathways, says “the intent of NCEA was always to have pathways. I think they assumed children would know how to create their own but they don’t. The idea of vocational pathways came from industry leaders, to address a skills mismatch and to help students choose their pathways.”
Enquiring Minds “The world is changing so fast. It is important that we have a generation that is not scared of asking “why?”
“Look forward, look forward. As soon as students walk through the door of the school they should be asked, “What do you want to do? Have you thought about this? And then you should do everything you can to get them there. If they say they want to be a fireman, let’s talk about fire. If they say they want to be an electrician, introduce them to a real electrician. The school’s job is to make sure that the students know that they are going somewhere good.” MARTIN CROPP Designer/Entrepreneur
24 STEM Aotearoa
What is integral to STEM subjects, and what makes them important, is that they teach you to ask “why?” They encourage an enquiring mind: not just accepting what you are told, but actually asking for the evidence. When scientists or mathematicians come up with an answer, it’s in their DNA to ask, ‘does that make sense?’ That is what gives you that enquiring mind. We also need to embed the creativity angle: not just asking why, but, why not? Why not make films in New Zealand? Why not find a cure to cancer? It’s that sort of innovation and creativity. These characteristics are so important in the future workforce and the future population of New Zealand. Unless we have that enquiring mind, we are not going to tackle those challenges going forward.” DR GANESH NANA Chief Economist at BERL
Renaissance Teaching “For me, STEM Education encapsulates an allencompassing philosophy on education,” says Frank Rzoska, Head of Technology Learning Area at Linwood College. “I can see that it’s going to address some of the achievement anomalies that we’ve seen in education for as long as I’ve been in it.” When Frank was at school he didn’t dream of going to university. “I came from a very basic, poor family, a very loving family, but the expectation was ‘The best you could hope for, son, is a trade’. Any further education upon that was really just for the rich kids. It showed a kind of class-wise interpretation of what education was all about. Much of that still exists today.” It was in the army that Frank discovered his academic ability. “I graduated as top officer cadet and I thought ‘wow! I’m competing on an equal footing with these guys. I need to take my education further.” It took Frank to see the practical relevance of learning to inspire him to take it further. Maybe this is why STEM educations resonates so much with him. “I think that every once in a while,” says Frank, “there is a key time for introducing initiatives and I think Linwood College has got the timing perfectly right. With technology the way it is and with Christchurch, the rebuild, it’s given us a wonderful opportunity to analyse what we do and say how can we do it better. It’s that Kaizen of continual improvement.”
Frank sees students where they’re at. If they’re a bit less confident or academic he comes up with creative ways of teaching so they find that spark of interest and confidence. Frank teaches Mathematics, but not as you’d know it. “I made a rocket launcher and hooked it up to my car,” he says. “We were trying to determine the best percentage of propellant and the best angle. We graphed the results back in the classroom. These were children that were largely disengaged but they really got involved. For these students it has to be relevant. It has to be brought back into the real world. It has to involve shared experiences so you engage as equals in the class.” The students still learn the same skills and concepts but they’re in the context of real stuff that they care about. They can touch it and feel and see it – so the theory means a lot more. Some of these STEM activities take a lot of planning but Frank also describes what he calls ‘random acts of teaching.’ “When we were firing the rockets, I didn’t realise but one boy had his phone out and was videoing it. Then he took it home and put it to music. He came in and said ‘Mister, have a look at this.’ I thought ‘Wow! That’s cool’. He incorporated his expertise into my subject. That for me is a real treasure. It was really nothing that I did apart from allowing an opportunity to exist.” During lessons Frank lets students pursue questions that might relate to different subject areas. “For my year 10 class we were talking about volume. So I talked about decompression and my experience as a diver in the army.
“You have to be an active learner. This is renaissance teaching.” FRANK RZOSKA Head of Technology Learning Area, Linwood College
Then someone asked about pressure so we talked about that. We might follow some of these orange roughies but always click back to the object of the lesson.” “Theoretically I should be able to teach geography as passionately as I teach mathematics or automotive, because I’ve got enough experiences within me to make it interesting for the children to learn. You have to be an active learner. This is renaissance teaching. We’re no longer the masters of the knowledge. We all bow to the god Google, but it’s how we use that knowledge and how we curate it. That’s how we become really powerful. So teachers become curators of information, not the providers of knowledge. We’ve got to be selective about what we bring into the classroom so that it’s true and meaningful. It’s got to be a wide pool. To give, gain relevance and to underscore what I’m teaching.”
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand 25
VISIONS
“This is a great opportunity to coordinate all the science-related activities in Canterbury.” Dr Michael Edmunds Head of Department, Engineering & Architectural Studies, CPIT
“In New Zealand we need more students to see science and technology as part of their future. It’s not a marginal thing. It’s absolutely core to protecting our environment and our people, growing our economy and being a healthy society.” Professor Sir Peter Gluckman New Zealand Prime Minister’s Chief Science Adviser 26 STEM Aotearoa
“I’d like Christchurch to be a place where youth can experience life, find their passion, and have fun while they’re at it.” Harry Loughnan Linwood College graduate and CPIT Mechanical Engineering Student
“STEM Education is hugely important for students in a low-decile community. It’s about preparing them to make decisions in a very complex society; it’s about giving them the confidence to have a dream and go for it.” Helen Mora Head of Science Learning Area, Linwood College
“STEM education is about nurturing students and giving them a sense of belonging.” Diane Atkins Robotics & IT Teacher, Linwood College
“For me, the most important outcome of STEM education is equity. When we have broad-brush, multicultural achievement at a high level, then we can say we’ve got there.” Frank Rzoska Head of Technology Learning Area, Linwood College
“It is important that we have a generation that is not scared of asking why. That is what is critical and characteristic about STEM.” Dr Ganesh Nana Chief Economist at BERL
“Around the world, schools are striving to build strong community bases. If Linwood College can pull in a model for community partnership and provide information on how to do that, it would be helpful not only in New Zealand, but other countries too.” Eileen Harrity Program Officer, Next Generation Learning, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
“I’m excited about STEM education because I’m excited about teaching and learning. It’s about instilling curiosity in students and teaching them possibilities.”
“Sometimes you get the idea that the school is separate from the real world, but it’s not! Children need to be part of the real world.”
Emily Whiteman Head of Arts Learning Area, Linwood College
Jill Pears Assistant Principal, Linwood College
“If we can unleash our students and give them skills that are interesting to them, as well as to business, I think we’ve just made the best contribution to their community we possibly could.”
“If we can build communities around these new schools, then parents and families can get engaged and understand how science can transform not only the local economy, but also the national economy.”
Phil O’Reilly CEO BusinessNZ
Professor Ian Town Independent Consultant
“My vision is an extraordinarily dynamic school that is constantly in dialogue with the community.”
“Let’s create our city to ride on the great tail winds of our time. We are going somewhere new and that’s exciting!”
Dr Gina Colvin Chair of Linwood College Board of Trustees
Peter Townsend ONZM CEO Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce
“Wouldn’t it be great if we could build seamless pathways as far back as year 7, where students are asked what interests them and then supported to find their passion – because they want to do it, not because of the NCEA credits or the salary they might get.”
“In New Zealand, the value is in the smarts. We’re not going to build motor vehicles, we’re going to build small things that are really smart. I think having a deliberate exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics will help students in that realm.”
Dr Jeremy Shearman Head of Department of Applied Sciences and Allied Health, CPIT
Dr Hamish Cochrane Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, UC
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand 27
VISIONS
“I have been trying to practise a vague sortof STEM approach for ages but I need help. The great Linwood School STEM initiative fires me to try much harder, so my teaching can be based on a much more sound knowledge of modern pedagogic thinking and practice.” Professor Steve Wratten Lincoln University
“STEM is a lens through which you get to focus on the things that matter to New Zealand and the world.” Jeremy Baker Assistant Vice-Chancellor Development, Lincoln University
28 STEM Aotearoa
Continued
“Christchurch is one of the best places in the country to be kicking around right now. There are opportunities for artists, engineers, coders, innovative start-ups and whacky ideas. My advice to students is to learn as much as you can so you can jump on board these opportunities.”
“In 2013, the government’s national Science and Society Challenge recognised the urgent need for better education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in New Zealand schools. At Linwood College we are well placed, excited and determined to respond to this challenge.”
Henry Lane Global Development Coordinator, EPIC
Margaret Paiti Principal, Linwood College
“I believe STEM education is a win-win relationship. And most importantly, it gives students the ability to dream big and build a pathway to achieve their dreams.”
“Look forward. Look forward. As soon as students walk through the door of school they should be asked, “What do you want to do? Have you thought about this?”
“It’s about knowing the students – knowing who they are and where they come from – and creating a context where they bring all their experience and their relationships into the classroom.”
David Reid Founder of David Reid Homes & Falcon Construction
Martin Cropp Designer/Entrepreneur
Associate Professor Mere Berryman Faculty of Education, The University of Waikato
“STEM provides the missing link between science, technology, theory and the careers those areas can provide. If we can introduce this to students early in their educational journey we will ensure New Zealand’s future is near the top of the OECD.” Rob Gilmore Executive General Manager Downer
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand 29
WHAT NEXT? Implementing STEM education is possibly the most important change we will make in our country this decade – and one of the most challenging. It's a complete change in approach. It will take time:
By putting the work in at this early stage and taking a careful measured approach, we can build a strong foundation for widespread change. We can offer our learnings to schools around New Zealand and overseas.
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To engage in genuine dialogue with our community
This year we are beginning with a number of pilot projects:
To build sustainable collaborations with tertiary institutes, businesses, community groups and researchers both locally and around the world
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Introducing a STEM curriculum
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Establishing an external advisory committee
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Collaborating with the Canterbury Tertiary Cluster
To develop a unique New Zealand form of STEM education that draws from the best overseas and from our - and Pacific heritage Maori
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Collaborating with businesses
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Collaborating with the Christchurch Epic Centre
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Developing international relationships
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To inspire, train and support teachers to transition to STEM teaching To develop new resources and curriculum that integrate subjects, incorporate partnership and allow students to find their own pathways
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To research and evaluate our new programmes
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To develop a strategic intelligence framework
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STEM Aotearoa
Our aim To get around 10 pilot projects off the ground and to measure and evaluate them as we go. After that we will develop a plan to implement changes across the school.
We need your help As international research shows, the single most important factor in the success of a STEM school is the support and contribution of the community. We need your support and input to make STEM education a success. If this booklet has sparked an idea for how you could help, we’d love to hear from you. We are always on the look out for: •
Collaborators – whether you’re from science, business, arts, education, a community group or anywhere else, if you’re interested in working with the school to offer real-world opportunities for learning, we’d love to hear from you.
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Education researchers and teachers – As the great Kiwi scientist Sir Paul Callaghan said, “the key idea is partnership”. We are keen to collaborate and share learnings and resources with any school, research group or organisation exploring STEM education.
PLEASE JOIN THE CONVERSATION Contact: Linwood College Principal Margaret Paiti kma@linwoodcollege. school.nz
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY...
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KINSHIP Reinventing Science Communication
Linwood College, Christchurch, New Zealand 31
85 Aldwins Road, Linwood Christchurch p. 03 982 0100 e. secretary@linwoodcollege.school.nz
www.linwoodcollege.school.nz