Light, Pa ern, Identity: Tour and Gli er Pa ern Workshop

In terms 1 and 2 City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi has a major exhibition by renowned artist Reuben Paterson (Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāi Tūhoe, Tūhourangi), whose artworks capture the dynamic properties of light through glitter and diamond dust.

Reuben Paterson: The Only Dream Left is the largest exhibition of the artist’s work to date.

Encounter large-scale paintings, sculpture and animation that range from kaleidoscopic compositions of kōwhaiwhai to a life-sized tree in sparkling gold, and explore themes around light, pattern, and identity.

Students will create their own artworks inspired by the exhibition, conducting experiments with repetition and reflection, and devising kaleidoscopic patterns to make glittering designs.

We’ll be running tours and workshops for students of all ages and recommend booking early to secure a session with one of our Gallery educators.

Book now at citygallery.org.nz of STEAM education is a more effective pedagogy, resulting in demonstrably improved application and understanding of science and mathematics. These two subjects are notoriously difficult to teach, and it’s been internationally noted that standardised assessment in these subject areas often encourages rote learning and memorisation rather than meaningful understanding.

The effectiveness of STEAM in engaging students has also been demonstrated locally. One New Zealand study piloted a co-creationary and open-ended project-based STEAM curriculum for Year 4 students, and observed that “the level of engagement for students began to lift because of the hands-on nature of sessions”. By emphasising the learning process rather than outcomes, the study found many students were achieving well and discovering intrinsic motivation to engage with the exercises. Students also felt empowered through the co-creation of inquiry.

The importance of STEAM for the next generation

The Ministry of Education’s Te Kete Ipurangi recognises the importance of providing STEAM learning opportunities within the New Zealand curriculum.

“STEAM-based programmes take an integrated approach to learning and teaching, which requires an intentional connection between curriculum learning objectives, standards, assessments, and lesson design/implementation,” the website reads.

“STEAM learning applies meaningful maths, science, and technology content to solve real-world problems through hands-on learning activities and creative design.”

Te Kete Ipurangi also touches on the importance of using STEAM to equip students for the future workforce.

“STEAM learning will not only produce tomorrow’s designers and engineers; it will develop innovative mindsets and the ability to problem-solve, ensuring that our students become creators of technology, not just passive consumers.”

Through exposure to the arts, students’ cultural and social awareness is increased. This in turn can help foster an appreciation and understanding of other world views. Remaining open to alternative viewpoints and different lived experiences may encourage new approaches to problems. Shifts in social consciousness and a recognition that problems should often be viewed in a global, rather than local context make this educational exposure valuable. Today’s young people will require the ability to look beyond their own backyard, and incorporate broader contexts in their approach to tasks.

Incorporating the arts and humanities into STEM learning is therefore essential not just to learning, but for the next generation of innovators and creators. By incorporating and considering the effects of technologies on society, STEAM creates flexible problem solvers that can approach problems in multi-faceted ways, creating thinkers who may solve future problems such as AI bias, technological discrimination and other inequalities that currently exist within our digital and technological landscape. When teaching interdisciplinary topics, requiring flexible thinking, the arts and humanities are necessarily essential to effective learning, as it encourages metacognitive thinking, examining how we as society and people interact with the technologies we create.

How can I incorporate STEAM learning in my classroom?

STEAM activities often emerge from real-life problems, allowing for student-driven projects. The 2022 inquiry into the benefits of STEAM in a New Zealand context successfully raised student engagement with STEAM inquiries into waste, product design and more. Significantly, the New Zealand curriculum recently added resources for adding STEAM learning to Pasifika Education. Added to the Pasifika Education Community website, the new series uses posters and videos to demonstrate how Pacific peoples were always scientists, technologists, engineers, artists and mathematicians. Five short videos and downloadable posters illustrate how Pacific peoples embody innovation, creativity, and resourcefulness. The resources provide specific examples of STEAM within traditional Pacific Island culture and practices.

Educators can use the resource to “encourage students to study STEAM subjects and carry their ancestors’ legacy into the future”.