This workshop will dive into the world of flawed experiments, misleading statistics, and pseudoscience.
Through engaging examples like anti-vaccine movements, fad diets, and pseudoscientific wellness trends, participants will learn to critically evaluate claims and understand the hallmarks of credible research.
You’ll leave equipped to navigate the modern information landscape.
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll explore how to enhance learning in the classroom with Micro:bits.
These small, programmable devices make coding and electronics accessible and fun for students of all ages. We’ll cover the basics, including simple coding projects and interactive activities that can be easily integrated into various subjects.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll have practical ideas and resources to inspire your students and bring their creativity to life through hands-on technology.
The “A” in STEAM represents the Arts, encompassing creativity, design, and critical thinking, which are essential for driving innovation across all disciplines.
Including the Arts in STEAM encourages students to explore new ways of problem-solving, enhances their communication skills, and fosters a deeper connection between scientific inquiry and creative expression. Look at ways to incorporate the A through a 6 step STEAM process.
Learn the technique of wet felting using wool. This technique is fun, affordable and hands on creating an applied design that can be used for wall art or embellishment for any textile item/ project.
The elements of design – colour, texture and scale are considered within a theme or concept.
In this practical workshop, Julian will share all sorts of ideas, do-able practical activities, resources and information for teaching a topic on earthquakes in New Zealand. We will look at why and where they occur, what it feels like to be in an earthquake, what scientists are learning about potential threats, how NZ landscapes change because of earthquakes, how scientists monitor and research them and what that teaches us about the earthquake hazard. Finally we will think about how best to prepare for a quake and what sort of things to expect if one happens.
Indoors for the first part, with some activities outside. Running through the ethical considerations in conservation (activities), the representation of data for projects such as 1080 application, investigating claims and creating a science communication piece.
Enhance their ability to collaborate and work with others Notice, recognize, and respond to the diverse needs and learning styles of ākonga Foster whanaungatanga—the building and maintaining of meaningful relationships that create a sense of belonging, shared responsibility, and support within the learning community. By the end of this experience, you’ll walk away with practical skills and valuable insights you can immediately apply to your teaching practice, helping your students not only survive, but thrive, both in school and in life.
In pre-European times, the seas around Aotearoa were the main food source for most Māori. However, having recently arrived, the earliest Polynesian settlers were used to spearing fish in clear tropical waters. In Aotearoa, the murky seas must have been initially frustrating. Māori went on to develop the fishing hook beyond any other culture on the planet.
This session will look at examples of hooks, lures, traps, nets, and aquaculture, looking at design, manufacture, and functionality. It will also explore some of the tikanga and science around traditional Māori fish harvesting and enhancement methods. This content links to NZ Histories.
Did you know you can sustainably create paper from native plants, and that native plant fibres are being used for a range of biomaterials? Papermaking is well known as a creative and artistic pursuit but also provides a springboard into a range of STEAM-themed inquiries, from forest science and horticulture to process chemistry and engineering, and ultimately material science and design. Native plant papermaking enables access to the ideas and concepts of the emerging economic sector of biomaterials, allowing for engaging and relevant learning opportunities including the rich social, environmental and technological history of papermaking and the modern need for decarbonising the economy.
An exciting, hands-on workshop that brings the art of a bioblitz to life. Participants will learn how to organize and conduct a bioblitz, with a special focus on catching and observing the incredible variety of critters that take to the skies. From delicate insects to dazzling winged wonders, you’ll uncover the secrets of the flying world. Perfect for educators, students, and nature enthusiasts, this workshop promises to inspire curiosity and a deeper appreciation for the creatures that share our skies.
Discover how to engage and inspire your students through virtual field trips.
See how you can create your own virtual field trip experiences without the need for specialised equipment.
In this workshop you will take part in an interactive virtual field trip and see how to plan, create, share and evaluate your own virtual field trip. See how online tools and multimedia can engage your students and take them to places they may not otherwise experience.
Explore strategies to deepen learning and inspire ākonga to take action within the context of a relevant and authentic virtual field trip.
In survival scenarios, you’re rarely alone, and this creates both unique challenges and valuable opportunities for growth. Join us for an immersive team-building experience where you’ll collaborate to create a shelter using only the natural resources provided (a perfect way to bring your local curriculum to life!). This challenge will spark your creativity, deepen your collaboration, and add a fun, slightly competitive edge!
Protection is a top priority in wilderness survival, but it’s not as simple as it sounds. While people are naturally inclined to work together, identifying your role within a team dynamic can be tricky. In this experience, you’ll discover how to leverage everyone’s strengths, navigate differences, and find common ground to achieve your goals—skills that are just as valuable in the classroom. The key competencies of Managing Self, Relating to Others, and Participating and Contributing will be at the forefront of this experiential learning activity.
This experience will not only help you build practical survival skills, but will also strengthen your resilience, communication, and problem-solving abilities as kaiako — skills that are essential for supporting your ākonga in developing their own teamwork and resilience, both in and out of the classroom.
As you reflect on how to work together effectively, you’ll gain strategies to help your students:
Enhance their ability to collaborate and work with others Notice, recognize, and respond to the diverse needs and learning styles of ākonga Foster whanaungatanga—the building and maintaining of meaningful relationships that create a sense of belonging, shared responsibility, and support within the learning community. By the end of this experience, you’ll walk away with practical skills and valuable insights you can immediately apply to your teaching practice, helping your students not only survive, but thrive, both in school and in life.
This workshop will introduce participants to the only unique form of identification in the world. The history and science behind fingerprints and how this differs from DNA profiling. The many types of powders and chemicals that can be used to develop fingerprints from a multitude of substrates. We will then introduce our very own Automated Fingerprint Identification System AFIS (The only one in private hands in the world) for you to search your develop crime prints from the mock crime scene.
We get to space with rockets and we can explore science concepts to do with rockets through water rockets.
In this workshop we will take you through a few experiments you can do with your students to explore physics and how rockets work.
Many schools have water rocket launches available so these are a fun and accessible way of getting closer to space. Water rockets are suitable for all ages from year 1 through to year 13, with many of the concepts applicable to ESS and Physics.
