Almost three weeks in already! In many ways it feels like a homecoming - there are many similarities between the Universities of Canterbury and Leicester. Add to that there is an exchange programme between the two universities, so several of the students I have met in the department were there a few months ago, my host also went to Leicester as an undergraduate, and my co-host was on an exchange placement there last year.
In addition to numerous meetings with staff, I've been on a six day field trip (including Waitangi Day and the following weekend) and attended the school start of year staff meeting and a GNS/ USGS seminar/ forum.
What have you noticed as you move into the science community?
•What is valued?
It is very difficult to fairly judge what is truly valued by an organisation after only a few days of interaction. It certainly appears on first impressions that the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Canterbury are deeply committed to supporting their students, to promoting the subject area and trying to establish links with a range of community groups (I have certainly seen no evidence of 'Ivory Tower elitism'). There are clear pressures in terms of funding and administrative requirements that negatively impact on both teaching and research.
•What practices are you noticing? Language and ideas
The most notable first impression regarding 'practices' is the amount of time academic staff have to spend in meetings, getting things organised before undergraduate students arrive. Several have commented that they feel considerable time-pressure to deal with administrative tasks during the 'holiday' while undergraduate students are not on campus
•Is there any special language used?
There are, of course, a great number of 'technical terms' that are used all the time by faculty members when discussing Earth Science. It is interesting to try to translate into 'student language'
Cultural Responsiveness
•What te Āo Māori connections / practices have you seen?
UC are in the late stages of building an interactive 'rock garden' demonstrating NZ geology and rock types. They have not directly dealt with local hāpu/ iwi - rocks have been sourced from comercial quarries. Consideration was given to more direct discussion with iwi groups, but timing/ logistics made this very difficult - University works on 'Western timeframes', while iwi groups are far more relationship based and so processes take much longer.
There is some use of Māori tikanga during meetings, although I think school is further in their journey towards implementation as part of everyday routines.
Personal Learning
What have you learned so far or been surprised by about the culture of science?
Not really surprised, but it is clear that everyone that I have met so far is really passionate about their area of study. There is a notable tension between the desire to carry out research and teaching verses the need to complete administrative tasks.
Not really surprising, but noteworthy that there is a very strong emphasis on observations rather than inferences/ explanations/ conclusions. "You can always change your mind on an inference later, but you can only make observations while you are in the field". It is interesting to contrast Nature of Science in an Earth Science context (where you often 'limited' to going to the field and observing) with 'laboratory science' where you can control variables, do fair tests, etc.
•What do you need to think or learn more about?
Who does what, and who do I need to talk to in order to gain the maximum benefit from my time here. I am keen to update my own knowledge (I have already encountered several local geological 'facts' have changed during the 20 years that I have been in Christchurch), to try to take some of the concepts that I am learning about at UC and make them 'high school student friendly', and to find ways to build links between school and universtiy.
Classroom Teaching
•How does it feel being a novice / learner in this new experience?
Exciting! I love learning, and derive no sense of inferiority/ superiority from knowing less/ more than others about any given topic. The great thing at SEE at UC is that everyone that I have met is really committed and passionate about their work. Everyone is keen to share ideas and the SEE really does feel like a 'safe/ inclusive' place to be, to learn and to share ideas
•What might this feel like for students in your classroom undertaking new experiences or learning in science?
I am aware that in many respects I am not 'normal'. Many people find 'not knowing' and a lack of control or clear plans uncomfortable/ anxiety-inducing. I have been fine over the first few weeks, but I can imagine many of my students being highly stressed with the number of unknowns + rapid change. It has been really valuable to be in the role of ākonga rather than kaiako for the first time in a long time. It has also been quite nice to go on field trips and not be responsible for everyone else!
•What do you need to adapt in your classroom practice to support students?
It has been really reassuring to have supportive and welcoming people around me at the start of my time at UC. This is something that I try to implement as a teacher, but my experiences so far have really focused my attention on how important this is for ākonga. I have the resilience to adapt to unclear and changing plans, which has been very helpful over the first few weeks of the programme. It has been a useful reminder of the importance of giving ākonga clear expectations and plans, but also of the need to help them develop the resilience and skills to manage in real-world situations where they will not always have either control or clear guidance.
Leading Science Development
•What help might your staff need to discover more about how science is done? How might you enable your staff to support their students undertaking new experiences or learning in science?
My primary colleagues need support to develop their knowledge and confidence both in terms of subject-specific Science knowledge and also how to implement the Nature of Science more broadly - the idea of a process of inquiry, rather than a list of 'facts'
Comments
Post a Comment