Rūaumoko to Tātai Aroraki - Our place in Earth and Space

The University of Canterbury has recently opened  a new rock garden (with  website ). Several schools have already contacted UC with interest in visiting the garden. I am working with several faculty members to develop teaching resources that can be used with a range of age groups. We will be focusing on Science Capabilities rather than specific subject knowledge and I am using the lesson planning template shared with us during PLD 1. The aim is to develop lesson plans that can be used by visiting schools either as stand-alone activities or as components within a larger learning programme. During week 17 I had meetings with School of Earth and Environment staff where we discussed possible activities, learning outcomes, extension work and supporting materials. From week 18 I will be taking the lead in producing plans to share with UC to add to their website. We will also make the resources available to the Science Learning Hub.

 Investigation - 'How many washes are needed to get the sulfur smell out of your clothes?' Day 1 - travel to Rotorua + Waimangu Volcanic Valley visit. It would be GREAT to bring a school trip here! Logistically 'challenging' (plus rather expensive) but somewhere SO different to Chch that it is worth the effort. Lesson from university - look for FUNDING; find organisation(s) that are sufficiently aligned that we can get money from them... First thoughts - Gateway and/ or STAR funding from school (possibly some tourism US?) AirNZ might do us a deal? Can incorporate Earth Science and Te Ao Māori. Probably needs significant lead-time = plan for next year. To do: Find best time of year for trip. Definitely makes sense to include for senior students. Mid/ late Term ONE? Funding - check at school + UC for possible contacts Contacts in Rotorua - ask Kura Day 2 - Wananga/ whakapapa From chat with Pete - variety of forms for wharenui + where are 'our' school marae? Rotoru...

The lack of time to think about how your new learning relates to your practice and how it can be incorporated in your lessons is often a major challenge in teaching PLD.  One of the wonderful aspects of being a participant teacher with the STLP is that we have the time to stop, think about and reflect on the material we have covered. I have been giving some thought recently to various theoretical, philosophical and observational views of leadership, from Machiavelli to Jung and how these are displayed in various cultures. The Otago leadership course was clearly influenced by Jungian philosophy/ psychology, with an emphasis of self-awareness, authenticity and the integration of different parts of our personality, and of course through the use of MBTI testing. The idea of trustworthy, honest leaders with a clear sense of purpose and direction, and a vision for the future is very appealing - the leaders we want. The considerably less rosy view of Machiavelli is that there is a tendenc...