Rūaumoko to Tātai Aroraki - Our place in Earth and Space

Hopeful signs for the begging of the course? Actually no, just a caution that rain was on the way...   

Monday: Te Tiriti Can be a long/ hard process, but worth the effort: 3x Principal Ps: Participation, Protection & Partnership 3x Cs: Confusing, Controversial & Challenging Tuesday - Science Capabilities I    How to leverage simple activities to achieve deeper learning.  Wednesday -  Science Capabilities II  Gathering and Interpreting Data - Lots of air experiments. Observation^3 Thursday -  Science Capabilities III  Mihimihi => SCAFFOLDING knowledge - Using evidence, planning Friday -  Science Capabilities IV  Talk prompts ( reading ) Using evidence, planning + Mātauranga ARGH - so much to think about and process. By the end of Friday my brain was frazzled - too much analysing/ thinking/ reflecting, rather than new information.

After a month in the UC School of Earth and Environment, much investigation has been observed! I have spent most of my time with the Geologists, with a little Environmental Science investigating insect populations. Whether working in the field to formal laboratory sessions, the vast majority of investigations have been ' classifying  and identifying ', with some ' exploring ' in the field and also some ' pattern seeking '. So far I have not really observed any  investigating models, fair  testing, making things, or developing systems.  This is certainly in part due to the nature of Earth Sciences - where there is 'no planet B' and there are often multiple complex and interacting variables, often with limited or no ability to control variables. This is an almost total reverse of most high school science lessons, where there is a focus on fair testing and testing models (" proper science") with occasional tangents into making things or developin...

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 stud...

"Seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing" A week of introductions and forging new connections. And administration. So many names and faces to learn, forms to fill, profiles to write. And so many opportunities.  Already I can see many, many possibilities for the next five months and beyond.  Possibly my greatest challenge will be to restrain myself from trying to grab every conceivable opportunity - and in trying to do everything, do nothing well. Everyone that I have met so far in the University of Canterbury School of Earth and Environment, from post-grad students through to the Head of School, has been really welcoming and enthusiastic.