Research: Envisioning Student Possible Selves in Science
Addressing "plant blindness" through place-based education
The research team included Chloe Stantiall from Silverdale Primary School, Natalie Thompson from Berkley Middle School, Nick Bryant (Ngā Puhi and Ngāti Whātua) from Matamata College as partners and co-investigators with Bronwen Cowie, Katarina Edmonds, and Maurice Cheng of the University of Waikato. We co-planned six teaching sequences across three schools, and co-designed data collection and analysis strategies suitable for students.
Project goals:
- Develop students’ understanding of science concepts and practices through a place-based approach to teaching with a focus on plants.
- Foster student ‘possible selves’ that encompass being a citizen who makes active use of science, and in some cases, someone who might become a scientist.
Research questions:
- What can place-based plant-focused science teaching and learning sequences look like?
- In what ways do the teaching and learning sequences (kūmara, kōwhai and harakeke) help develop students’ botanical sense of place?
- In what ways do the teaching and learning sequences inform student views and assist them to envision science-related possible selves?
Click on the button link above to visit the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative website, where you can scroll to the bottom and download PDF versions of either the full research report or the summary poster.
The Science Learning Hub also hosted a webinar with teacher Chloe Stantiall, about the use of mātauranga Māori in the classroom from the perspective of a Pākehā educator. Related resources about kōwhai teaching and learning sequence she used are also shared and there are further links provided. Click here to visit the SLH page.