You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Teacher testimonials
Whats the Plan Stan?
This trip was extremely uselful as our inquiry in Term Four is "Keeping Ourselves Safe". Insights from the experts were particularly effective for my class.
Very effective not only because of its relevance to the area we live in but also because it enables students to think critically and develop connections within our community. Using LEARNZ trips encourages me to leverage digitally into other areas of my teaching.
It was a good starting unit for our term theme of survival and sustainability. The web site structure allowed them to take ownership of their learning and explore. Overall, it was a good way for students to hear from an expert and gain knowledge and insight.
Explanations were clear and my classroom were buzzing all week about the content. Students were keen to research and find out more information, they also spoke to their families about emergency plans and kits at home. Awesome fit for our school inquiry "Keeping myself Safe and Healthy".
Fantastic resource that our class really enjoyed once again. Thank you. Great planning guide. Easy to use and informative.
This was effective, interesting and aimed at the students' ability, with interesting quizzes too. Students learned a lot and they enjoyed the videos, which generated a lot of discussion. It was good not to be the one imparting the information, to have experts explain how things happen.
Allowed us look at geology as well as Civil Defence. Appropriate and effective.
A LEARNZ field trip is such a great motivator. The visuals meant that all students could participate in this field trip during ShakeOut.
The background material was appropriate for my class and we asked a question in the live web conference, which was well answered.
I always enjoy the LEARNZ Field Trips. They enhance my teaching.
Complemented the Key Competencies like self-management and organisation in terms of thinking about your own situation, talking to family about advanced planning etc.
We gained valuable information from the experts. We practised 'Managing Self' while completing the web conference task sheets.
LEARNZ virtual fieldtrips are incredibly engaging. There is plenty of supportive material, the experts are effective communicators with a wealth of knowledge, and the experience really gets the children buzzing! Thanks for everything you do!
The children were engaged and enjoyed having their questions answered in real time. All the background material with links to NZC was fantastic and we could weave this in to our reading, writing, health and science learning.
Waste not Wasted
Highly valuable integrated learning. Inclusive. This field trip helped students develop knowledge and understanding of the 5R's of waste management, as they did not have this before, and to think about making a difference by reducing waste.
Children were highly engaged with the (e)learning. Having the children's own questions answered was so valuable and we loved the link to SOLO, supporting children going from surface to deep. We loved how the children could listen to the background pages not just having to read them. The unit was integrated so well across the learning areas of NZC.
I have been really surprised about the increase in engagement I have seen because we sent our class ambassador on the trip. The video and photo content made the experience accessible to all of my Year 3-4 students. Overall it was great for NZC: Vision - sustainability and environment, Values - community and sustainability, Principles - Community engagement and future focus, Key Competencies (all five), Learning Areas - English and Social Science (but could be linked to any other).
We really enjoyed being a speaking school. We used all the components of the field trip web site - Background pages, Interactive Activities, Photos and Captions, Māori Keywords, Videos, Web Conferences, Ambassadors.
Dual heritage - Shared future
This field trip was highly engaging for our akonga/students. Once I understood how to use the site better, it was a terrific teaching resource. It provided what I feel was a "living" experience. Akonga could explore their learning, in a way, as they would if they were there.
I really enjoy the experience of using the LEARNZ field trip as it adds to classroom experiences by being relevant, authentic and with experts adds real value to the children's learning. I use the field trips when the topic is relevant to one that I am already completing with my class, rather than add in as an extra.
Appropriate, as it added to the class learning on our topic of Explorers. The field trip allowed for independent work such as reading background pages and completing activities but it also enabled me to have authentic extension reading activities for my top reading groups.
This field trip beautifully complimented our work on Tuia 250. Really good for Treaty of Waitangi, Māori history - te Ao Māori, and Social Science.
Ahuahu Great Mercury Island
The field trip created opportunities for our Maori students to share their new learning with their whanau and ask questions to deepen their own understanding of important places for their iwi and whanau.
The learning in the field trip fitted perfectly with our Social Science focus for the term and was an appropriate level for my Year 7/8 class. It also linked in with Science Fair work - so helped keep students engaged.
My students enjoy being able to read and listen to the background pages so they can all do the interactive quizzes, which is also a great motivation for the boys in my class as it brings out their competitive nature!
We got some great deep learning happening and it brought up a lot of questions from the students. During the learning there was a lot of reference to language as well as values; both the NZC ones and our own school ones.
It put tikanga Maori into a real-life situation. Videos were especially interesting. Good way of showing how kaupapa Maori ways relate to modern conservationist thinking in NZ.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the field trip to Ahuahu Great Mercury Island. Although it was a virtual trip, the concept of interacting with real people, animals and landscape made it seem very real and helped them to connect their learning. Sending an ambassador was awesome for the students too! Principles, Values, Key Competencies and Learning Areas of the NZ Curriculum were all very well supported in the field trip.
This class is a bilingual class. We particularly appreciate the integration of matauranga Maori approaches into LEARNZ field trips, such as this one. This field trip was particularly good at supporting curiosity and helping support our ideas about culturally located curriculum and Maori achievement.
Great reading resource. Fresh and up to date. Great for students to view videos and photos. Brings other places and people to us.
Students said they loved learning about the history of Ahuahu and the eradication of pests (dear to their hearts) and really enjoyed learning about archaeology, which for most of them was very new.
The archaeology theme helped make my lessons/teaching culturally responsive. I love being part of this learning too. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be on the journey as well!!
More than just a virtual trip for us; as we live in Whitianga it is very relevant for our tamariki on so many levels and the TUIA commemoration adds to that. The nature of LEARNZ means you can utilise the resources how you see fit, and it is easy to adapt to be appropriate no matter the level of your students.
Our unit had a strong Maori Achievement focus - we really appreciate the links that the field trip allowed us to make to early Maori, and the cultural DNA of being explorers and innovators. This allowed us to link to the learning competencies and vision of the NZC.
Map my Waahi
I used the background pages with my class, as they fitted really well with my unit plan.
Because of the secondary timetable, I found it more useful for me (than my class) as PD on how to include digital ideas into the classroom. We did create a digital map in the last lesson of term so the field trip inspired me to have a go at something new with my class.
It was great that our students had access to real people; students from other schools and experts. We were most interested in the pepeha sections but used the web conferences (live and replay), the videos, and the activities on the web site.
The videos with children of a similar age explaining what they were doing, and why, created a real link to the kids in my class and great motivation to take part. The sense of belonging for ALL my class no matter what their heritage was reinforced by the work we undertook as a result of this field trip.
Rail Safety
My students were able to relate to the content easily. Material naturally provided support for reinforcing the Key Competencies - Managing self and Relating to others. Cost effective way to bring authentic learning and experts into the classroom.
Brought NZC alive e.g. "Participating and contributing" to create questions, as well as "Relating to others" by practising asking questions of experts. A sense of community and commitment extended from class group to wider world. Extended student view of He Waka Eke Noa.
Natural Hazards
The live web conference was an excellent experience for my students to connect with experts. It has sparked more curiosity for the students and has led well into their scientific inquiries.
This provided our students with experts in their fields. It allowed us to connect with them more easily. It made direct links to the learning of their world around them and connections to where they are from.
Great for student centred learning, Māori content and access to experts. Always a range of technical terms and information that can be adapted to suit my Y12 Geo class.
Sustainable Seas
Year 10 students used it as part of an inquiry topic. Students enjoyed exploring an area of NZ that most had not visited.
The reading background pages are well designed, with easier options and the audio button, so every student is included regardless their ability. The scientific content extended learning, the environmental message was strong, and students felt empowered to manage themselves better in protecting our natural environment.
Learnz field trips (like this) help to make the learning context real. The range of field trips is well chosen and covers all interests. It supports the teacher with great background pages and gives students the opportunity to listen to experts. There is something for any culture and special needs.
All students were able to access information and deepen their understanding regardless of their reading level. A great resource with expert knowledge being shared with learners. Opportunities available for students that we can not provide.
It's not like other learning material where recordings are years old - it's happening right here, right now. Great use of technology. It improved my Year 7 students' understanding, which allowed us to branch out into learning about food webs and our local marine area; the Kaipara Harbour.
Provided opportunity for collaborative learning around our current topic inquiry, so encompassing the Key Competencies, particularly Thinking and Managing Self.
This was my first Field trip and it was in the middle of an actual beach trip so we were able to make a lot of links with our learning and real life. The real life connections with experts, the live videos and the interactive activities all supported students to gain agency of their own learning.
The learning was relevant to our own estuary study and at a level my Year 5/6 children understood. This field trip hooked them in; students became curious and built their own scientific understanding of how habitats thrive.
People and Water
Hand-picked videos for my senior science class to show practical applications of theory. They help link an NCEA chemistry topic to the real world and show participation of science in the local community.
Allowed students to access information they would have struggled to find themselves and inspired independent study on questions students raised. This is an excellent multimedia resource with differentiated learning that supports an inclusive curriculum.
We used the videos to connect with our conceptual learning topic of sharing our world. Appropriate and effective.
Appropriate and effective, especially for Kaitiakitanga. Students particularly liked looking and watching the updates.
The videos were good because they were short and they were 'in the field'. This field trip was part of our "Finding out about water" unit and so it had some useful information. The field trip medium means it is a future-focused way of delivering information and has the potential to connect students to other students' lives while covering a range of learning areas.
Good to have a variety of ways to understand the Water topic such as web conferences, quizzes, background information etc.
Matariki and Navigation
Fantastic background information for my students; they all really enjoyed it. Great resource that all students and teachers should use.
We were able to relate this field trip to our learning around literacy, science, social science & the arts. The setup of the material encouraged students to work both collaboratively & independently.
This field trip lent itself so naturally to exploring space in a NZ context. Students loved learning about our sky & our history as navigators.This was powerful for my Māori learners as it showed sophistication they were not previously aware of.
It integrated well with the NZ Curriculum i.e. Thinking, Managing self, Relating to others, Participating and contributing, High expectations, Treaty of Waitangi, and Future focus.
Appropriate as my class was investigating this topic. This is another way to connect my students' learning to a wider community and it let my students see that other kids ask similar questions.
Good background and build-up to Matariki. Prompted cultural awareness and discussions.
Students really enjoyed it and were really engaged. They feel able to connect with their history and it has opened up discussions about our own past.
As this was about Matariki and Navigation, it was of interest to my Maori and Pasifika students and showed them that we valued their stories. Excellent opportunity for all my students to learn in areas that would otherwise be inaccessible and from people they can't access locally.
I have found the LEARNZ website an invaluable tool to support the learning needs of my class.
This coincided with our Inquiry and the class were fully engaged with the content. The learning is accessible, with differentiated activities that allow the class to learn at their own rate. All the key competencies, principles, values and different learning areas were covered. Promoted inclusion of Māori students, who were encouraged to show their knowledge and share their views.
A very integrated topic - you could could explore a myriad of Principles, Values and Key Competencies within it. LEARNZ trips are great - I like to participate in at least 2 every year and I love that I learn alongside my students.
Encourages thinking. Culturally responsive. Appropriate access to relevant and current topics for my Y10 Geo class.
Topic relevant to students (and whanau). Videos well paced and interesting. Background pages provide an authentic independent reading activity. All of the key competencies are addressed through the various activities.
Meaningful and relevant content for students, pitched at an appropriate level for our multi-age classroom. Having the opportunity to interact and ask questions in real time was appreciated and is valuable.
Relevant topic and info that fully engaged my students.
Engaging, motivating, easy to use, great resources, tailor-made for busy teachers to implement. Resources fully support an integrated approach. Thoughtfully curated. Children loved the digital content and videos. Rankings via quizzes very motivating for my class.
Love it! There are connections to all of the Key Competencies and Learning Areas as students become engaged by the 'Real People' behind the information. Also gives students an opportuntity to connect with others in an authentic digital experience.
Our focus this term was "Exploration" and this trip linked beautifully with this. We have many Pacifica students in our class and it enabled them to make connections to their heritage, culture and history.
My students loved it - it sparked lots of independent learning and sharing learning with whānau about Matariki. We fully participated in the web conferences, both as a listening class and as a speaking class.
It fitted in exactly with what we are studying, and my students really responded well to hearing information from different people and in different ways. The web conferences were particularly empowering and transforming for my four dyslexic learners, as their questions were chosen as "best and deepest".
Loved it! I have used LEARNZ field trips before but not with an ambassador, which just made it! This field trip was also incredibly empowering for our Maori and Pasifika learners!
In the web conferences, I find the guest speakers and hearing the other schools' questions makes our learning authentic and relateable.
All aspects outlined in the planning for this field trip were easy to connect to the NZ Curriculum documentation. The newsletters were informative and useful, but I also found what I needed in the online help. My students have already asked when our next LEARNZ trip will be.
The class were motivated and excited by the learning, as the field trip gave students the opportunity to strengthen their own identity and cultural connections/ whakapapa. In addition, I tried new ICT aspects linked to the field trip and explored the concepts of 'Cultural Narratives' and 'Social Mapping'.
Totally appropriate as we have spent the term focussing on our origins and how our ancestors reached NZ. For the Māori children, in particular, the story of Kupe was perfect.
Trips like this are great because all of the students can access the material, not just the capable readers, as so much of the content is video based. Being able to access the material after the event is also great.
This field trip allowed my students to engage with Matariki in a new and interesting way. My students used all the key competencies and were given complete responsibility for sharing their new knowledge; we ended up with 2 raps, a play, a pop-up book and a speech. It was awesome.
This field trip is a great experience and learning for students and teachers alike. It caters particularly well to the High Expectation, Inclusion, Cultural diversity and Treaty of Waitangi Principles. All students have access to the knowledge offered by the audio option, and learning of Te Reo words, history and culturally different points of view are being taught.
Content was perfect for our topic this term on navigators. The children's sense of belonging and dual heritage was reinforced as we discussed the videos and as our more able readers supported those less able in reading the background pages.
BioBlitz
Supported all of the KC's, the Nature of Science and the science capabilities.
In this virtual field trip, the students studied creatures while learning about the concepts of biodiversity and conservation so we built our Inquiry around native animals. We decided to go to the Groynes and check out creatures there. We also looked at the wildlife at Willowbank.
Helped my teaching practice, as this BioBlitz field trip was a helpful tool to differentiate my teaching. Students enjoy a different form of lesson delivery, too.
The content was pitched perfectly for Year 7 & 8 tamariki. As part of our unit of inquiry based around ecosystems & biodiversity, there were strong curriculum links. The word bank helped build our te reo Māori too.
It was really appropriate as we learnt how to do a Bio Blitz in our own backyard - which we did! Helped us in the key Learning Area of Science - provided extra information, motivation and a wider NZ focus on the environment. Also added to the kete of useful add-ons to make my teaching better.
It followed on very well from the inquiry we have been doing into the plants in our local native bush. The most noticeable impact was a increase in our classes' scientific vocab. Great opportunity to communicate and collaborate with others outside of our school.
We have been focussing on collaboration so students used this unit to work together to find information and monitor their own learning. It was easy for the children to navigate and use the website independently.
The learners were excited by the theme of the trip and carried out their own BioBlitz as a result. LEARNZ provides great resources and exciting opportunities for our learners to hear from experts in the field and to see practical applications for their learning.
It fitted in with our next unit "Living Landscapes" and my students' interets in NZ spiders. It was my first time doing a live web conference and my class and I found it to be enjoyable, especially hearing from the experts, and they learned about the etiquette of that situation.
Unpacking the apple story
It was really effective. I had some brilliant writing, especially from my Maori and Pasifika students as they knew so much about the topic. Good for reading and maths and also relevant for Science Fair and for our Enviro groups.
As a school our Inquiry was Biosecurity. This was a fantastic resource for the class. The content of the field trip made it accessible for all members of the class; they were all able to experience it.
This "Apples" field trip was very appropriate for my year 7 class. It highlighted at the beginning how little my students know about primary industries but it sparked their interest and lots of wonderings and questions, which has now led students off into their own inquiries. The field trip provided great support for literacy.
Great to have a primary industry field trip and a set of videos that can be used as the basics for Level 3 Apple Production for Year 13 AgHort. Would love more on other primary industry production processes in NZ.
This field trip could not have been timed better, and it allowed our class to experience the entire Apple industry from a safe environment. Invaluable! Perfect for learning about sustainability in horticulture and all the different processes from growing an apple all the way through to marketing.