You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Teacher testimonials
Wetland Biodiversity
The field trips are informative, exciting and a great learning experience. Relevant to all learners because it used correct language for te reo maori and showed how LEARNZ value te ao maori through the concepts explored. The newsletters were also great, with lots of easy steps.
The field trip provided good enrichment activities with plenty of scope for differentiation. The classes were involved, interested and thinking. They were able to relate the videos to their own experiences and knowledge. The field trips are useful for working collaboratively with other teachers and also as a basis for an enrichment model of gifted and talented education.
Students appreciate information from different, up to date sources and they can work at their pace. Allowed for differentiated learning. Good photos.
The field trip supported all of the Key Competencies, attitudes and values of the NZ Curriculum, and our own school Curriculum.
Student engagement in LEARNZ field trips is always high - they had also recently visited a local wetland. The knowledge students gain from listening to experts, developing questions, reading and viewing the videos and diaries is compelling learning! Highly motivating for students and teacher workload is reduced!
9 out of 10 of my children felt that they enjoyed this way of learning, and I can see a deeper curiosity for the world around them. They were able to take away more information than I thought possible.
The answers were in-depth from the three experts for the areas that we are investigating. An easy way to conduct a field trip. Also very accessible for those with learning challenges.
This type of learning appealed to my Year 6 boys. It's a good way to use ICT in the classroom for learning interesting topics. It can be flexible and self-managed. It was helpful being able to access it online to suit our timetable and good that students could access the information at home.
LEARNZ adds depth to a study, and purposeful inquiry for reading groups. The background reading and the videos gave students a wide appreciation of the diversity of our native wetlands.
Embedded LEARNZ and then went on our own field trip to Cleardale Wetland. More on my Blog.
Geohazards
Our topic this term is actually civil defence and I used this field trip as motivation. Living on the lower slopes of Mt Taranaki the volcano parts were our particular focus and as my class are year 2-4 we used the fabulous videos and the photos in the gallery. The class have gained a huge understanding even from what we have used. There was a lot of information they could access with a little guidance, and they really enjoyed it. It was also easily accessed by the special needs children with their teacher aides.
Up-to-date, relevant, interesting and provides a great framework for computer assisted research while at the same time students are developing social and cooperative skills. Particularly useful as we were specifically looking at Tsunami. Information is culturally relevant and there is a wide range of resources so all learners in my class can achieve, accomplish something.
Pitched to range of levels - many students are visual learners so the videos and photo gallery are especially useful. Ability to revisit info and to pace themselves as they read through the background notes is also good.
My class were hooked and the videos were great as they helped my kids understand geohazards better (visual). The class are now planning their next steps 'how to prepare'. I will use LEARNZ again as it provides interesting topics that affect my class and ensures they develop their own thinking/questions to explore (what now? what next?). Also oportunities for research, reading and exploring non fiction texts, science case and effect.
Childern learnt a lot about geohazards in NZ, other than just earthquakes. So easy to incorporate into the programme; can 'take' children to parts of NZ that we are too far away from; can access any time after the trip begins; has good range of material that engages children eg photos and videos and background pages...
Extremely valid topic for our students, given our locality. Having experts is powerful. The students enjoyed the virtual learning environment and gained skills in cooperation and collaboration. The opportunities to actually be in many of these places is too cost prohibitive, so this provides an authentic learning environment.
A neat and different way to engage kids.
My class will be studying the 1931 Napier Earthquake, so the background pages and activities were very useful for the Natural processes aspect. Other supplementary information was interesting and slighty connected to our topic. My class use online activities to supplement their book class work. A virtual learning experience is very engaging for students. It is also useful for them to revisit the recorded trip when revising for the exam. My students don't get many opportunities to go on actual field trips, this is the next best thing. Relevant.
It gave real life situations to our study. My Maori student liked the fact that the list of geothermal (Ngawha) terms were able to be related to the study. The videos were great - most enjoyable. Students gained skills in note taking as well as knowledge which they later used to write a report on the Tarawera eruption. We are going to the buried village for a class trip so the children are very excited about what they will see.
Enables chn to get experience of environments they may otherwise not get and interact with real scientists. Special needs pupils enjoyed the computer simulations. Maori pupils appreciate the Maori explanations of geo happenings.
As an introduction to the the topic, this was based at an ideal level. Students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were able to share new learning. Questions gave them a focus and they were directed to information that helped them build understanding. The programme is set up in such a way that all students were able to participate. The way it is formatted into sections removes barriers for students who would otherwise have found it difficult. Awesome way of extending understanding and knowledge about our country.
Great field trip, extremely relevant to our local area and the geohazards we have here. Was informative for my students to learn about the hazards and safety neccessary in our area. Learnt key competencies and also how to be well prepared in case of an emergency. They (LEARNZ virtual field trips) are fantastic and interactive for all that participate not just the students; they are in the now so very relevant for what is happening in our world.
Memorial Park
Student engagement in this media platform is apparent, they love it! From students who need support through to students who require extension, Learnz field trips have been able to be implemented in the classroom to meet all needs. There was parental involvement and interest in this topic, with more learning conversations happening at home. This programme will be picked up in our senior classroom because of the success and engagement from students in my Year 2-4 class.
This is by far the best learning experience we can offer 21st Century elearners. We use the iPads to follow the virtual field trip from go to whoa. This field trip definitely captured the interest of the boys in the class because it was technical, involving digging machinery, geology and archeology.
Takahē
This is a fantastic programme. The field trips are well organised and highly informative. The field trip catered to the learning needs and abilities of my diverse year 3 class. Special needs students were able to access the same information as their classmates, using listening tools and videos so that they could take part in class discussions. My higher ability students were able to complete their own online research.
LEARNZ field trips provide an inclusive blended elearning programme that has heightened student learning and enthusiasm for learning in my class. The information available to support planning and implementation of classroom programmes is amazing. The curriculum integration opportunities LEARNZ field trips presents has provided my students with a rich literacy programme. Parent feedback from our annual teaching and learning survey provided positive feedback about how effective and apparent the students learning is when participating on a LEARNZ field trip.
My Reading programme was never so engaging. The background pages provided a realistic context. I gave the class the Takahe 20 Questions before we began and then after the field trip - the improvement was quite amazing.
LEARNZ field trips are a good tool to provide a context to a Science programme at the Y7-9 level. Our topic was focused on L4 of curriculum looking at NZ birds with regards to conservation. Used one activity for national standard assessment.
Geospatial
Specific information on tools used in the field of earthquake science. Excellent visual resources are a vivid method of relating facts and information, particularly for special needs learners
My Year 9 class liked the fact that the experts' answers were not too technical. The field trip was a different delivery format that the students enjoyed.
Most students were able to understand the technical terms in the resources, particularly the better readers. Excellent for career guidance. In-depth field trip helps reduce the isolation of our rural school.
It was great for all children in my class, and I have Māori, Pasifika and special needs learners. Tied in excellently to our inquiry with a science focus and gave my children another avenue to explore, if they chose to, and exposure to a real world context.
This work compliments our unit on Earthquakes which works towards Geo 1.1. The Activities were interesting, set at the right level and engaged my students.
I'll use LEARNZ again because there is so much information for my Year 10 Social Studies class. There is the personal touch of having Shelley and the people she engages with and the kids knowing they are part of something national. I also like that they become familiar with different ways to access learning.
Wandering Whales
Learning outcomes for the students are excellent. Curriculum based, level appropriate, supports e-learning. Students are focused and very motivated, with opportunities to follow own line of inquiry. Special needs learners are easily catered for within the levels provided - programme is flexible and can be easily adjusted.
Students loved it - really got into whaling debate. Loved the audioconferences. Great learning experience - we use SOLO and all students moved their learning.
It is an excellent way to get the children excited about a topic - especially when we can't physically go out and do it. They experienced learning in a different way - a way that otherwise we couldn't give them. Children learnt a lot about types of whales - and got excited to watch the next video update.
It would be one of the richest learning experiences I have experienced with a class.
Northern Wetlands
As we were going to a local wetland for our own field trip it was really beneficial for the students to see another one first hand and then were able to make comparisons. The level pitched was right and the students were motivated throughout. Coverage is excellent, it is in kidspeak. Great to have the Maori perspective, vocabulary etc - we ALL used it.
Having our ambassador go along created real buy in for the children.
All Our Yr 5-7 students took part. The audio conference in particular was great for all our kids.
For students, the 'big idea' that what they do does count. Fabulous 'virtual' trip for low decile schools. Great for English language learners.
Inquiry into a real location and environment in Aotearoa. Children liked the audio conference, videos, and having an ambassador! My first time so in future I will include the readings as part of literacy and use the field trip for persuasive writing.
Andrew's videos were awesome. His interview questions and video shots provided a solid insight into the area and associated issues.
Found the information about local iwi on the field trip relevant and the relationship with what they are doing to protect the area. Age level appropriate and high interest.
We will use LEARNZ again because it is a wonderful and free resource.
Learners loved the bilingual words!
Fitted well with our topic "Our Planet is in Danger". Good quality, interesting material, flexibility in how much to use and when. Freedom to adapt and do it our way and use as little or as much as we need.
I love the integrated approach and potential. It is very useful to a small group of diverse ages (Y9-13) and backgrounds because I can always find 'an entry point' for everyone. My students are hospitalised ... the field trips are like a window on the outside world for them.
The virtual field trip caters for all types of learning. Students enjoy doing the worksheets and researching them. Information pages are appropriate to their level. Videos are engaging and the questions help direct the students to focus in on the learning.
Very appropriate - local area made it more relevant and has led into our term 2 project. Students were able to look at local and global issues. They used research skills and inquiry processes - specifically relevant as they are well set out for students to follow.
Freshwater Ecology
It tied in with our statistics unit, collecting data and using it to make a difference and to advise. My class love when they can view things through the data projector and it was helpful to generate discussion. Students were kept motivated and were also interested in the jobs available in this field. LEARNZ fits with all learners.
Following the Inquiry model for the field trip meant students were co-constructing their own learning. It provides current and informative resources. Students were able to form good research questions.
Students were captivated by this context. An outstanding resource to facilitate effective learning.
We are planting our local waterway so this field trip helped the students understand why and how and where and when. "Wai Care?" was our focus for the term - used this field trip extensively.
First time we tried a field trip - so much potential - it was great. We were learning together. Great timing for Te Wiki o Te Reo - Maori place names.
My class is very multi-cultural and has a varied spread of ability. The field trip allowed an inclusive learning programme to take place where every student felt success! All students were highly engaged and motivated ... I cannot emphasise this enough as the field trip created such a buzz of excitement, they could hardly wait to see what was happening within the field trip every day. As a teacher it was an exhilarating experience to see every student caught up in the learning. The knowledge the students gained from the field trip developed critical thinking skills. Everything is available on the LEARNZ website - it's a wonderful resource that creates real life science experiences for students. As a teacher it is easy to navigate the website and use the resources available. It also enables me as a teacher to creatively adapt resources/ knowledge for the students in my class.
It gave a real context for elaborating on the aqueous chemistry we are studying. It gave a chance to explore a 'real world' environment from the comfort of our classroom, without spending the time and resources to commit to a full-blown field trip.
It is a fun and educational way for the students to learn. It gives the opportunity for students to view places they may never get the opportunity to see.
They are so relevant to the children who are at an impressionable age. They are now telling others what we should all be doing re health of our water sources. They were so focussed upon the videos and the short reading tasks held their attention and were relevant to what we were doing. The cultural component was relevant to all children, not specifically to just Maori or Pasifika ones. It is such a great resource for teachers and students alike.
Supports the school curriculum in innovative ways. We live in this area and students recognised many visual features and people interviewed. It reinforced classroom learnings as it linked to this term's curriculum studies.
It is real time, here and now as well as New Zealand info and presenters which all makes it more authentic learning for children. The field trips offer current visual, aural and authentic learning for children, without a huge amount of time and preparation on the teachers part. The teacher can learn along side the children. It's easy to access, well planned and organised and encourages a passion for our beautiful country.
Outstanding programme. Children were able to visit another locality and compare it to our work with DoC on our local river. Added an extra dimension to our Inquiry. Our special needs students enjoyed the visuals and were able to contribute to class discussions.
The experience that my students got was fabulous. They gained skills in manaakitanga, independent learning, and the ability to refine questions through inquiry. All my students, in particular my boys, thoroughly enjoyed the activities Beforehand, a lot of my students did not understand the magnitude of sustainability but there was lots of information that helped students understand it in the context of freshwater ecology. As a bi lingual class my students enjoyed using the Māori kupu in our word wall, using them in conversations with their peers and asking lots of questions about the Māori kupu in general.
Having a variety of reading levels and activities helped the children to participate well. I have Pasifika children who thoroughly enjoyed the trip and participated fully - even forming the questions and talking on the audio conference. It gave us an opportunity to do some learning that was way outside our resources and actual ability to 'be there'. It gave a wider perspective to our thinking about water.
As we are going to all these places for our school camp in September it was awesome to give them some background and really light the fire of the students. The activities were at the right level and there was a range of interesting things to do. The kids were very enthusiastic and were looking forward to each new day and what was happening to the experts. The learning they got from it was very real. I have got some amazing writing from the students as they try to explain complex terms like ecology and such like. It was a really good experience for me and my class, they learnt a lot about the topic and themselves. Brilliant. Have already recommended to many colleagues both in my school and at other schools.
Effective because it took my class to a place that they would not necessarily get to in reality. Provided good information at an appropriate level.
We found it really interesting and helpful towards our inquiry topic "Wai Care". It gave us a whole new perspective on nature and wildlife. We enjoyed feeling like we were out there with you experiencing it. LEARNZ ... helps all learners.
Kids Restore the Kepler
We are looking at setting up tracking tunnels at school as we prepare for a lizard garden, so to see the kids here doing the same was hugely encouraging. It was great to discuss conservation issues and compare Kepler's challenges with our own.
Well planned, organised, interesting, and good interactive stuff for the students.
It linked to our sustainability unit. We liked it because we felt we were there and the scientists connected with us.
Great info from fantastic experts guiding us through a real conservation/science issue. Fitted perfectly with our term unit on Native Plants and Animals. More from Chris on the VLN.
Fantastic learning experiences for the students. Māori kupu were also used and enveloped in our vocabulary wall.
The biggest benefit was being able to relate to it on a personal level and also to be able to follow up on it in our local community.
The field trip was appropriate for my Year 7 class and the Year 10 class we worked with. History, tikanga and Te Reo included in background pages provided relevance to Maori students.
Related it to our small area of bush at school. So far we have set a trap, the same type as was in the video. Special needs loved the video presentations and gained from them.
Fits beautifully with our upcoming Term 3 inquiry as to how we can help in our community.
Hooked them in from the beginning - ambassadors/videos - high interest activities. Helped the children to focus on our concept of "taonga". Authentic learning that helps all children through the use of various learning styles. Great for helping to differentiate the programme for the wide range of children in my class.
Students were able to really get their teeth into this topic. With the local resources also coming to the party it was a great way to learn about our native flora and fauna. Allowed the students to feel like they were actually there on the trip!
Resources were very easy to download and adapt for our students with specific needs. Our school had a Maori Community Hui during the trip and feedback directly from parents of children in the class was extremely positive. Great to be able to follow from home as well.
I have a student who cannot read or write yet he was able to watch the videos as part of a whole class activity and orally contribute, just like everyone else. Engagement of the students, they said they did no real work watching the videos and completing the questions independently, however the level of understanding was higher than is typically observed from text based resources.
The activities suited cooperative work. The māori perspective was relevant throughout. We loved the vocab lists on each background activity. Again learning in a real context for the children - of all abilities and cultures makes it truly meaningful.
Project Crimson
I find the field trips a great way of introducing vocab and scientific language to students. As well as teaching inquiry skills and science knowledge students are reading for information and engaging with text, video and audio information to present findings.
Great to learn about our New Zealand icons. I always enjoy Learnz and have been using it for the last 6 or 7 years because it is an absolute gem to all teachers and students.
It complements my classroom programme and provides fantastic learning opportunities undercover of ICT.
They are well planned and provide us with a link to experts and sites we would not usually visit. Excellent for developing literacy and numeracy in a purposeful context.
The students found the videos and photos to be very interesting. They developed their knowledge of pest threats in NZ and also developed a positive attitude to how they can help with campaigns like Project Crimson & Living Legends. LEARNZ is an excellent programme.
It is a great way to learn. Students are made aware of important conservation issues in a fun way. The various activities cover a variety of learning styles.The topics can often be linked to local communities.
It matched our concept for the term 'Our Place' - the way we interact with living things affects our place. We will use LEARNZ again because it motivates the students, information is at your fingertips, it has well informed experts and it's lots of fun.
Many of our reading and writing strategies and progressions were able to be met by the field trip, as well as integrating our topic studies. I also used the diary readings as a shared reading activity, which was great. Students recorded questions throughout the audio conferences and we posted them in the Ask an Expert forum. Shelley responded that evening and we were able to integrate that into the classroom programme the next day. The students loved seeing their personal questions answered.
It was perfect for exploring our theme - Bounce Back / Adapt. My students loved talking to an expert.
Canterbury Earthquakes
We are inquiring into how natural forces shape the earth so information about earthquakes as a force was very relevant The field trips deepen children's understandings and are a means of the girls making local connections to global situations.
Provides access to areas that we can not just jump in a van and travel to.
Such a simple way to support science and social studies in the classroom and audio conferences actively engage students with information.
The way the scientist answered made the children feel valued and that he was very interested in their ideas.
The students were able to learn a range of new things in relation to Earthquakes. I was impressed with their questions they came up with from the background reading pages. They were very much engaged, especially with the videos and audioconferences. It is a unique way of learning for the students.
The questions were excellent and the short videos really helped to maintain the boys' interest. Because there are visual/ audio resources it meant that the learning was more accessible to everyone.
Used with Year 11 geography. Explained the natural processes well.
Linked into our Bounce Back school wide theme. This project was brilliant for exploring how humans adapt to disasters. Awesome way to engage all learners, the activities, audio conferences, video diaries - just excellent!
Very helpful for my Overseas and distance students who are studying extreme natural disasters for NCEA level 1. Great videos, pictures and activities.