You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Teacher testimonials
Love your Rubbish
I love the authenticity of the experience. Being able to tangibly hold something (the liner that was sent to enrolled classes) and discuss the layers of the landfill, it was very powerful and got the kids thinking.
The field trip supported our delivery of the curriculum - especially having the ambassador, as he gave an added interest and focus. Students found it user-friendly and easy to access on our Chromebooks.
This field trip was so appropriate for my class - they really enjoyed it and were excited to receive the 3 liner samples from the landfill at Kate Valley. As a teacher, this LEARNZ field trip has seen me use more technology in the classroom, while still including activities like interviews and visiting speakers.
The children all understood and could remember the waste process because of the clarity of the message from the videos.
Great way to have EOTC without leaving the classroom. Very visual and it was awesome that they sent us a sample of the liner material they use for the landfill.
The students were very interested and challenged throughout this virtual field trip. It was very appropriate, as we are completing an Inquiry on "Our Environment". The online support section was comprehensive and well organised.
The definition of waste was a fantastic platform for discussion. Getting the layers from the lining of Kate Valley was very cool and made it that bit more interactive.
Fabulous topic. Very easy and user friendly website, accessible for everyone. Thanks for sending the sample of the liner material used in landfills - it was very effective to see and feel the liner, and it covers a big area of technology.
Looking at Landfills as intro to our Sustainability study and being able to access your fabulous resources and view audio conferences, fitted in so well. Samples (of the landfill liner) sent to us were an extra bonus.
The trip supported the Curriculum values by enabling students to work in differing capacities. LEARNZ gives me the opportunitiy to share experiences from all over NZ with the students in my class whose life experiences may be limited.
The trip was very effective for my class as we had just finished a school inquiry based on the Invercargill estuary which had been used as the city dump. It inspires students to do something about their environment or begins conversations about how life used to be and how things change, such as the new technology that has been used to make the Kate Valley landfill safe for the environment.
The field trip fitted with our environment and sustainability topic and saved a lot of resource development time which allowed me to focus more on my students learning. The content was readily accessible for my year 9 students and was effective because of the bite-size delivery e.g. short videos and diary entries that did not take too long to read.
This trip was fantastic as it made direct links to sustainability and future focus. It was also ideal for our new collaborative teaching techniques which included students recording their ideas on iPads.
Under our sustainability inquiry during this field trip, students had a say in what they learned (student voice and agency); they were motivated to learn new things and were comfortable about this (personal agency); and they worked in groups to find answers (peer support). Also students are thinking about changes/actions needed in the future (future-focussed learning); and they worked with other students and people in the community who help them learn (connected agency).
As we move to inquiry learning, this is a wonderful tool for supporting teachers - scaffolding our professional development. For students, because there are several ways to access the information our lower ability readers can still complete tasks, supporting their literacy.
It was a great follow on from our litter less lunch inquiry. Good for Social Action, informing our parents about choices when purchasing goods and disposing of the waste.
We had just gone through a process of making submissions to our local council - it will be good to continue to ask them questions now that we are knowledgeable about the Kate Valley landfill.
It (the virtual field trip) helped students think about the environment and how they can contribute to looking after it. The topics related to what we were studying and we did't have to leave the school to experience it.
This field trip tied in nicely with our work looking at how we can care for the environment. It also tied in with our maths which included students collecting and analysing their own data about the rubbish we have in our class, at home and around school. The boys in particular were actively engaged; students were amazed at what they didn't actually know about the process that our rubbish goes through.
Geohazards
The field trip introduced children to real scientists, gave them ideas and stimulated curiosity. Students came to realise that science occurs in their own back yard, not just overseas.
The live link up is great. Great to be able to observe, listen to experts at work. Real life context.
This field trip supported the "Future Focus" principle for my group of Year 6 students, as they were exposed to aspects of the reality of living in a small country that lies on the junction of two tectonic plates. They developed their understanding by making 3D models.
This field trip catered for many learners - with videos and photos to support the learning, it is not all reading. And with the readings being able to be listened to, it allows many lower readers to be involved in the content.
Helped make content relevant to my Year 10 students. Great for the visual learners!
The field trip helped to make the content very relevant and allowed the students to feel like they were getting first hand experience.
Great content and contexts. A novel approach and a way to bring other voice into my classroom that has great authenticity. Fits well with the specific Learning Objectives for the Disaster unit taught in the Social Studies curriculum.
Formed the basis of an introduction to AS90952 - Demonstrate understanding of the formation of surface features in New Zealand. Curiosity increased as a result of the first audioconference in particular and led to some interesting off-line questions and discussions.
The videos and background material on the Alpine Fault were useful to the students in their studies of Achievement Standard 1.1 - extreme natural events.
Level of language in the resources was perfect for my wide-range ability Year 10s. The format encourages persistence and allows students to work at their own pace, through material that engages them, testing their knowledge without lots of writing! Parents were able to view the material and this was a valuable opportunity to engage our community.
This Geohazards virtual field trip hit the nail on the head as a learning tool for Year 8 Earth Science. It has been a great chance for a small rural Northland school to see the wider world, and has broadened my horizons in terms of what is possible with my classes.
The students now have an increased sense of responsibility and citizenship regarding Geohazards, especially as I was able to completely integrate the learning into my reading and writing programme. The resources are amazing and so perfect because they are about N.Z. and show how scientists work.
Learnz field trips allow the students to develop all of the key competencies, principals and values of the NZ curriculum, and complements an innovative learning environment. This Geohazards field trip was very relevant and at an appropriate level for our year 7 and 8 students.
Garden Bird Survey
It gave a context for learning - becoming a civilian scientist contributing to a wider project. It linked to our school big idea of Nurturing Our Nature, encompassing science and social science (responsibility and impact).
Being a Citizen Scientist was extremely valuable and hit many curriculum areas, especially science, maths, art and language. We have been prompted by student feedback to move onto healthy environments and Maori aspects as well.
This field trip fitted in perfectly with our philosophy and values as an enviro-school. As a Y1-8 sole charge school everyone was able to access the field trip at some level and we were able to do all the activities together as there was so much photo and video content for the less able readers, yet those more interested could read the texts for greater detail.
These trips are fantastic. Students absolutely love them. Meets lots of areas of the curriculum - science, arts, english (reading, writing, speaking), maths.
This field trip immediately captured the interest of my tauira (students). As well as encouraging participation in science, it could also be seen in a cultural context of Ngā Tamariki ā Tānemahuta – The Children of Tānemahuta.
When taking part students had to manage self, a Key Competency, to find out more information and research the bird of their interest.
Being a country school with a strong environmental focus, this was a perfect field trip for our class. The field trip particularly supported curiosity, ecological sustainability, participating and contributing, integrity, citizen science, and community engagement.
This field trip aligned perfectly with out native bird inquiry this term, and gave great background information to support what we had already been learning. It was motivating and engaging - now the students are starting to have a real connection to the LEARNZ team and the process (of a virtual field trip).
Students became very involved in finding out about birds in our school grounds.
It was absolutely excellent! It was very appropriate for the citizenship in Science that we are learning about, and is perfect for an authentic context to reinforce teaching of the science capabilities and the Nature of Science.
The children were motivated by being part of a New Zealand wide project. The resources provided at different levels and also with the facility to listen to the text, make it accessible by everyone in my class - this is so valuable.
Where Are We?
My tauira (students) were well engaged about GIS, maps and cartography by the background readings, videos, photos and captions, and listening in on the audioconference. They relished the opportunity to experience the ferry, train and plane through virtual learning. Good links to the Social Sciences and also Technolology.
Using a LEARNZ field trip is important in transforming my teaching from a part digital to a fully digital classroom. We spend three weeks working on this field trip as it fitted in really well with our whole school topic of examining our place in the world. It covered many of the areas of the NZ Curriculum through a cross curricular learning experience. My year 4/5 class liked the choice of reading or listening to the background material. The support provided is thorough and I found it very useful in my teaching.
Videos were very helpful to gain students' interest. Activities and discusssions were at the correct level for my class. The field trip involved students of all levels and abilities - they used skills and curriculum knowledge from English, Science, Maths and Social Sciences learning areas.
This field trip provided ample opportunities for my Year 11 Geography students to engage in the subject matter and context. It was appropriate, and linked well to establishing a base understanding of GIS and some of its real life applications.
My 15 year old said, "Wow - I never knew navigation technology was so technical and important!". It was great for the children to see some practical examples of where they could need to use some maths in the real world.
There was something for everyone, even for students with prior knowledge.
This field trip was engaging, fun and challenging for all involved. It linked well with our technology unit and also supported the Principles, Values, Key Competencies, Learning Areas and Vision of the NZ Curriculum.
Good platform for introducing Science students to the concept of GPS. Students liked that there were videos of how GPS worked. The field trip also worked well for international students in the class and those with English as a second language.
Students were so involved that we had an expert bring a drone to school to demonstrate, and then take a group of students out to Lake Omapere to film where the outlets were that they identified on a map. They particularly enjoyed being part of the audio conferences, finding out information and also asking questions.
It gave a rich context for our Maths and provided real relevance. All learning areas were integrated even though our focus area was Maths and the virtual field trip supported all aspects of the NZC vision statement.
It was great. They loved learning about GPS and GIS as it was something the students hadn't done before. It covered a wide variety of subjects.
Opera
This Opera field trip turned out to be a really neat and enjoyable experience for my tauira (students). There was a lot of interest and comment about the careers and qualifications each member held. Major links to The Arts but also to Technology (creating/designing costumes, props, sets) and Health/P.E (rehearsals, nutrition, rest, decision making, looking after each other, relating to others, taking responsibility).
Our values at our school include Creativity, so this was a great link to the curriculum as well as seeing the production elements of performance. The performance technology students got to see elements of performance for something we can't teach at school.
We were doing an inquiry into plays and performance and it was a great hook for the kids. It was good background for our topic and was good to hear from actual experts.
Fantastic for my year 5/6 class. They learned so many skills and it was great to apply them to a real-life purpose, putting questions to experts in the audioconference. The field trip was a very effective learning experience for my class, which was added to by attending the dress rehearsal.
Inspired and developed an appreciation for this field of the arts to a group of children from a variety of backgrounds, who all all said they enjoyed it and looked at opera differently now. Marvellous student opportunities - also developed and extended the knowledge of some students for whom music is a personal skill.
Students were engaged, motivated and excited to be taking part, and learnt a great deal from this field trip as it encouraged them to work towards excellence. Participating meant they engaged with the curriculum in English, The Arts (Music, Visual Arts, Dance and Drama), Technology, and with many of the Key Competencies.
The students learned so much more than I thought - they were engaged when seeing students their own age asking deep questions. We are looking at creating our own movies and seeing the interviews with cast and crew helped to focus their ideas and find realistic goals.
Very appropriate in that we are doing a production this term, and it was a cool way for my students to see the arts in action for real.
The Opera field trip supported the extension of my childrens' experiences and new interests. Who knows how it will unfold and manifest itself in the years to come!
My online (distance) class was focussing on a topic about creativity this term so the Opera Trip was a great complement to this. LEARNZ trips offer rich, pertinent learning about the place we live in.
It's great to have SOLO linked to the lessons. Children are able to work on this independently and show responsibility for their learning.
Freshwater Ecology
We use material from completed field trips (Freshwater Ecology and Whio) on school camp at Tongaririo which provides excellent, authentic, high motivation support for our Year 7 students and relates well to our similar interets in Taranaki. I certainly appreciate the quality of the online resources that LEARNZ have produced. Thanks very much to the LEARNZ team.
Waka Voyaging
I try and do a field trip every term. They are so valuable as a resource and really promote learning in a real life situation. I love the Learnz Field Trips!
This field trip fitted in nicely with our health focus for the term, exploring hauora. The children were hooked in by the videos, with real people doing the jobs on the waka. It also fitted in with the Key Competencies and values - showing perseverance in the face of adversity, working together as a team, looking after our environment.
Allowed opportunities for students to develop self management.
The students were able to be self directed through this field trip. They then published a blog about their experiences.
It helped to provide a traditional context for teamwork, which was the focus of our inquiry last term. I felt the information was a good level for our learners (year 4).
It was excellent, it fitted in really well with our topic as well as curriculum values, principals, KCs. Students got a lot out of the Waka virtual field trip and were excited by it.
It supported my year 9 topic of migrations. A great way of bringing the subject alive.
This field trip was perfect for our combined Māori and Health studies for Term 1. My class were able to use this at school and in their home with parents. Very satisfying to observe students personalising the learning.
This field trip supported the key competencies and learning areas well.
An interesting style of learning - lots of potential. This has been a great experience as a teacher and for the class.
Very relevant to our Term Two inquiry about Māoritanga and how it is shared and celebrated in NZ. I use LEARNZ withy my class because I am always able to find something that suits the children's interests, and the real-life situations are so relevant and motivating.
The content was engaging and this was evident in the thinking that took place and the work produced by all my students, who absolutely loved this trip regardless of their abilities or interests. For our Maori students this was a particularly awesome experience and it was also great to look at hauora from the angle of working together to crew the waka.
The topic tied in nicely with our class health focus on 'being in the waka' and working together. Although many of my students didn't connect culturally to this field trip, it was a new experience for them and therefore was engaging.
We also visited the waka and helped with repairs to Nukutaiao. That made the (virtual field trip) experience very meaningful.
Students participated using all of the key competencies.
Students could see links between real voyages (now) and those made by our ancestors. The programme was well thought out, informative, and had many options to use it in a variety of ways. It was engaging, fun, and a great way to learn something through a different medium.
While all students benefit from the material, I found this one to be especially relevant to our local Maori students. It was also very useful as part of our reading programme when used with a graphic organiser for finding, selecting and retrieving relevant information.
Anything to do with Culture is well received by our Maori students! Also covered all the Key Competencies. Was fantastic to be able to be a part of the field trip. Our students loved it!
Outstanding and supports student development in all areas. High interest and enthusiasm to learn. Wonderful context for our polynesian/maori majority students as connections are made with how their ancestors made significant migrations.
It (the virtual field trip) allowed our students to be involved and part of something that wouldn't be attainable in a normal classroom setting. It totally enhanced my learning programme and enabled me to get support and guidance using the NZ curriculum.
Wetland Biodiversity
Very motivating. Students were engaged.
Our Inquiry was Sustainability this term and students really got into the field trip. It was a spectacular way for students to practice the Key competencies and meet people online they would otherwise have no access to.
Many of my students found the Māori Tikanga section the most interesting. I also liked that the learning was rewindable and allowed for student agency. The opportunity to experience a virtual field trip really excited the children and motivated them to want to find out more, as it provided a meaningful and authentic learning context that included SOLO and built on our own 'Freshwater Frolicking' field trip to The Groynes.
Utilised the focus on te reo and cultural-history aspect of biodiversity. Students enjoyed the field trip as part of our ecology topic -they engaged well with the learning and were willing to contribute.
Linked closely to students understanding their immediate environment while involved in EOTC (school camp in this case). I see students engaged in the topic when involved with LEARNZ plus they tend to find more information and other areas of interest linking to the particular topic.
It (the field trip) was related to what we were learning and generated more inquiry questions. LEARNZ motivates the students and the information is pitched at the appropriate level for my class. Another portal of learning that lifted the enthusiasm of my students.
Great trip well presented by all involved. The topic of water and conservation of wetlands will effect all New Zealanders. Great information at appropriate reading age.
We used it as part of immersion for starting off on our journey of restoring a Wetland. It prompted questions, wonderings and enhanced their interest. Being able to send along an Ambassador was fantastic as it helped the younger members of our Wetlands group relate to what was happening.
Watching the students get excited about their role (we were a speaking school, which was a breeze) and then watching them make connections in their learning, has been a real highlight. They built connections with the area the trip took us to and linked it to our local community and loved connecting what they were reading and hearing with specific people.
Students have learned so much and they have become overnight advocates for wetlands. The LEARNZ programme really enhanced the pronunciation of Maori place names, values and importance of early Maori traditions to our lives today.
Great to see and hear interaction and questions from students of other schools, which set high expectations for my class with questioning. The support material is excellent and students are able to connect with Science community in real contexts.
Students were asked about the KC's they used during this field trip and they unanimously said: Thinking, Relating to Others, Participating and Contributing, and Managing Self. They also said they enjoy the enthusiasm of the presenters, especially Andrew (the LEARNZ Teacher).
The content and style of learning is so engaging for the children. Love the strong Science focus. It was a good field trip to compare local, national and global - it lent itself really well to discussion.
Smart Motorways
Students followed the technological process by looking at the different roles of the people and the components of the smart motorway, and related these to its purpose. Thank you - the whole resource was able to be used and made into differentiated activities for my students.