You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Teacher testimonials
Wetland Biodiversity
Embedded LEARNZ and then went on our own field trip to Cleardale Wetland. More on my Blog.
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.
Kids Restore the Kepler
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.
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.
Northern Wetlands
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.
Geospatial
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
It would be one of the richest learning experiences I have experienced with a class.