You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Teacher testimonials
People and Water
The field trip encouraged my students to think more deeply about the topic while reflecting on what they already knew.
The course was great for student engagement and they had fun learning about farming and irrigation.
This Water field trip fitted in well with our inquiry related to weather and it introduced the children to a variety of physical geography concepts and exmaples. It fostered curiosity and all the core competencies, and it effectively integrated a variety of curriculum areas.
The material was definitely at an appropriate level for my Year 7-8 class. It tied in with our Science focus and enabled students to explore places that they would not usually see. It also gives them a chance to "meet" and work with outside teachers and experts.
The variety of activities, materials and the actual (live) web conferences added value to our inquiry about water (wai). The way the topic was presented enabled my (predominantly Māori) students to put their own words to it, to explain it.
Matariki and Navigation
This was a wonderful field trip which linked with our classroom learning. The kids particularly enjoyed watching the web conferences.
I could quickly look at background and ideas and use those suitable for my Year 2 class. Great for English (use sources of information e.g. videos, to identify form and express ideas), Science (PEB - Astronomical Systems - Matariki) and Social Studies (How the past is important to people | How places are significant to people).
Fabulous trip; excellent daily videos that support teaching practice. The Māori aspect was particularly good with the lead up to our Matariki celebrations. Students loved taking part in the web conference, especially having their extra questions also answered.
The field trip was a wonderful addition to our Matariki inquiry. The learning crossed several curriculum areas and students really enjoyed using different technologies to support their interests.
It added significant context and background to our current Matariki study. The range of experiences, media and personalisation was great! My students really look forward to, enjoy and learn from LEARNZ field trips. Every one they have been on is remembered and has driven a huge amount of new learning.
A lot of learning happened for my Year 3-4 class through the background pages and videos. The trip linked to NZC through Science, Maths, Literacy and KCs. Resources were easy to use, and good to have knowledge imparted by experts.
The topic linked into our current Integrated Inquiry. Great resources on the website that the kids enjoyed interacting with.
The website fitted perfectly with our current learning about Matariki and the field trip was very engaging. It helped encourage the students to be actively involved in various Matariki events in our area, as they felt confident sharing their newly acquired knowledge as well as asking questions.
It was a lot of fun and very valuable learning. It took a lot of the research and planning out of my hands and allowed me to learn alongside my students.
Students were excited to go on this virtual field trip and really enjoyed using Google maps. They were motivated to do the activities, which utilised all key competencies and encouraged multiple learning styles.
Excellent that students could replay the web conferences, as they can view later to find answers to their questions and hit the pause button as often as they need.
The kids loved seeing our ambassador and reading her diary. Thank you.
Perfect timing for Matariki. Tamariki were very connected with this field trip. Strong Social Sciences link around cultural ways of knowing.
Great for inquiry learning about Matariki and a good link with Tuia 250. Helpful to be able to replay the videos and do the quizzes to check learning and retention in a fun interactive way.
Perfect fit for our learning. Students really responded to this teaching medium. It met our AO about understanding cultural aspects - stars / navigation, understanding signs and symbols, participating and contributing, and thinking. Also helped a special needs student to shine.
Absolutely fantastic experience. Complimented the work we were doing with School Kit. Supported all key comps, real learning for the kids, integrated into many learning areas, authentic learning.
We were studying Matariki as a whole school so this field trip was fantastic!
Map my Waahi
Prompted me to explore mapping with my class. We mainly used the background material and explored concepts using maps of our own area.
Great extension and authenticity to our mapping unit; loved learning about Tourbuilder. Numerous entry points to the NZ Curriculum e.g Maths, Inquiry, KC's, Values, Agency, Digital Technologies. Loved the Māori perspective in the Thursday web conference.
All the students were engaged, especially my Maori and Pacific Island students who were empowered by this resource. I am always looking for different ways to engage the class and LEARNZ never fails to deliver. Thank you.
It enabled us to connect with other students around New Zealand.
This trip gave different students a chance to shine and it linked strongly to cultural competencies. LEARNZ helps me link my teaching to what is actually going on for us in New Zealand, and keeps lessons and unit plans real.
This trip provided opportunities and learning for my class that we would not have otherwise been able to access.
It fitted in perfectly with our "Our Place" inquiry with high levels of engagement in this meaningful and authentic activity. Having each learner research and share their cultural heritage and ancestry has been enlightening and empowering. Using the digital tool Tour Builder and Google earth to map their waahi (ancestral journey) incorporated the new strands of the Technology curriculum with learners designing and creating using digital technology, not just consuming.
The option for viewing the videos etc. at a time that does not conflict with other school commitments, is extremely valuable. Contributed to student agency so class members could be self managing, collaborative and use their literacy and numeracy skills in authentic and rich contexts.
This trip created a lot of 'wondering' moments and also helped raise the profile of reo Māori in my class. It really supported cultural diversity, which is something that our school and Kāhui Ako has been focussing on.
Unpacking the apple story
Great to have a primary industry field trip - this provided a great range of videos as starters about the apple production process for Level 3.
We have been learning about sustainability in horticulture, so this was perfect for our class learning and could not have been timed better. The field trip allowed our class to experience the entire industry from a safe environment. It encouraged self-management and enabled us all to rewind our learning.
This Apples field trip was highly inclusive and supported students with different learning styles and learning challenges - great to have reading support on the site. High engagement, helps develop intrinsic motivation in my students as well as inspiring them.
My science students used this apple story to make great connections, which generated a lot of discussion and further research. LEARNZ is a fantastic resource and teaching tool enjoyed by many of my students.
Whats the Plan Stan?
It worked in well with the nationwide earthquake drill and made students think about how to deal with different emergencies. Everything came into the Key Competencies, Health and PE curriculum, and our values at school.
The children love tuning in live and this really motivates them. We had been on the LEARNZ Kaikōura earthquakes trip earlier in the year and this was a great follow up.
Participation helped students to learn to work together as a team, so they were able to formulate appropriate questions to put to the experts. Really created an awareness of the need to have an emergency plan.
Connects with studets' wider lives, and engages the support of their families, whānau, and communities. Another vehicle that can be used to engage students with like-thinking students across the motu.
It was great to have real-life experiences recounted and for students to be able to communicate with scientists. The "What's the Plan, Stan?" topic was relevant, and seeing the conference call made students even more interested.
This field trip linked in really well with our Science Inquiry and the real world nature of the field trip, which the children felt connected to and motivated them to self-direct their learning and go further. I have had excellent learning from my children from the LEARNZ Virtual Field Trips. I think they are fantastic.
Children engaged with this resource and were excited to learn about disasters in this way. Background pages were a great support to the children's learning as they were easy to use as an independent or group or whole class activity, especially with two reading levels and with the read-aloud option.
I used it as part of my independent learning and group reading sessions. This field trip showed the children how they can be managing their own safety.
LEARNZ supports all areas of NZC - a wonderful resource!
The resources were excellent for research and reading tasks, and we learnt the importance of being prepared as we practiced our earthquake drills. Everything supported our unit of inquiry about natural disasters specific to New Zealand and my students valued being able to speak to experts in the field.
This field trip most definitely supported our students in becoming lifelong learners, who develop skills and strategies for real-life situations. Everything is well-researched and my Year 6-8 students and I particularly enjoy the presentation of the video clips.
It helped students to see the key competencies in action in a real life situation outside of the classroom.
Antarctica
My Year 7 & 8 students found the field trip very engaging and effective for many reasons eg. extending knowledge, developing inquiry skills, digital technology. It also covered science and social science well, and variously incorporated the Principles, Values, and Key Competencies of the NZC.
Really enjoyed it! Lots learnt! Very effective - more so for the older kids but what my young enjoyed most was the diaries.
Very appropriate for Year 5/6 students, who loved the 'real' experience. Covers lots of the curriculum areas, from reading groups to individual programmes with students who have special needs. Web site means students can follow up at home and share with family what they have learnt.