You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Teacher testimonials
Kōkako
This field trip inspired and educated my class about how NZ birds have been affected by introduced species and has motivated them to learn more. The extensive use of Māori kupu and links to traditions etc was an important element, and one my students found interesting.
The project itself was great. It was interesting and my science students were really engaged from the outset. The website was awesome but one of the greatest things was the communication with the organisers and scientists.
We had very little knowledge on the kōkako before but the boys will tell anyone who will listen about them now. Also, one of the biggest advantages is discussions generated from the resources for critical thinking. An amazing resource - thank you, we are all learning together!
It was good for our students to apply principles we have been learning to the kōkako and Mt Pirongia. Videos were great and also great to include a context from our local area, with corrrect pronunciation of Māori terms
Helped us engage with community - parent feedback was positive. Students engaged and study was also relevant to Treaty of Waitangi - returning taonga, plus Social Studies/Science/Technology.
I like the way that it has opened our learners' eyes to the use of experts to support your inquiry. It has also been a powerful tool for getting students used to the idea of 'actioning' something as part of an inquiry.
Very appropriate, as it linked into our theme on Change - and the students were engaged. It connected to the science curriculum - Level 3 objectives of Ecology and Evolution.
Adapting after Emergencies
We had a fantastic time. This field trip was great for leveraging digital in such a meaningful way. Students learnt a lot that they could talk about afterwards and it gave them meaning and context. They really like hearing from and seeing other children.
Love your Rubbish
As an enviroschool, we found this field trip to perfectly fit our kaupapa and our journey regarding how to deal with waste at school and at home. Also worked very well for two reading groups to engage in synthesising information appropriately.
In a very powerful way students were able to work collaboratively and at their own pace. Practical as our school is isolated rural, 40km from the nearest township and our class is mixed ability Year 6-8.
We are looking at product lifecycle in our design class and it showed what happens to the end of products when put into rubbish, and the importance of designers to design for end of life. It enabled students to critically think through what their consumption produces and it was a great way to show students something without having to physically go.
Land Sky and Space
Amazing link and overlap with Chapter Chat and interests in my students. Kept them engaged. Being in a bi-lingual class the Māori terms and definitions helped to make connections for our learners and gave them a sense of value and pride.
Well connected to the science curriculum and reading. Students found the background information easy to read and gave them lots of information. The audio was very helpful to some of my less able students.
Used with Year 10 science, and they especially enjoyed joining the live web conference. HOD was impressed with engagement.
LEARNZ is so great for Science and Technology. This field trip provided awesome help with GPS and satellites.
Motivating and inspirational for students. A really good way to get them motivated to read and write, plus they all wanted to delve deeper, based on our school-wide theme of "Learn From Yesterday / Change Tomorrow".
Students participated fully in the drone demonstration and researched after the field trip had been completed. They were able to come up with their own inquiry into a part of the topic they were interested in. It involved all the class.
Provides a genuine NZ connection to learning that the students can actually follow. Lots of relevant background information, and overall helped to tie in learning from a variety of sources to support student learning about Space.
The students really related to the modern technology like self driving cars and how this relates to them. The field trip linked to many areas of the curriculum and students enjoyed the different ways of learning (eg videos, conferences and readings).
This was fantastic, so interesting. We are a year 0-8 school and the content was at a level that challenged students. It was great to have a good cross section of students from other schools for them to listen to. Our big idea was awe and wonder, and I put that under the science lens of Space so it met our needs completely.
I enjoy the real life aspect of LEARNZ with relevant topics for our students learning across the curriculum. This was of interest to my year 7 students of all (learning) levels.
It discussed topics that were of particular interest to the boys in my class, and was effective in engaging all the students to learn through a different tool. It required the class to use the Key Competencies throughout the whole journey.
This term our focus was on Ranginui and Navigation. This field trip was perfect for connecting our focus to technology and making it relatable. The newsletters were also really helpful in providing info on how the trip would work.
Globalisation, excellence, maths, science, engineering were all supported. It helped make connections between maths and science in real world contexts.
We are currently studying Outer Space and so learning about satellites was very appropriate. Students generated great "I wonder .." questions, which led to excellent discussions.
Wetland Biodiversity
LEARNZ projects always allow me to "let go" - to let the students lead the way for their learning. Ticks all the boxes - able to use an Inquiry approach to their learning.
It was very relevant as we visited our own local Maungatautari wetland, so it was great to compare.
This field trip has helped me to step out of the classroom and look at what is on our doorstep. It is great for the children to learn about authentic contexts.
Students valued the inclusion of speakers who related the land and resources to an earlier style of living on the land by Maori, in pre-European times.
The trips are well planned and resourced - especially with the use of field experts, and provide a wealth of material students can use to aid their studies. The multi-level pitch of these field trips makes them suitable for a range of ability levels, and they can be self-paced.
Another valuable and appropriate topic from the LEARNZ team, as we knew very little beforehand about wetlands and their importance. LEARNZ is an excellent education tool.
Sustainable Seas
This field trip supported all students in developing their own learning direction for this topic. Enabled students to make contact and initiate conversations with experts who do not live in their area.
Supported our study of Tangaroa, based on Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. We all learnt so much, both the students and kaiako. Very informative newsletters made using the site easy.
Great learning to be had by all children. Very engaging. We also used this field trip to prepare for an overnight trip to the Tawhiranui Open Sanctuary.
Highly effective. Year 5&6 totally engaged. The videos are gold, prompting much discussion and the kids loved being part of the webinars.
Fitted in perfectly with our school's vision, the key competencies and values. It was an excellent resource to supplement what we were doing in the classroom.
It has helped add innovative, engaging material to my teaching and further engaged my students in the issues we were already examining. Supported the principles, values and key competencies as well as LO's for NCEA Level 1 Geography.
Kauri
Love the fieldtrips as a compliment or stand alone to my programme. Students engaged, differentiated material, connections to things Maori, I could work on my own or with a group.
We learnt things that were directly related to our topic of kaitiakitanga and sustainability. It is great to have the background information, videos and photographs that support a NZ topic.
Great that kauri dieback was in the news, while we were studying it on the virtual field trip. Good integration with Literacy, Te Reo, Key Competencies, Science, and Environmental Education. Wide range of topics, relevant, real life and happening now.
It gave them the sense of being there, and the children were motivated and empowered to make a difference. The children loved watching the videos, and it made the whole learning process more authentic.
It brings things alive for the kids, as many are visual learners. Fabulous to learn from experts. It covered participating and contributing beautifully, and we also connected it to "Understanding about Science".
It was a really good way for students to learn about NZ and what's happening currently and in a manner that they could choose how they participated; some were more independent and others more supported.
Children really enjoyed learning about kauri dieback. We participated in all three web conferences and I am pleasantly suprised at how much the children learned. The field trip links well to the Key Competencies as well as our school values, and was inclusive of all cultures.
It has benefited all akonga (that includes me). We knew nothing about kauri dieback disease until this field trip. Really relevant to us in Northland.
It is a highly motivating tool for learning. Children were highly engaged about kauri and continue to have discussions about their learning. Saves me as a teacher a lot of time as almost all of the planning and preparing is done for me. Great to be able to "call on the expert" from my classroom. Makes learning very accessible.
My students from this field trip are now very connected to kauri, that four weeks ago was just another native tree. Very powerful to have online learning with experts. Made a national taonga come alive and made kauri dieback real, relevant and contextual. Brings in elements of Nature of Science and the Social Science curriculum.
Was extremely motivating for our learners! Very appropriate for our "Diversity" inquiry. Supported Science: Living World but also the Key Competences of "Thinking" and "Using Language, Symbols and Text". Watch the video where our Cambridge East School students share what they learned about kauri dieback at https://vimeo.com/272665119
Kauri is one of our taonga, and this field trip supported our role as tangata whenua and kaitiaki. A great resource and easy to use with the class who learnt so much about the kauri and the disease affecting it.
Linking a community issue with young adults (in this way with LEARNZ), has been empowering for the students. They are able to contribute to conversations outside the classroom using science and cultural based knowledge.