EXPLORING THE CULTURE OF SCIENCE

As I entered into the world of science, I quickly realised how little I actually knew. Scientists take on a very precise, methodical approach to their work, oftentimes doing repeat testing to ensure their results are correct.

Within the first month of my placement, the exposure to the science world was insane. Words and terms I had never been exposed to, but would soon become a part of my every day language (catch me googling ‘nematode’ on the first day); hours spent at sites doing field work, almost equal to the amount of time spent in the lab (which almost became a second home). By the end of my first month, I was living and breathing science. Working alongside scientists and PhD students, I noticed and picked up a lot. Communication was highly valued, especially within the labs. If something broke or went wrong (which it did — broken beakers and an incident involving the lab flooding!), best practice was to communicate. Procedures were set in place to keep everyone safe, and there were inductions before we could even step foot in the labs. Everything that we were involved in was carefully explained and modelled, and then we were left to give it a go ourselves; soil sample collections, teabag extractions and cleaning, moisture reading, nematode extraction, and soil CO2 reading. During the testing process, there were many protocols that we needed to follow, particularly in the lab. Before heading to the site to collect soil samples, everything needed to be sanitised. An entire day spent in the lab cleaning everything we needed to begin the soil sample extraction, beginning with a soap wash, then a bleach bath, finally ending with a trigene wash. This opened my eyes to how meticulous scientists needed to be with their equipment to avoid any contamination of their gear, and how important it was. As soon as something was dropped or put in the wrong environment, it required the cleaning process all over again. 

A small flooding incident...oops!

Digging up teabags to assess the
rate of decomposition in the soil

Soil moisture reading

Cleaning excess soil and roots from the teabags 

before weighing

Cultural Responsiveness

→ What te Ao Māori connections/practices have you seen?

Not as many as I would have expected, unfortunately. The site that we spent most of our time at, Pourewa Community Hub, is looked after and run by Ngāti Whātua. It was fantastic to meet some of the volunteers and people who overlook the community gardens. The Pourewa gardens follow maramataka, and are thriving. Ngāti Whātua allow AUT Environmental Science PhD students to conduct research there, for volunteering in the gardens in return. AUT Living Labs has also connected with Ngāti Whātua to establish an experimental native forest restoration site. I’ve been recommended to attend a course at AUT; Vision Mātauranga: Science Practice in Aotearoa, to dive deeper into concepts, traditions, values and protocols in relation to Māori knowledge within science. This will be starting soon, and I’m very excited to attend the lectures!

Personal Learning

→ What have you learned so far or been surprised by about the culture of science?

How in-depth the research really is, and how everything needs to have a reason/explanation in order to go forward. The amount of cleaning and sanitisation surprised me, too. It just wasn’t something that I really thought about when it came to science and how science was done.

→ What do you need to think or learn more about?

I would like to take a deeper dive into learning more about environmental sciences and ecology, but also look more into the mahi that Living Labs does and how they run their education programmes, what goes into native forest restoration, and what the benefits are. I need to think more about seeing myself in a scientist light, and looking for any and all opportunities to continue learning about science outside of education.

Classroom Teaching

→ How does it feel being a novice/learner in this new experience?

It was quite overwhelming to begin with, stepping into the novice/learner role. Very much a ‘head under water’ kind of feeling, mixed with the excitement of new learning. Everyone has been very supportive and helpful, which has made the transition from educator to learner so much easier. Alongside that, having a group of people in the same boat to lean on has also been great, hearing that the experiences of other participant teachers haven’t been too dissimilar to my own. Stepping into this role has made me realise how my students must feel a lot of the time when new/unfamiliar topics are introduced.

→ What might this feel like for students in your classroom undertaking new experiences or learning in science?

If new learning or experiences aren’t communicated or explained properly, I could see many students feeling frustrated, overwhelmed and confused when approaching them. On the other hand, when they are communicated and explained properly, students may well experience that wonderment and excitement that comes with new learning, alongside unlocking potential new passions for them to explore. With my experience so far, there have been a lot of hands-on experiences which would fit wonderfully in the classroom to approach new experiences and learning. Each hands-on experience has come with extensive guidance and modelling, and if something hasn’t been understood, the environment is supportive where anything can be asked. I would love this to be how students feel while undertaking new experiences and learning, too.

→ What do you need to adapt in your classroom practice to support students?

One thing that’s stuck out to me in these first few weeks is the importance of communication, explanation, and proper modelling. If I haven’t understood something as an adult, why am I expecting a child to understand it? Intentional modelling and explanation, but also ensuring lessons and experiences are more hands-on and student-led. I discovered that I enjoyed having an experiment or task explained to me and then being let loose to experience it for myself, without fear of making a mistake. I would like to bring that feeling into my classroom practice, to give my students more agency in their science learning. Alongside continuing to make my classroom a safe environment where questions, asking for help, and making mistakes are encouraged.

Leading Science Development

→ What help might your staff need to discover more about how science is done? How might you enable your staff to support their students undertaking new experiences or learning in science?

Exposing my staff to fun and accessible ways of doing science that is hands-on and engaging, but doesn’t require an exceeding amount of prep and planning for them. I would enable my staff to support their students through modelling of accessible and fun experiments, and providing ideas that they can access when needed. I would ensure they are aware that they can approach me for any support or questions they have, and I would offer observations for those interested/who feel like they may need that type of support.