STLP - A Scientific Journey

Links explored: The Communicating in Science Strand , Indigenous Knowledge has Value , Whakairo , Scientific Modelling Cultural Responsiveness → What te Ao Māori connections/practices have you seen? Te Ao Māori connections/practices were prominent within two of the pieces I looked at; Indigenous Knowledge has Value and Whakairo. Within Indigenous Knowledge has Value, connections were made to Māori way of life and survival, detailing how Curtis Bristowe’s ancestors faced and overcame challenges, and then applying those principles to modern-day life. In Whakairo, the article looks at how carving and other art forms tell pūrākau (stories), historical events and hold the whakapapa of the iwi. It goes into detail about the importance of whakairo (carving), how they have become taonga tuku iho (a divine gift), and the process of becoming a tohunga whakairo (master carver) as this art form is considered tapu (sacred). → How might you whakamana (give prestige to/empower) te Ao Māori in this s...

Something interesting that I’ve been thinking about recently is the shift in mentality that I’ve had around science since beginning this programme.  Before, I viewed science as ‘inaccessible’ and ‘intimidating’. I didn’t see myself as a science teacher, or as anything relating to science at all, because I didn’t think I had that knowledge or that skillset. Science was an area that I avoided, and when I had to teach it, I went down a cross-curricular route as that seemed to make it more approachable – integrating art and science was my main method. Now, having completed five of the six-month placement period, I find that I’m seeing science everywhere , I’m talking about science a whole lot more, and I’m seeing myself – you guessed it – as a scientist and a science teacher. This placement has made science far more accessible, and far less intimidating, which in turn will benefit my students a whole lot more when I’m back in the classroom.  Our workshops have broken down science ...

  · Use the Nature of Science: Investigating in Science statements below to think about what you have been seeing/experiencing in your host placement. Have you seen these aspects? Where were you at the time, what happened, what were you or the scientists doing/saying? Make a note about this. Investigation has been a large part of my placement so far. In fact, most of what I’ve experienced has been investigation; whether in the field or in the lab. → Being curious. Curiosity underpins all scientific investigations. From what I’ve gathered so far, you can’t have an investigation without curiosity. Every PhD student began their project with an idea, something they were curious about and wanted to know more about. Curiosity drives them, their research, their reviews, their projects. Curiosity has also driven me to learn more, seek out opportunities within my placement, and ask further questions. → Making careful observations, asking questions and exploring ideas. This is seen at AUT al...

Before heading off down to our Leadership Course in Dunedin, we were warned. “It’s going to be a very intense week”, people told us. Once we were in Dunedin, on our first workshop day, we heard that sentence again. They were not wrong in the slightest!  Our week in Dunedin challenged me in ways I didn’t think possible, but the learning and knowledge gained was invaluable. Before going into the leadership course, I viewed leadership as something I didn’t want at all. Me? A leader? No way, not in a million years. I had the misconception that I didn’t have the skills or knowledge to be a leader, especially where science was involved.  I very quickly learnt that there wasn’t just a ‘one way fits all’ way to lead, and there are different types of leading to suit different people, personality types, needs, skills, etc. Some of the biggest things that stuck out to me during this course was to “not worry about other people’s expectations of you/how something will go”, give and take fe...

· Use the Nature of Science: Understanding about Science statements below to think about what you have been seeing/experiencing in your host placement. Have you seen these aspects? Where were you at the time, what happened, what were you or the scientists doing/saying? Make a note about this. Throughout my host placement, there have been many times where I’ve seen the Nature of Science put into practice. → Science is based on observation of the natural and physical world around us. This has been woven throughout every single thing that I’ve experienced and seen with my placement so far, whether it is active observation or subconscious observation. Observing who, what, how, and most importantly, why . Observation has underpinned everything we’ve done, all of the fieldwork, lab work, experiments, to help us further our understanding of science and scientific concepts. → Scientists critique other scientists methods and ideas. During my placement, I’ve seen a few examples of scientists cr...