In this recorded professional learning session, Shanthie Walker from DOC and Lyn Rogers explore resources and ideas to support your students’ learning outside the classroom. They model a process of student inquiry in conservation, focusing on how to support students to explore their environment.
This session will be valuable for both primary and secondary school teachers.
Watching the recorded webinar creates an opportunity to engage with some ideas and resources from the Science Learning Hub and the Department of Conservation. Lyn and Shanthie discuss how these ideas can be used to foster students’ inquiry skills in the outdoors.
Really thought provoking.
Teacher
The slideshow and recorded webinar provide ideas and information that will support teachers of any year level to:
- enhance students’ understanding about conservation education
- engage students in inquiry outside the classroom
- build on understandings about the value and practicality of EOTC.
It was a very good and informative session, very well articulated and presented. Thank you.
Teacher
Watch the video (above) of this professional development session (we recommend downloading it) and also see below the index and the slideshow presentation.
| Topic | PowerPoint slide number(s) | Video timecode |
| Welcome | 1 | 00:00 |
| Webinar purpose | 2 | 00:18 |
| Environmental education for sustainability and conservation – in the environment | 3 | 00:42 |
| Learning outside the classroom | 4–6 | 01:14 |
| Experiential learning | 7 | 03:04 |
| Inquiry learning | 8–9 | 04:04 |
| Useful resources for EOTC | 10–11 | 06:07 |
| EOTC considerations | 12–13 | 09:56 |
| Experiencing the environment | 14 | 12:46 |
| The value of EOTC | 15–17 | 20:35 |
| Experiencing the whio | 18 | 27:02 |
Nature of science
This session supports teachers to help foster their students’ investigative skills outside the classroom in the natural environment. Students are encouraged to use the results of their investigations to make evidence-based conclusions that they may then use to take appropriate conservation action.
Related content
Examples of related articles on the Science Learning Hub include Who’s who in the duck world?, Introducing New Zealand ducks, Fantastic whio feathers, Conserving native birds – introduction and Conserving native birds – writer’s insight.
There are also several teacher PLD sessions related to this topic: Diving into inquiry with whio, Why learn about whio?, Taking action for conservation, Bird conservation and literacy and SLH and conservation, Pest detectives, Our native trees and Eco-explorers. Go here for a list of all conservation PLD resources.
Activity ideas
Some activities on the Science Learning Hub related to whio and other New Zealand ducks that you may wish to explore include Whio feathers – what are they for?, Which duck is which?, Mixing and matching ducks, Duck dominoes, Ethics in bird conservation, Eliciting prior knowledge and Ethics in conservation science.
Help with planning
The interactive Planning pathways using native tree resources groups Hub resources into key science and teaching concepts. It provides a selection of pathways that allow for differing approaches and starting points to assist educators with their planning of lessons and units of work.
Useful links
The Whio Forever project, created in partnership between the Department of Conservation and Genesis Energy, has developed a range of resources to support student inquiry about whio. The Department of Conservation has also produced a range of other resources that can be used to support students to explore their environment. Te Papa has created a range of videos about how scientists work, including Inspired to discover.
Connecting with Nature to Care for Ourselves and the Earth highlights the most current and compelling evidence for connecting people with nature.
Acknowledgement
The Whio Forever resource has been created in partnership between the Department of Conservation and Genesis Energy.
