Teacher workshops back on the road
The MWC teacher professional development scheme supports biology teachers by helping refresh their current scientific knowledge and share high quality content with their high school biology pupils.
Speakers and attendees at the MWC Teacher Professional Development Day, Wakatipu High School (Queenstown).Photo courtesy of Rachel Heeney.
In 2022, after two years of an adapted programme focussed around the COVID-19 pandemic, MWC resumed its original format for the outreach scheme. Six prominent and emerging scientists took workshops to six centres across the North and South Islands. Over 210 teachers attended, listening to topics across the broad field of Biology and all tailored to align with the NCEA Biology curriculum.
“Dr Alana Alexander, a molecular ecologist and evolutionary biologist from the University of Otago spoke about her genetics and ecological research within a Te Ao Māori framework. She shared an example of how working alongside Dr Ramari Stewart, a mātauranga Māori practitioner showed her how vast and different mātauranga is to science, but also how science could stand in support of mātauranga.
Associate Professor Guy Warman, a world-leading expert in chronobiology presented the science of circadian rhythms. Immunology and biomedical scientists Associate Professor Nikki Moreland and Dr Reuben McGregor spoke on rheumatic fever and its significance in New Zealand. Professor Dave Grattan discussed thermoregulation during pregnancy, and Dr Anna Brooks a cellular immunologist presented research on Long Covid.
Workshops ran through November and were generously hosted at Nga Tawa Diocesan School, Marton, Karamu High School, Hastings, Wakatipu School, Queenstown, Southland Boys, Invercargill, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, and at the University of Otago, Dunedin.
Tony Cairns attended the Wellington workshop. He says the days are “essential” and teachers can use the information immediately in their classes, labs and in our NCEA assessments. “It is hands-on relevant and useful. It is vital to science education in New Zealand.”
Julie Waddell attended in Queenstown and left reminded why she is a biology teacher. “The event shows a vast array of areas that students might move into after secondary school, allows me to ask questions of experts, feel relevant to advances in scientific knowledge, and chat with scientists from different fields. It improves my knowledge and gives me stories I can share with my students.”
“I am reminded that Biology is such a huge field – not everyone works indoors, not everyone works with humans, I discover pathways that my current and future students might follow.”
MWC organises and funds this programme as part of our outreach activities. Through generous donations of time from MWC investigators and associated speakers, and space from local schools, the programme remains free to attend. The scheme’s success can be attributed to many people working behind the scenes including MWC Principal Investigator Prof Dave Grattan, Teacher Liaison Ms Rachel Heeney (Epsom Girls Grammar School) and MWC Research Operations Coordinator Dr Sindy Luu who manage the programme content and coordinate with schools across the country.
Rachel says “We were so privileged to hear from amazing scientists. It is a time of great change in education and for teachers to have the day to go, sit, learn, question is so uplifting and gives us knowledge and confidence in ourselves and in what we are teaching.”