Mātauranga - Teacher's Guide

Introduction

"Welcome to the Mātauranga Online Learning Platform. We're here to help you tell stories.

There's the story of migration to Aotearoa from the Pacific on the great double hulled canoes, where our ancestors used the sun, the stars, and a kinship with nature to cross the largest expanse of water on the planet. There's also the story of how today's sailors walk in the footsteps of Kupe and Maui, and the science, innovation and technology of our tīpuna.

From out of these stories come questions. We have given some examples. You will have more, and so will your students. The stories are designed to inspire further discussions around STEM and mātauranga.

Our stories also fit seamlessly into the proposed curriculum for Aotearoa New Zealand's histories, and the first 'big idea' of migration and mobility. Sharing the story of perhaps the greatest migration in human history will help our tamariki on the path to critical citizenship, as understanding the past makes sense of the present and informs future decisions and actions.

We have a small team building this Platform, and are designing it so that you can share your stories with us. Join the team by sharing your experiences, and help us grow. Have fun with these learning resources; and good luck incorporating them into your own stories in the classroom."

Tā Ian Taylor

Innovator of the Year 2019

kiwi and blackboard image

Land of Voyagers

Our story begins with a voyage. At the same time as the Egyptians were building the pyramids, our Polynesian ancestors were traversing the vast Pacific Ocean.

To capture this triumph of navigation, Animation Research Ltd put a camera onboard the double hulled waka hourua that travelled 4000km from Tahiti to New Zealand as part of Tuia 250 commemorations. Three terabytes of footage filmed at sea became inspirational stories of science and discovery, with animations from the award-winning team responsible for creating computer graphics for the America’s Cup.

Land of Voyagers, created from a million dollar budget, is a koha, a gift to be shared with all schools in Aotearoa for free, forever. Some of the stories from Land of Voyagers are part of the Mātauranga Online Learning Platform. There are many more. Visit the Land of Voyagers website at thevoyage.co.nz

kiwi atop logo image

Teacher Resources

Each of our story pages has it's own "Things To Do" section with activities and additional content. There are also related "Teacher Resource" pages to support your teaching in the classroom. These include everything from extension exercises, detailed instructions for simple experiments and PDF templates, to bonus video content. There are links to the Teacher Resources at the bottom of each "Things To Do" section, and right here as well:

Land of Voyagers Teacher Resources

KIWI CAN FLY - The America's Cup Teacher Resources

Kiwi Can Fly Planner Template

Thanks to Arnika Macphail and the team from ImpactED, we have new resources for the KIWI CAN FLY chapters!
The Driving Question is: How can we, as innovators, design a new method of sustainable transportation/movement?
Check out the resources here:

KIWI CAN FLY - Integrated Planner Template

Special thanks to the creators:
_{Rachel Chisnall, Taieri College - Zac Ford, Arani Abbott, Madelin Brown, Balaclava School - Iain Cook-Bonney, Tahuna Normal Intermediate School - Lisa Dixon, Balmacewen Intermediate School - Greg MacLeod and Louise Crowl, Broad Bay School - Rosarah Hardie, Kaikorai Primary School - Mary Rabbidge, Otago Boys High School - Ewan Todd, Māori Hill School}

Achievement Objectives

Inquiry learning is at the heart of the Mātauranga Online Platform. Students form and develop a learning inquiry to investigate aspects of the topic and build a depth of understanding through questioning, thinking and research. This teaching model incorporates a variety of thinking and information literacy skills and integrates well with information technology. The learning experiences within the resource are a guide only. Teachers can adjust the activities and learning sequence to suit the needs and interests of students.

The resources in the Mātauranga Online Learning Platform can be incorporated into any curriculum area. Because of the diverse nature and interconnectedness of the subject, a cross-curricular approach provides different learning opportunities.

Some suggested links to the curriculum for the Learning Platform are listed below:

share ideas about how and why their own and others' works are made and their purpose, value, and context (Level 1 - 2)
investigate the purpose of objects and images from past and present cultures and identify the contexts in which they were or are made, viewed, and valued (L3-4)
explore and use art-making conventions, applying knowledge of elements and selected principles through the use of materials and processes (L1-4)

construct texts that demonstrate a growing awareness of audience and purpose through appropriate choice of content, language, and text form (L2-3)
form and express ideas and information with increased clarity, drawing on a range of sources (L3)
create a range of texts by integrating sources of information and processing strategies with increasing confidence (L4)

Extend personal experiences and personal explanations of the natural world through exploration, play, asking questions, and discussing simple models. (L1-2)
Appreciate that science is a way of explaining the world and that science knowledge changes over time (L3-4)
Explore, describe, and represent patterns and trends for everyday examples of physical phenomena, such as movement, forces, electricity and magnetism, light, sound, waves, and heat. (L4)

Understand how time and change affect people’s lives (L2)
Understand how early Polynesian and British migrations to New Zealand have continuing significance for tangata whenua and communities. (L3)
Understand how exploration and innovation create opportunities and challenges for people, places, and environments. (L4)

Understand that there is a relationship between a material used and its performance properties in a technological product. (L2)
Understand how society and environments impact on and are influenced by technology in historical and contemporary contexts and that technological knowledge is validated by successful function. (L3)
Understand how technological development expands human possibilities and how technology draws on knowledge from a wide range of disciplines. (L4)

Create and use appropriate units and devices to measure length, area, volume and capacity, weight (mass), turn (angle), temperature, and time. (L2)
Create and use simple maps to show position and direction. (L2)
Describe different views and pathways from locations on a map. (L2)

Case Studies

Project Based Learning Case Study 1

In the first term of 2021, Kaikorai Primary School in Dunedin asked the kids "How can we as storytellers tell the amazing story of Pacific Migration?" Check out a selection of the Project Based Learning...

Read More Here (video)

Project Based Learning Case Study 3

In 2022, Te Kura Mareko - Casebrook Intermediate School adapted the unit that was posted from Kaikorai Primary School and experienced amazing success...

Read More Here (slideshow)

Feedback

We would love to hear your feedback about Mātauranga. E-mail contact@maatauranga.co.nz

"The feedback that we have received... has been phenomenal, and I have had many people tell me that they are sharing the resource to whomever they can find - including me who showed it to my family on the weekend!"

Neil Robinson, Principal, Blockhouse Bay Primary School

"We used the Mātauranga website as a launchpad and our whole project was based on that fantastic resource... we have definitely learnt a lot about our own Aotearoa, New Zealand history, and as we go forward with the new curriculum, it’s been perfect timing for us to upskill on this fascinating topic."

Ewan Todd, Deputy Principal, Māori Hill School

"(mātauranga.co.nz) was fun, it was engaging - all those really neat things that can capture the children’s attention and learning. It had strong Māori female role models, it was evidence-based with up-to-date research. That's why we used it and loved it."

Beth Downie, Deputy Principal, Kaikorai Primary School

"There were a lot of times that my son came home and he was really excited to talk to me about the godwits and how the Māori came to New Zealand, and I was learning a lot myself as well, which was really cool."

Rosalind Manowitz, Mum

"What a relief to finally have an excellent starting point to express Māori history. Teachers need this."

Paul Hodgkinson, Head of Intermediate, Rosmini College

"I personally believe mātauranga.co.nz is the next big tool teachers can use to ignite learning and inspire children to go beyond the classroom and innovate in their world, because they know they are the descendants of greatness."

Zac Ford, Deputy Principal, Balaclava School