You can contact LEARNZ, part of CORE Education, at:
Postal Address:
PO Box 13 678,
Christchurch 8141,
New Zealand
Teacher testimonials
Love your Rubbish
I love the authenticity of the experience. Being able to tangibly hold something (the liner that was sent to enrolled classes) and discuss the layers of the landfill, it was very powerful and got the kids thinking.
The field trip supported our delivery of the curriculum - especially having the ambassador, as he gave an added interest and focus. Students found it user-friendly and easy to access on our Chromebooks.
This field trip was so appropriate for my class - they really enjoyed it and were excited to receive the 3 liner samples from the landfill at Kate Valley. As a teacher, this LEARNZ field trip has seen me use more technology in the classroom, while still including activities like interviews and visiting speakers.
The children all understood and could remember the waste process because of the clarity of the message from the videos.
Great way to have EOTC without leaving the classroom. Very visual and it was awesome that they sent us a sample of the liner material they use for the landfill.
The students were very interested and challenged throughout this virtual field trip. It was very appropriate, as we are completing an Inquiry on "Our Environment". The online support section was comprehensive and well organised.
The definition of waste was a fantastic platform for discussion. Getting the layers from the lining of Kate Valley was very cool and made it that bit more interactive.
Fabulous topic. Very easy and user friendly website, accessible for everyone. Thanks for sending the sample of the liner material used in landfills - it was very effective to see and feel the liner, and it covers a big area of technology.
Looking at Landfills as intro to our Sustainability study and being able to access your fabulous resources and view audio conferences, fitted in so well. Samples (of the landfill liner) sent to us were an extra bonus.
The trip supported the Curriculum values by enabling students to work in differing capacities. LEARNZ gives me the opportunitiy to share experiences from all over NZ with the students in my class whose life experiences may be limited.
The trip was very effective for my class as we had just finished a school inquiry based on the Invercargill estuary which had been used as the city dump. It inspires students to do something about their environment or begins conversations about how life used to be and how things change, such as the new technology that has been used to make the Kate Valley landfill safe for the environment.
The field trip fitted with our environment and sustainability topic and saved a lot of resource development time which allowed me to focus more on my students learning. The content was readily accessible for my year 9 students and was effective because of the bite-size delivery e.g. short videos and diary entries that did not take too long to read.
This trip was fantastic as it made direct links to sustainability and future focus. It was also ideal for our new collaborative teaching techniques which included students recording their ideas on iPads.
Geohazards
The field trip introduced children to real scientists, gave them ideas and stimulated curiosity. Students came to realise that science occurs in their own back yard, not just overseas.
The live link up is great. Great to be able to observe, listen to experts at work. Real life context.
This field trip supported the "Future Focus" principle for my group of Year 6 students, as they were exposed to aspects of the reality of living in a small country that lies on the junction of two tectonic plates. They developed their understanding by making 3D models.
This field trip catered for many learners - with videos and photos to support the learning, it is not all reading. And with the readings being able to be listened to, it allows many lower readers to be involved in the content.
Helped make content relevant to my Year 10 students. Great for the visual learners!
The field trip helped to make the content very relevant and allowed the students to feel like they were getting first hand experience.
Great content and contexts. A novel approach and a way to bring other voice into my classroom that has great authenticity. Fits well with the specific Learning Objectives for the Disaster unit taught in the Social Studies curriculum.
Formed the basis of an introduction to AS90952 - Demonstrate understanding of the formation of surface features in New Zealand. Curiosity increased as a result of the first audioconference in particular and led to some interesting off-line questions and discussions.
The videos and background material on the Alpine Fault were useful to the students in their studies of Achievement Standard 1.1 - extreme natural events.
Level of language in the resources was perfect for my wide-range ability Year 10s. The format encourages persistence and allows students to work at their own pace, through material that engages them, testing their knowledge without lots of writing! Parents were able to view the material and this was a valuable opportunity to engage our community.
This Geohazards virtual field trip hit the nail on the head as a learning tool for Year 8 Earth Science. It has been a great chance for a small rural Northland school to see the wider world, and has broadened my horizons in terms of what is possible with my classes.
Garden Bird Survey
It gave a context for learning - becoming a civilian scientist contributing to a wider project. It linked to our school big idea of Nurturing Our Nature, encompassing science and social science (responsibility and impact).