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Whether or not your students are taking part in the School Strike for Climate on March the 15th. This is a great opportunity to explore the reasons for the strike and look at the young girl, Greta Thurnberg who has … Continue reading
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Students have been having fun stomping in the mud at Waikino School this term. They have been creating clay structures for the corners of their ‘student designed’ school/community gardens, which has been an ongoing inquiry for 2018. Local Permaculture designer … Continue reading
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The Enviroschools Action Learning Cycle drives the inquiry process at Waikino School and they are currently using it to explore sustainable building and gardens. Students work in vertical house groups in order to sustain and develop their Enviroschool initiatives. Whatever … Continue reading
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Do you know an early childhood centre, school or community group that’s doing great restoration work or wants to get started and doesn’t know how? The Habitat Heroes resources and 2017 competition is a great place to start! The Habitat Heroes Competition is … Continue reading
Furiously planning term 3? Check out the Science Learning Hub! Term 3 is a time when farmers are working harder to mitigate nutrient run-off problems. The whitebait season opens and closes, commercial crops start flowering for pollination and the godwits … Continue reading
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A fantastic array of resources available on the Science Learning Hub to help you explore the Nature of Science and take action for Conservation! They model a process of student inquiry in conservation, focusing on how to support students to put … Continue reading
A great opportunity to get involved in some citizen science and use the Action Learning Cycle to identify the current situation of your living landscape at school. The New Zealand Garden Bird Survey starts next week! http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/science/plants-animals-fungi/animals/birds/garden-bird-surveys/taking-part
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Te Aho Tū Roa and Toimata Foundation are proud to share Te Ara i Takahia an online resource showcasing the inspiring awa restoration project undertaken by Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Rawhiti Roa, a kura leading leading the way … Continue reading
Our focus for 2017 is Creating Catalysts for Change.
The development of Enviroschools was driven by a burning question:
What if school could be a place that empowers young people to design, plan, take action and lead the change – in their classrooms, in their schools, in their neighbourhoods, in their country?”
The issues facing humanity can feel overwhelming; they are complex, interconnected, and global in scale. We often find ourselves saying, ‘every one makes a difference”, but we can just as validly ask “are we really?” How do we really know we are making a difference? You might put out your recycling, compost your food waste, grow your own food, take public transport or ride your bike, but you still wonder if, in the scheme of things, things are getting better. The world’s population will reach 7.5 billion in 2017 and is estimated to reach 11.2 billion in 2100. With only one Earth, the pressures on our planet are ballooning. It’s time to look how we as individuals, schools and communities can really “be the change we want to see in the world”, and how we can influence and inspire others.
Hutia te rito o te harakeke
Kei hea te komako e ko?
Maku e ki ake
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
Pluck the heart from the flax bush – where will the bellbird sit?
Ask me, what is the most important thing in the world?
I will reply,
it is people, it is people, it is people.
The purpose of this focus is to provide inspiration and tools to support teachers to go deeper with existing issues and inquiry and allow classes and students to really explore how their actions can make a difference. Action is a core part of the Enviroschools kaupapa – What actions will bring about the changes that we want? How can these actions go deeper? How can our actions influence others?
The resources materials are available here:
Key Concepts and Questions
Case studies and examples for catalysts for change
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Congratulations to Isla Wilkinson, Arlo Oliver and Alena Zhu from Room 7 at Hillcrest Normal School who have won the Year 5 and 6 category in the Mean Green House competition – a national competition run by Genesis Energy. The … Continue reading
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The theme area of Zero Waste is one that many schools embrace in response to an easily identified situation in the school grounds. This often starts with a discussion (staffroom and classroom) about what the issue is and then is … Continue reading
Whitebait season is upon us. And around the country people are relishing the thought of delicious whitebait patties, while others are dreading the thought, knowing full well that these tiny critters are under threat of extinction. It’s a sad fact and … Continue reading
At our recent teacher workshop at Netherton Primary, Principal Tracey Adams gave a presentation on how they use the Action Learning Cycle, in the class room with students to plan and carry out student-led projects, and how they are now using it for their staff meetings, discussions and appraisals. She describes it as the ‘best review cycle’ she has seen, and likes the way is so clear and simple, following a simple and effective inquiry model that requires action
View Tracey’s presentation here.
The Action Learning Cycle (ALC) is the main Enviroschools tool used to help plan and carry out student-led projects. It’s an inquiry model that enables young people to be empowered to investigate, explore ideas, make decisions, take action and reflect on the changes they have created.
The ALC cycle begins by ‘Identifying the Current Situation’…. immersing students in the subject and possibilities – this gives a rich background from which they can then ‘Explore Alternatives’, then plan, design and ‘Take Action’. The ‘Reflection’ that follows raises new ideas and consolidates learning.
The Enviroschools theme areas, Me in My Environment, Zero Waste, Healthy Water, Living Landscapes and Ecological Buildings are designed with ‘Identifying the Current Situation‘ in mind. Activities are offered that help students build up a picture of the current situation before moving into the next stages of the Action Learning Cycle.
Waikato Enviroschools 