Journal

Week Fifteen

This weeks highlight was the Professional Development (P.D) Day with the CoL at Caccia Birch House presented by Dr Jodie Hunter. whose topic was Developing Mathematical inquiry in a learning community (DMIC)... Beginning with discussions of ambitious pedagogy and being culturally responsive in all that we do especially in creating tasks and task design. We looked at the lesson structure and the core content behind the lessons whether this be maths, science, social studies etc. I can certainly see the parallels between the science capabilities and the pedagogy behind DMIC. Looking at what beliefs underpin your teaching? Why teach one way over another? What are your deliberate acts of teaching? How do they match with the students needs during a lesson? Are you meeting all of the diverse needs in your classroom?

The P.D certainly raised more questions for me as a teacher, however I did liken the flow of the lesson format to the science capabilities. As both focus on the strategies and skills to learn the context and apply it. We were asked to identify what we believed made up a 'good' requirements for a teacher / lesson and student...

• A good maths teacher - engaging, fun, across curriculum links, transferring skills, make connections, enjoy maths, passion for maths, diversity, challenging
• A successful maths lesson includes - conversations, rich tasks, student centred, engaging, challenge and productive struggle, collaborative learning, making connections real world learning, authentic learning, investigating and discovery, relevant to their life
• A good maths student - curious, problem solver, risk taker, takes ownership, resilience, mathematical mindset, persistence.

What if you considered problem solving tasks for the students regardless of subject matter to enable the students to work collaboratively and resolve the problems through a variety of modes and mediums that best suit them as a learner. The day was very informative and I enjoyed the challenges presented which gave me plenty of ideas to combine and try when I am next in the classroom teaching.

Catching up with colleagues and sharing my STLP journey so far was fun. I explained about the different learning experiences I have had so far to date and how I think they will help me when I am back in the classroom. There were new STLP participant teachers there too who were excited about their upcoming journey next year.

Week Fourteen

This weeks focus was a combination of host placement looking at VO2 Sub Max research testing where there was a physical exertion bike test where the participants start off slow and build up over a set period of time before they finally had to push themselves as far as they could. Participants wore a mouthpiece and a nose clip where they were breathing the same oxygen and then indicated to the researchers the level of exertion they felt. For fair testing they were using the Borg Scale starting at level 6 = no exertion to level 15 = hard and finally level 20 maximum exertion. Every 60 seconds of cycling the process became harder for the participant. I found the participants it was either their legs or their lungs that found it too hard and pushed them to stop cycling. Once they had reached their maximum exertion the mouth piece was removed and they were asked to continue cycling slowly while their heart rate returned to normal. Throughout this process they had their Blood Pressure taken and the heart rate was monitored also to determine maximum exertion and normal resting heart rate. The gases were monitored using a computer to analyse the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the participants and this in turn informed the researcher how fit they were? Participants were then asked to take part in a further study which would be a similar test to take place in a heat chamber wearing a heart rate monitor, blood pressure taken and a rectal thermometer to record body temperatures throughout. This study will hopefully inform if body temperature increase in pre menstrual and menstruating females.

Later in the week I had the opportunity to catch up with my school and share the progress I have made so far... The ideas I have buzzing around and what I want to trial prior to starting school next year. I am keen to run a few workshops over the next few weeks with a sample of students from each class putting into practice the science capabilities I have learnt so far. I also shared my passion for the environment and inspirational moments at different enviro schools within the Manawatu. They were very welcoming and I am eager to replicate some of their projects alongside the capability teaching. I left with quite a few more questions and request to put a plan together so it can be considered. I am hoping to assign some time next week into developing these ideas into a plan that can be used for guidance of teaching. Excited after meeting. It was good to catch up with colleagues and hear about what has happened in my absence...

Week Thirteen

This weeks focus was the Workshops at The Royal Society and this is something that I look forward to as the time and people you have the opportunity to observe, listen and learn from is priceless! I always go away with more questions at the end of the week than what I had at the beginning of the week which I have since learnt is good thing. The opportunity to be in the role of the student and have the chance to see the introduction of the different capabilities is very powerful particularly when coupled with the rich conversation of your peers when you unpack the language, content and context of the lesson. So much content and context was covered across the workshops

I taught a group of yr2 students the big idea 'When some substances mix they change' with the focus of Observe and describe when substances mix they change. In preparation for this lesson myself and Matt were paired together to plan a lesson based on capability teaching. Admittedly we spent a lot of time focusing on our capability and looking at the questioning techniques and what would and wouldn't work. Prior to teaching we received feedback on our lesson, knowingly in a working environment we wouldn't be able to put in so much time for each planned lesson we would teach in a week. However it was very beneficial to have another teacher (Matt) working alongside you to bounce ideas off and put into practise what we have been learning. I enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with another teacher whilst planning and the feedback we got on our lesson plan. We did tweak our lesson as the yr group changed so we altered our language and questions to suit their age and understanding. The bags worked much better and it is something I will definitely teach again for an introduction to the capability. Using the Ambitious Science teaching strategies helped to get the best from the students and the conversations amongst them during peer to peer was fabulous.

The students were given a clear bag with a cup, baking soda, vinegar, food colouring and a cup. The students were engaged with anticipation of what they were going to do and the opportunity of being a scientist. All students took part, had lots of questions and ideas about why and how the substances changed. There was an opportunity to see the students explaining their ideas to each other and whilst teaching the focus was on the students senses and what they were observing... All of the students enjoyed their experiment and could articulate what they did and why they did it which astounded me for such a young audience. All of the students were very keen to show their families the experiment at home. Looking at my evidence for ambitious science teaching practise that I would like to improve in the future, would be: Probing and pressing questioning techniques, with practise in a classroom the language would become familiar to the students and they would become confident in re-voicing their ideas.

Reflecting and discussing with peers on why I think it is important for children to learn science? Having the chance to observe and be curious as a student would be putting myself in the place of the student was the highlight for me as it shows me what the students experience. Also videoing and critiquing my video with my teaching partner was a great way to unpack areas of strength and reflect on what I could do differently next time. Looking into "what kind of talk makes a difference with student achievement" by Hennessy, Mercer and Howe from Cambridge University the different type of talk with your students. This was really powerful and good to recall when planning workshops.

Week Ten

This week I spend my time between different enviro schools which I was fortunate enough to spend time in 5 different enviro schools that had been on their journey from a couple of years up to 14years. I was blown away with the commitment, courage and community support from both staff and students. Not to mention support of time and donations from their local communities also. I will publish some of the photos that I took whilst visiting these schools. The students enjoyed the opportunity the enviro aspect allowed them to practice, learn and live what they are doing at school. Many of these students had taken their new found knowledge and experience and were incorporating that into their home life and sharing with their whanau. I have so many ideas and now need to transfer this into some real life examples to share with staff/students/community at my own school...

I also caught up with my school and was able to look into the journey so far with Sara and Barbara. So much to do until the end of term 4 it was awesome brainstorming ideas together whilst looking through the Nature of Science Capability lens with another person who has been on the same learning journey. I have more data and research to gather before presenting my ideas and the benefits for all of the stakeholders involved...

I wrapped up the week watching scientists practise and perfect the collection of gas methods using fellow scientists in the role of participants. The method was very specific and each scientist had to follow the same methods under scrutiny from their peers and the professor. Certain variables were taken into account depending on the fitness of the person undergoing the trial. I'm not sure if I would be as confident completing the same method. I would definitely need to watch another practise or two before hand. This was a great way to wrap up a very busy week before a break for the school holidays allowing time to reflect, recharge and recoup!

Week Nine - Thursday

Today I was working as an observer within the Food and Nutrition department. They have a few research studies in the department today and I was very fortunate to be able to observe and see their research whilst having my questions answered. Days like this are completely out of the ordinary for me as I get a chance to see their data gathering process and put their research into a context in which I can understand. The first study was 'Footprint Study' Fracture risk in post menopausal women, they are investigating different lifestyle factors associated with bone health and the ability of 2 methods of scanning bone quality and they then use this to predict future fracture risk in post menopausal women. They use the Heel scan machine and DEXA scan to determine the bone quality. The machine was very quick, accurate and picked up all the aspects needed. Luckily the technician was on hand to answer my questions and talk me through the different scans and the meaning for the participant. Prior to this I never knew the importance of bone density when you are young and in particular up to 30years of age. From this point you can either maintain your bone density through weight bearing exercise such as running and weight lifting or you decrease your bone density every decade of age... I am pleased I have been running and weight lifting this year!

The other study which was taking part is the MINI study of Mother and Infant Nutrition Investigation. Which is aimed at healthy women aged 16yrs or older who are either in their late stages of pregnancy or have recently had their baby. There is a variety of data collected during this study from mother and baby; questionnaires about food intake, supplements and general health, child questionnaires at age 4, 8 and 12 months, urine, blood / breastmilk samples and toe nail clippings. Looking at the mothers body composition and thyroid gland size. A variety of information is then provided to the mother.

Final research taking place was the 'Bugs n Bones' Study which looks at the relationship between dietary patterns, bone biomarkers, gut microbiome and bone density. This research is investigating the relationship between different types of food you eat and the bacteria in the gut on bone density. I was fascinated with the information and discussion with the scientist behind the reasoning. Data collected in this study comes from; DEXA scans, questionnaires, Heel scans, fasting blood samples, urine samples and faecal samples. I enjoyed my time spent in this department and the different approach to research that I had previously seen.

Week Nine - Tuesday

An exciting opportunity today to spend some time with the Regional Coordinator for Enviro Schools. After being inspired from my visit earlier in the term to Koraunui school and the enviro lens they have on their learning I was keen to start my research and find out about the benefits for my students on return to school. I was given lots of information about the different opportunities for school, students, home and community in establishing life long responsible, sustainable citizens who are motivated to take care of their environment. I learnt no 2 schools are the same and they have their own unique focus of what their students are passionate and interested in. As ultimately the program is about empowering the students for the future and developing different capabilities to enable them to apply their knowledge and skills into their home life also.

I was given the different steps needed to undertake in becoming an enviro school and the inclusion of all members of the school community both in and out of school. During the meeting I had lots of thoughts and ideas that were popping up, I realise it is a slow and long journey with the buy in and support needed from your whole school community. My next steps are to visit a few schools recommended to me by the coordinator to get some ideas from both staff and students.

Week Nine - Monday

Today I had the opportunity to visit the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) department and have a look around and chat with the scientist. The NMR is a physical phenomenon in which nuclei in a magnetic field absorb and re-emit electromagnetic radiation, the fields are really strong there are markings in the rooms telling you where you can and can't stand and in some circumstances there are rings on the carpet. My first instruction was to remove any metal and place my laptop and mobile, keys out of reach of the magnets as your pocket is not a safe place in this lab. First thing you see is the huge NMR machines which are the most expensive research equipment held at Massey and the upkeep of each of them takes a lot of care and future planning particularly when ordering the cooling liquids to maintain their magnetic ability at full strength. I observed the NMR analysing different liquids and chemicals using the spectroscopy which is an analytical chemistry technique used in quality control and some elements of research for determining the content and purity of a sample. The NMRs are also used to determine the molecular structure. The NMR can quantitatively analyse mixtures containing known compounds. For unknown compounds, NMR can either be used to match against spectral libraries or to infer the basic structure directly. The department are often given excess samples to analyse and breakdown. I listened intently as there were a lot of new words and explanations that I had to decode.

My favourite part was when the scientist demonstrated the strength of the smallest NMR machine using scissors on a cord as he stepped closer to the NMR the scissor was attracted to the magnetic field and began floating in mid air. This was really cool, unfortunately I couldn't take my phone in to take a picture. I was fascinated with the ability of the NMR machines and the depth and passion the scientist in charge spoke about them.

Week Eight - Friday

Today tying everything in we had learnt this week, the course was incredibly informative and intense. Remember to be a leader you actually have to look after yourself. What impact do we have as leaders?

Resilience - Shift happens

• What is it? Carrying on regardless and learning from mistakes and having a self belief and the ability to put things in perspective. The ability to ‘park’ an idea and come back to it. Having an alternative need it, accepting different views.
• Why do we need it? Develop a thick skin and don’t give up, otherwise nothing would get done. Being adaptable to change as change happens, keeping at it as things take time.
• How do we get it? Put it in perspective, giving people tools and strategies to develop the skill and build it up.
• How can we promote it? Use the word more, resilience and share the language. Provide support.

Stress: Is about the consumption of energy. Sometimes something minor that wouldn’t have worried me yesterday, worried me today. Look at it, take time and think about how you are going to tackle it. Wake up and take control of your attention. Develop the detached view and use the different Myers Briggs views on your feedback. I liked the quote from Amy’s hubby “Do what you CAN and CAN what you can’t” - Mr Christie. Remember if stress goes on for too long do seek help.

Wellness: The quality of state of being healthy in body and mind, especially as the result of deliberate effort. Spiritual, emotional, intellectual, physical, social, environmental, financial. The mental health wellness has a game - Fit 2 teach game I particularly liked the 3 to 1 in our work lives / 5 to 1 in our personal lives . Barbara Fredrickson = pursuit of happiness. “Being the best at what you are best at for the better of others!”

The course was empowering and left me feeling emotionally drained with a very busy brain yet oddly satisfied. I thought I could take on a CEO role at the end of the week! A lot of interesting and intriguing techniques that managers and leaders use across their day to inspire their staff / team and whanau. I have 3" worth of A4 paper to read and digest over the next coming weeks before first leadership assignment is due...

Week Eight - Thursday

Today the focus was on the need to have management and leadership skills together alongside practical steps to help people achieve things!

Edge - developmental aspiration for science

Groove - practices to lots of people

Home - supportive community to achieve the ideal state

Challenge the process - Kouzes and Posner: "search for opportunities, seize the initiative look for opportunities"

Where do we get our ideas from - House of Science / TKI / Curious so we give it a go / environment / Topical / Pinterest / You tube / Home life experience / FB / Mistakes and failures / Each other as a staff / Values / Conversation bouncing ideas off each other / Watching other teachers / research / Knowing what works / PD / specialist classroom teachers / reflective practise groups / Life experience. How do you get your students to think creatively? - Showing a level of understanding - younger the child the more creative they are naturally... How do you inspire the creativity from the older student? What about your colleagues? - Engaging short and snappy activities - There are barriers that prevent this: time, environment, pre ideas - Opportunities. Don’t structure ideas so people can not fail, too much over protection for people on NT column. Again you want people to succeed to make sure it works. How do you take in the information - Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch. Language - think very carefully with the choice of words you are using when speaking with people.

I really enjoyed watching the ABC nightline Ideo shopping cart business (abc)- One conversation at a time - wild ideas - Use your post it to vote on it - enlightened trial and error. We give each team a need idea - Fail often in order to succeed sooner.

Week Eight - Wednesday

• Reflection from Day 3 of Leadership course and learning - Inspiring a shared vision. Everyone presented the leaders that they can identify with, or who stands out for them and why? Presentation time was 2mins and it was quiet difficult to refine the content to the time frame. Almost everyone presented over. I found it interesting listening to what inspires people and why. A lot of the time the leaders that were chosen had a Je ne cest quai? about them... Charisma that made the leaders seem charming and appealing which is why people want to listen to them ie: Barrack Obama, Ellen Degeneres, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Margaret Thatcher... All have captured their intended audience!
• As a potential leader look at the 'bigger picture' - inspiring vision - freedom - having a dream and belief - following through - meet the need - research behind them - charisma - passion - emotional intelligence - shared values - models the way. How do I incorporate that into your everyday working life. Todays workshop has left me wondering... How do leaders do what they do? - Almost as if putting on a different bravado, they protect the team / protect the tribe. If the team / tribe is not protected they are ousted. What is my passion? Time to think about and time to enact.
• Reflecting I think leaders do: Fought for a cause - empowered others to take charge - good listeners, caring - Hardworking - Greater good / selflessness

Inspire vision by having a dream / belief - charisma / essence / passion - following through. Show resilience - considered and robust - Risk takers - Communicators - Professional - Calm. A lot of thinking and ideas today...

Week Eight - Tuesday

• Reflection from Day 2 of Leadership course and learning - Understand personal and professional values - Link leadership behaviours

Exercise - What has given you the most professional satisfaction in your teaching career so far? I found this question quite difficult to answer as there are so many different events/points of time that stand out for me… Different students achieving above and beyond their potential. When a student finally gets it and is inspired and motivated to learn.

Does the above show you what you value in your life and what you value in your career. Who as leaders stand out to you? Was interesting question as I have a few leaders that stand out to me for different reasons.

Reflecting over on the Book The Leadership Challenge - Refer to Pg53, pg54, pg55 Reminding myself to not be afraid to say where it is you are coming from... Why are you/they resisting? Ask them to trial it for a term… or a year… Most of this morning has been based on looking at my own values, personal and professional values is there a cross over? Why do I think that

• Self a list of values - what means the most to me?
• Values interrogation / Reflection on self
• Values alignment / Connectedness with others
• Values contestation / Conflict with others
• Values - led / Philosophy core values inform leadership behaviours

Week Eight - Monday

• Reflection from Day 1 of Leadership course and learning. - Engagement in real world science and in schools - leadership component

Starting off today looking at what are the differences between leadership & managers... Saying you are a leader does not make you a leader - calling them your employees and referring to them as your team. Skills and tasks of leadership - the roles of managers and a variety of roles. What do you do within your role? Teachers are a figurehead for their child’s development. Think of 3 of these roles that are consuming most of your time? Figurehead / Resource allocator / Negotiator. Think of 3 that you would like to be spending most of your time on? - Disseminator / Spokesperson / Entrepreneur

“Managers promote stability, while leaders press for change, and only organisations that embrace both sides of that contradiction can thrive in turbulent times” Kotter 2001, p25. What is the most proportion of our time we can use spending our time on the daily running of your classroom. How do we bring a leadership stance to the leading and the managing of ‘day to day’? Remember a leader is not there to save people - support and empower yes but not save them. If you are saving people ie; if they don’t have a task done, it is them who are on the down foot not you. You need to make sure you don’t over control everything. The tricky aspect for me may be letting go of being in control and having to have everything done. Saving your staff is not a sustainable model! A very tiring and long day which left me with lots to think about...

Week Seven - Thursday

Testing opportunities arise today, having the chance to watch the scientists gather and collect oxygen and carbon dioxide from the participants completing a maximum exertion test using an exercise bike and a series of machines, oxygen bags, oxygen tanks, laptops and computers to collect and gather data. The set up looked entirely complicated from an outside perspective looking in. One thing I always notice is the participants are incredibly patient and compassionate towards the scientists collecting the data. This time the participant had to warm up 5mins and then slowly increase exertion each minute as the machine gets harder to pedal for the participant. Every 60 seconds the scientist was transferring the oxygen bag from the participants mouth piece and taking it over to the analyser machine where they could analyse the ratio of different gases. I was fascinated listening to their conversations about all the controls in the room against all the variables and how they would all have an impact of one or the other at school. The process certainly gave me ideas for running my own data analysis with the students...

Week Seven - Monday

Gosh I can't believe its week 7 already! So many new learning experiences and opportunities have been fabulous and can only improve my teaching and engagement of my students next year. Today I had the opportunity to observe in another study in the field of Sport and science. The researcher is looking into the long term effects of using vibration plates for both athletes and everyday exercise. Theses vibration plates are pitched to the public as 'weight loss miracle cures' without any need for exercise or gym, or at least thats what a really popular brand advertised on the infomercials state. The researcher is testing 8 participants who cycle for a set space of time and warm up, full exertion and cool down speeds of over 50rpm. Blood is then taken to monitor the lactate from the participate promptly after cycling and then they complete 14mins 1 minute on and 1 minute off on the vibration plate to see if the body responds to the vibration plate. Does it help the participants recover quicker? They have a further 2 more blood lactate tests taken half way through the vibration plates and again at the end of the vibration plate workout. The participant was keen to know if they had improved on their previous speeds and technique... However the researcher and manager explained for a fair test to take place they needed to ensure no data was given to the participants until the end of the activity to ensure fair testing and data collection. Hopefully I will get to follow the research during my time here. As I have almost been enticed into purchasing a vibration plate...

Week Six - Friday

Today I worked on prep with my teacher I was paired with, improving and analysing our lesson we have planned. Also grouped with another teacher group to give each other feedback / feedforward and to look at the capabilities with a critical eye.

• Science as a culture.
• Looking at some attributes you would need to understand about a culture if you were going to be living / working amongst it?
  • Language barriers / opportunity / Culture / impoliteness / Traditions / Taboos / Dress / Greetings / Teachers / Personal space / Family / norms / Road rules / History / Religion / Laws / Gender / Currency
• Reminder that teachers are facilitators of border crossings - Science >Teachers<Students. Teachers are cultural brokers / learning as participation in communities of practise. Science is seen as a realm of experts - the rocket scientists the geeks! Is science a box of facts that need to be learnt and understand. Referring to my own experience with student survey about what science looks like to them?
• Activity - ask students to draw what they think a scientist looks like? Get them to sketch on a piece of paper.
• Border crossing - In your host what is valued? What have you noticed? A good discussion between the two of us. Discussion, time to explore, nature of their talk. Ford and Forman (2006) suggest scientists take on 2 roles:
  • Constructors of claims about the natural and physical world.
  • Critiquers of claims

In the afternoon we had a journey to Lower Hutt and looked at a secondary school: HoD shared information from being a conservative science dept to being a lot more up to date and open. Been here 8yrs when the Nature of Science (NoS) was coming in... Looking at front end of the curriculum through the NoS as still need content and they back mapped the senior science learning programme. What could we let go of in jr school? Most of it as if the student understood why they needed to know that information. The concepts themselves from the science content we use the cause where you ask yourself a series of questions when you are in a program of learning... energy why do we need to teach this topic? What are the big ideas? What are the sequence of the facts and fundamentals? What are the concepts a sequence and ask why you would teach it and how? Why? How do I teach that idea? Looking for the skills that you need to explore when unpacking the unit. Teaching this way we found this more useful and fun to teach and engaging for the children.

Teachers are responding to the interest of the students and what they want to learn... getting buy in from the students and looking at what they need to know. Using the capabilities to report and prescribe reporting aspects for school not achieved, achieved, merit, excellence. Rubrics used to monitor specific topic assessment. Develop a scale model in any element of science that interests them. They have to say what the scale is the mathematics is and the materials used etc why they chose that idea.

The college is working on unpacking how students struggle to sit down and sit still to focus. They used to coming from inquiry and research... Representations where you go and label a heart the children then choose their own topic to annotate a diagram and understand they have a purpose. Labelling is only describing as you can find that in the internet. Look at the questioning and building up to use explicitly targeted questioning to build up their knowledge and understanding. Given the scaffolding. You need to come back to the same capabilities in a different context and apply it.

What you see in front of you is using the evidence to critique the work.

Yr 11 looks at core science and how you would look into an event astronomical event. Report based on this, chemistry physics and mechanics. The students write a DIY field trip using a given booklet. The students take their own evidence, photos annotate it and write an account using the internal and processes the year before. Yr 9 and yr 10 capabilities have prepared the skills the students will need at senior level. Some students do their own projects and earn the Silver Crest which is run by Royal Society. The William Pike challenge is also on offer at primary school. The Duke of Edinburgh in seniors.

Main advice is she got involved and saying yes to different opportunities and different people. Engaging the students in their learning and exciting inspiring them to become inquisitive curious scientists using evidence.

Lesson observation - mixed ability year 9

Student put Scipad away and get a wipeboard to work on our activity. A group of students carried out an experiment to heat water using the energy from a burning peanut. Looking at an ARB diagram. Watching the students progress discuss through the challenge.

What energy transformation is happening here? Next challenge write down 3 examples of ways they could change this method to get a greater temperature rise? There is no right or wrong answer here I just want you to get talking about your thinking. Teacher pulls lesson in and models expectations and asks the students to now share with the group... all the students are chatting g and fully engaged in the lesson and challenge ahead of them.

What top 2 of these answers would we keep? Students then continued to eliminate or confirm their ideas through the evidence in discussion and on their boards.

• The same ?
• Same water amount
• Keep distance between object and beaker the same.
• Can you tell me your thinking behind those answers?
• What we are interested in is the change in the water temperature...
• Surface area of the water at the top as that is where the heat escapes.
• Check the starting temperature is the same?
• Same amount of mass between the two burning objects so they weigh the same? The same environment for each experiment
• Similar and practical ways to make sure it is a fair test. They have to account for all of the above.
• Competing activity over again you get an average result.
• Let's all go through and agree.

All students are going to compete the experiment using the same parameters. All of the students were engaged and discussing their theories and more importantly backing up why they thought that because of the evidence. I hope to replicate something on a similar scale for my students.

Week Six - Thursday

This morning we were introduced to the 2nd Science Capability from Science Capabilities, and shown the resources from the TKI - Science capabilities website. The 5 capabilities

• Gather and interpret data
• Use evidence
• Critique evidence
• Interpret representations
• Engage with science

Having the opportunity to plan with a teacher from another school was refreshing and something I rarely get the opportunity to do. We were planning for an up and coming lesson for students where we will demonstrate Capability based teaching...

Today we visited Koraunui School in Stokes Valley where we will be hosted by Di Christensen and Di Manks and had the opportunity to see previous STLP participant teachers putting into practice what they had learnt during their placement and to watch some Capability focussed teaching in the classroom. “It is actually a precious opportunity to understand the strengths and realities for each other, that rarely happens in education."

Both teachers gave us a quick intro into their teaching and a 15minute snapshot of capability teaching.

Bio blitz - yr3/4 First sample lesson

Gathering evidence about what is here? Looking at species birds lizards and insects. Planting native bush in the school grounds and around the river 650 plants into the area and wildlife area. The class has done a lot of work on looking for pests and monitoring pests, chew cards and tracking tunnels. Then looking at trapping. The class are going to use a baked potatoe and make a vertebrate trap. Engaging with science and working as scientist collecting gathering data and recording what they collect, question each other, and connectivity linking to us as humans and enviro schools to pose sustainability.

Two students in a group are going to look up the following words scavenger, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, undisturbed, invertebrate . Does anyone know what these words are? Looking at those two what is an omnivore? Eats everything. Hands up to answer questions. Scavengers will eat anything dead. Does anyone know wot an invertebrate is doesn't have spine @loaded from vertebrate.

Can someone revoice that? Changed to left alone for 24/48hrs. It's science we will give it ago and learn from it either way? You are going to get 3 half's how can I re-phrase that using math knowledge 1.5 potatoes. Potatoes are already cut in half and the students have to find 3 different sample sites. We are trying to find the invertebrates living in the soil, place potatoes on its side. Experiment to see if it works?

I enjoyed the introduction to the topic and I would certainly like to try this with my students...

Balloon activity yr4/5/6 - 2nd sample activity We need 8 -10 balloons which were blown up and inside a wooden frame when we arrived at the lesson. The students were highly engaged and anticipating what they would be doing next. Looking at air pressure, air pushes it down, candle blows out. High or low pressure? Can the balloons hold the wood? A student help another student stand on the wood student gets another to stand on wood too. If we had one balloon would it work? Why is it working? 9 balloons holding 6 students standing side by side and evenly distributing the pressure. They lifted off the wood n frame. Feeling excited on the inside but holding it together.

Thinking back to the air activity what shape was the air canon? Air comes out a shape as a vortex, air in the centre is moving fastest air is constantly moving forward like a swimmers arms. A student is holding onto the hula hoop on its side. Can someone else use the air canon.

Smells disgusting. You notice a smell good. All students get a turn a couple of times to hit the air canon and aim their vortex through the hula hoop. We are going to pause there listening up. Your teacher has materials to make mini air canons. The instructions are there so you can practise here and also share at home with your whanau.

I enjoyed the introduction and vocabulary and phrases used to introduce the topic and I would certainly like to try this with my students... After we were able to chat to both Di's and discuss their practise, ideas, PD, and walk around their classes and school which was a fabulous opportunity and gave me so many different ideas to take back to my own school and teaching practise.

Notes from meeting

Curious minds grant for the school to do their bio blitz. Used time in STLP wisely and make the most of the opportunities. Their school raised funding for trips for the whole school, to the bug lab Wakaenae overnight stay on Sommes Island, Zealandia were just some of the experiences used to inspire passion and drive to learn science. Passion to get students to look after their area. Think about our community and whanau to engage and buy in. Wanting the students to be able to think where is your evidence? Support from principal and worked with mixed students who had switched off from school, which was a huge success to raise not only their engagement but also their retention and assessment in school. Get feedback from families, child feedback and lots of self assessment being able to use with council for funding and to reflect on your progress. Feedback becomes crucial. A few activities and projects their school has taken on board: River project for bio blitz taking care of fish and wildlife in the area. Spotlight activity - parents came one to one to take children in the river and look for koura and fish. Students wrote letters to Bunnings, Mitre 10, Placemaker and their council to raise funding to build shed. School beehives, manukua honey etc..."Remember when students see a purpose they get passionate and behind the science!" Feeling really energised about the opportunities I can bring to my school for my students and community.

Week Six - Tapa Te Rangi Marae

Emerged in life on a marae, was a privilege and an honour to have a peek into the culture of a world which was completely unknown to me. I didn't know what to expect and I had a serious amount of anxiety about what laid ahead of me... Arriving at Tapa Te Rangi Marae started with a powhiri and welcoming us onto the marae. The family who run the marae and the facilitators showed manaakitanga and aroha throughout the complete time we were there, feeling like an extended whanau! There was lots of ako, information shared amongst ourselves and given to us to use in our schools and lives.

A variety of hands on activities putting ourselves in the place of the students. How would they feel? What would they do? What do they see? Hear? Touch? Feel? Taste? Fabulous paper, catapult, bottle top rockets, pop the lids, koura, tricky tracks were just some of the activities we were involved in whilst starting to unpack the capabilities. These were lots of fun and certainly gave us a big opportunity to discuss our ideas and test them, whilst working out what did and didn't work. I learnt the discussion around this is just as important as the actual activity, looking forward to applying this method to my science workshops.

Learning about cultural competence and responsiveness was incredibly interesting and a lot of information, certainly gave me lots to think about and how I can incorporate this into my everyday classroom and not just as a stand alone unit. I really enjoyed listening to the different narratives and having them re enacted and brought to life, this was not only fun activity for us as adults but also something the children would no doubt have fun doing. The narratives that were re-enacted will stay with me for a long time and reminds me when I would tell my grandparents stories with my cousins. Throughout this process I felt more connected and grounded, remembering in particular skills that my grandparents had shared with me.

Something that stands strong for me was walking in the bush and looking at Rongoā and the different foliage, greenery and plants that can be used to improve your health, vitality and offer courage. Again this brought back memories for me walking as a child with my grandparents and sharing their knowledge of plants/bush and berries that were good for you and those that were poisonous and not to be touched. The smell of the forest and bush was tingling and I learnt a lot of new skills and knowledge I didn't have prior to these visits. An example of this was we picked Kawa Kawa to make our own tea and to make an oil that can be used to treat cuts and grazes naturally.

I have a clearer understanding of marae life that can only make me a more rounded teacher. Reminding myself this week I have learnt a little more and that life truly is a life long learning process in all areas...

Week Five - Tuesday - Friday

Exciting as I was able to support the Healthy Control Study research this week. This entailed a variety of activities for the participants to take part in and the researchers to collect and gather data for their analysis. Firstly the participants were each briefed through the process and what to expect. Then they were weighed, had their height measured, blood pressure as this data was a crucial starting point and the parameters were needed for the testing elements. Some participants were coming back 48hrs later for re testing and others were being re tested 72hr later. The testing was spread out evenly over the week across 3 seperate days to enable fair testing and to see if rest has a determining factor on the ability to exercise to maximum potential and if this indeed impacts the research data.

The participants were asked to complete a psychological mental fatigue test; this included a series of complex instructions and the participant had to pay attention as sometimes to answer they had to use; the mouse, colour control buttons, movement keys and numbers. The test was issued at the beginning of the process and was a breakdown of memory tests linked to words, numbers, arrows and letters. I took the test prior to the participants so I could better understand the process and help the participants if they had any questions.

The next test I issued was the Heart Rate Value test, completed using a mobile phone app and the participant holding their finger over the camera for at least 2minutes, first lying down for 60 seconds and then 60 seconds standing up. After this there was a series of personal questions linked to their fitness regime and daily routine.

Moving the participants on to their next test which was an ultra sound for the carotid and jugular plus the measurement using an ECG to determine the stiffness of arteries. I was fortunate that I was able to observe these scans closely and ask questions to refine my own understanding and the impact / importance of these arteries on the human body.

Finally there was a physical exertion bike test where the participants had to push themselves as far as they could. Participants wore a mouthpiece and a nose clip where they were breathing the same oxygen and then indicated to the researchers the level of exertion they felt. For fair testing they were using the Borg Scale starting at level 6 = no exertion to level 15 = hard and finally level 20 maximum exertion. Every 60 seconds of cycling the process became harder for the participant. I found the participants it was either their legs or their lungs that found it too hard and pushed them to stop cycling. Once they had reached their maximum exertion the mouth piece was removed and they were asked to continue cycling slowly while their heart rate returned to normal. Throughout this process they had their Blood Pressure taken and the heart rate was monitored also to determine maximum exertion and normal resting heart rate.

Hopefully I have explained that clearly and not forget any of the finer details...

Week Five - Monday

Today I had the opportunity to spend some time in the Food and Nutrition School. Very different to the Sport and Exercise, I hope to use the information and experiences I gain in both Schools to complement one another. The food and nutrition have a lot of different spaces which are used to diagnose and collect data for a variety of research studies. There is a variety of learning opportunities available from the DEX Machine, Bod Pod, Heal tests, Blood, Urine, Stool samples and all of the data they each provide to make informed decisions on a persons health. Discussions were shared on a variety of studies; mother and child, depression and no depression, erectile dysfunction and the direct link to heart attacks, post menopausal women, bone studies to name a few. I'm sure I forgot more than I have mentioned... I look forward to observing the research opportunities and helping wherever I can.

Week Four - Friday

Final Bikes in School research data collection for this term, hopefully I will have the opportunity to revisit the schools and look at the students progress next term also. This was my very first research project to be involved with, collecting and gathering accurate data for weight, height and beep tests. The students were fantastic and the team I worked with were very welcoming, keen to share both their time and explanations for me. Reflecting on my first research project, I took a lot of time to observe, look and reflect on what I had seen and experienced during my volunteer time. I look forward to revisiting this research and having access to see how the children are improving and making positive progress on their fitness.

Week Four - Thursday

Catching up with school today was reassuring being surrounded by the familiar after almost a month of new learning situations, new places and faces. First point of call was to catch up with one of the Deputy Principals who was giving me a lesson on Māori narrative and the history of the school. The reasons behind the school team names how and why they were chosen... The design of the team logos and consultation between the students and communities when finalising their names and designs. A lot of details and new information learnt today, I really hope I do the narratives justice when retelling and sharing with others. The culture and links between both the people and the land never fails to fascinate and engage my interest of such rich history.

Second meeting of the day was meeting with my mentor during this learning journey, the other Deputy Principal. Catching up with my progress to date, last time we had chatted was a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised by how much I had observed, experienced and participated in such a small amount of time. Discussion was rich and gave me pause for thought... What am I doing? Why am I doing this? How can I bring the learning back to the school? How does this match with my original goals I had set myself?

Week Four - Wednesday

I was back in the lab again today, observing the different clients and the students. Today was slightly different as I had been asked to compile a series of mini video clips of the different activities, exercises that were occurring in the lab. Introducing myself and my role at present always takes a wee bit of time. I am fortunate the people are keen to help me learn and share their stories with me. After observing just 3 workshops in the lab it has given me a new sense of wonder on the human body about its capabilities, limitations and sheer perseverance. More often than not I hear the clients inform me "the hardest part is setting my mind to do it!" That they say is often the most taxing element of the exercise and often tires them out more. My health is something that I am most definitely grateful for and I continue to use the information gained during these workshops to improve my own form and understanding.

Today I took my very first blood sample, I had observed the blood test previously in the lab with the clients and the theory discussed by the professionals. Certainly had my fair share of blood tests done over the years and awaited anxiously for the results... However it was interesting and informative to be on the other side. First step was I had to have clean hands, place latex gloves on my hands so they were fitted and I could still use them. I took the alcohol wipe and cleaned my patients finger, using the correct bins to dispose of the wipe. Then taking the lancing device for the 'finger pricking test' turning the nozzle to the deepest prick to ensure only 1 prick is needed to release the blood. Next step was to place the lancing device on the finger tip and press hard then putting the needle in the sharps bin. Taking a tissue I wiped away the first amount of blood and binned in the bio hazard bin before squeezing the finger and allowing the blood to flow to the test strip which was attached to the glucose machine. All in all I completed the task no fainting on my behalf which was a bonus for me, never a fan of blood however I do have a new found respect for the person taking blood in the future. Looking at the reading which was 5.5 Blood Glucose (Sugar) levels and in the healthy range of readings for the test submitted.

Week Four - Tuesday

Today I was in the gym with a group of squash / badminton students who were being taught skill and reasoning for particular racket grip and racket shots. A lot more technique and skill needed to enable success in the games. Using badminton as a guide students workshops were broken into 3 significant areas; teacher led - demonstrated by course lecturer of the practical skill holding the racket and taking the shot using the racket. They had a focus of 2 shots today. The over clear - raising the racket all the way back over the head arm fully extended whilst using the scissor motion with your legs to drive the shuttle forward at maximum momentum. the scissor motion is using your racket leg, the same leg you hold your racket in push down with the leg as you drive the racket over your head and as you bring the racket down with full force you switch legs creating the scissor motion which will propel you forward ready for your next movement. Another racket shot we practiced today was the drop shot which is generally played from the rear of the court where you hit the shuttle softly downwards to land in the opponents forecourt. The next area; motivation - where the students practised their new found skills. In theory motivating them to stay on task, fully engaged and an independent drive to gain new skills. Practising the skills with positive feedback form peers was easier than first thought, allowing all to assess each other and improve their form and skills. Which was essential for the next area of learning. Reward - was the last stage of the workshop as the students then had an opportunity to put their new skills to good use and compete against one another. We did this using a point system, first to score 50 etc. More points gained for using the racket shots from workshops today. At the end of both squash and badminton workshops the students discussed the positive and negative aspects of each are of teaching... Students enjoyed the amount of court time, less opportunity for boredom, competitiveness was strong amongst the groups which kept momentum in each of the areas of the workshops. Elements which were highlighted that could potentially go wrong; Students are not supervised all the time, limited teacher time? How would this work in a real school? Is teacher scan enough? Consider students maturity? Motivation? Ability to stay focussed and on task? I definitely gained valuable skills in this area that I can utilise in my own games and especially when teaching.

This afternoon I had the opportunity to take place in another practical in the lab. A follow up to yesterdays lecture and students have the chance to calculate their maximum 1 rep (1RM) strength for the following exercises; Bench press, shoulder press, low row, dead lift and the aim was to be able to complete 7 - 10 reps and then cage what would be too heavy which was slightly past your last push activity. "Let's say you know you can lift 225 pounds for 10 reps—and only 10 reps, with good form—on the bent-over row. Based on that we can estimate not just your one rep max (100% of your 1RM ), but other loads as well: your 85% 1RM , 70% 1RM , or 55% 1RM , depending on what your program calls for." Using the method provided in the practical hand book. So if you can do 5 reps of 60kg, then according to the formula – (60 x 1.1307) + 0.6998 – your 1RM will be 68.5kg. using the formula for each of the exercises attempted and recording your reps then allows you to calculate your 1RM. Certainly interesting strategy for me to use on my own fitness strategies and hopefully for me to track my progress.

Week Four - Monday

This morning I observed a lecture on Exercise Physiology, there was a quick recap of the main points of the previous lecture and a Q & A to check the understanding. It has been well over a decade since I have sat in on university lectures and I was thoroughly engaged in the content and delivery. The lecture was 2hrs long and covered Exercise physiology which is the study of the way the body adapts and acutely responds. What happens to the muscles? Body? Include metabolism skeletal muscle cardiopulmonary function central nervous system. Although for my lack of prior knowledge I found it all informative and useful. Particularly when trying to apply it to my own journey of exercise and fitness.

Arriving at another school at noon for Bikes in School. This is by far the biggest data collection in a school that I had experienced. Unfortunately the weather caused a few problems and we couldn't 'beep test' the children due to the torrential downpour and no indoor area of 20m in length to practise the 'beep test'. Data collection for that element will be revisited at a later date. Today I took the height measurements, a reminder for myself on how to instruct the students so you get a 'fair test' result that is accurate for the measurements. there can be a 0.1 discrepancy in measurement depending if the student is breathing in or out when taking the reading. All students were instructed, heals right to the back and feet together, stand tall and hold head still. Sometimes it can feel repetitive however I do understand it is important in order to get the same accuracy across the test group. All students are measured twice at least 3 times if there is a discrepancy bigger than 0.1.

Below are a few notes from the lecture I attended.

What does PNF stand for Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation

What are 3 types of stretch?

• Hold and relax
• Contract and relax
• Hold relax with agonist contraction.

What does ramp stand for?

• Raise temperature
• Activate the muscles
• Mobilise the muscles around the joint
• Potentiate

Why do we need energy ?

• Transport work
• Diffusion
• Active transport

Chemical work

• Conversion of food to high energy compounds
• Maintenance of growth in cells

Mechanical work

• Muscle contraction

Intensity of exercise is dependant on

• Load force development
• Speed of movement
• Power output
• Intensity is. Inversely related to duration

Maximal intensity vs low intensity

Max

• very high force
• Very short duration
• Low O2 demand

Low

• Low force
• Very long duration
• Reliant on O2

Force requirement continuum

• Movement
• Neuromuscular system
• Energy system
• Cardiovascular system
• Neuromuscular system
• Voluntary movement happens in brain.

Energy substrates

• Carbohydrates CHO
• Converted to glucose
• Stored in muscle/ liver as glycogen

Fat

• Converted to free fatty acids FFAs
• Stored as triglycerides
• Adipose tissue
• Intramuscular triacylglycerides TAGs

Protein

• Converted to amino acids
• Stored in muscle and other tissue
• Minor source of energy

Energy systems

• energy is required for virtually all processes that occur within the body.
• We are particularly interested in energy use required to bring about muscle contraction
• The energy source used is adenosine triphsophate ATP
• ATP can be broken down by

Week Three - Friday

Arriving at the last school of the week for Bikes in School research data collection. There was a slight delay while we waited to decide what the weather was going to do... Unfortunately the weather was pretty wet and wild and another date had to be scheduled. Time was put to good use, working through leadership material, surveys and questionnaires to prepare for the Leadership week. I re visited the readings from the university about the chronic fatigue study, trying to wrap my head around the acronyms and I have a few questions to ask the lecturer who provided the study paper to me. Allowing time to reflect on my progress so far... Need to make regular time to reflect on what I am learning at least once or twice a week, the processes I am observing and thinking about also... How I can use this new found knowledge to improve my teaching? What do I need to gain skills in next? There is so much to see and experience.

Week Three - Thursday

Another opportunity to volunteer with the 'Bikes in School' programme at a different local school in the Manawatu. The age range was a wider spectrum of students involved in this data collection. The students are really enthusiastic about participating in the data collection for Bikes in Schools and they are keen to see how they have grown and improved in their fitness since their last data collection. Students are happily chatting about their learning and what they are looking forward to. This school doesn't have a bike track however chatting to the students they still get plenty of opportunity to use the tarmac area to ride their bikes and in turn keeping fit and healthy. Today I was collecting weight data and relying on the height data and age of student to collate their weight and other measurements particularly when looking back at previous data.

Fantastic catching up with a fellow STLP colleague today to discuss our placement experiences and opportunities to date. Having another person to bounce my ideas off about readings, leadership book and science documents was very useful.

Week Three - Wednesday

Started today in the gym observing and participating in a wide variety of tests, data collection, analysis and fitness activities that include intern, undergraduate and postgraduate students and academic staff in addition to healthy and diseased members of the public, athletes and youth. The observations today were around a Client suffering with hypertension the follow up meeting after tests last week. This week the meeting was based around the clients training plan. The client started with data being gathered, weight, blood pressure etc and then was started off on a rowing machine to warm up for 7 minutes. After which was shown a series of push and pull exercises 1 set of reps of 12. These exercises are to be performed slowly and to a rhythm of 1 - 2 - 3 whilst moving through the movement and the same rhythm on return of movement. A weekly schedule was given to fit around the clients life and offer the best opportunities for the Client to work on the exercise. Clients goals are to lose weight and reduce / remove hypertension through commitment to this program.

Another client I observed today was suffering with Multiple Sclerosis and their goal is to be able to climb stairs and get theirselves up safely from a floor after a fall. The exercises and needs for both clients I observed today are very different from each other and are both focussed on their own end goal. This client said it is as much the physical workout of the exercise as it is the belief that they can do the exercise and can climb the stairs to board a bus to attend the gym. I certainly felt very fortunate today for my own health and the everyday tasks and activities I complete without thinking about it.

Later on today I was shown how to read Blood Pressure accurately and what to listen out for when taking the readings. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) ventricular systole highest reading against the Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ventricular diastole lowest reading. At first I wrapped the cuff around the left arm and I then found the pulse from the brachial artery with my fingers. Once found I placed the stethoscope over the pulse and held in place with 2 fingers from my left hand, inserting the ear buds in my ears (hey need to be facing downwards towards the ear. Whilst my right hand had the air valve and squeezable pump, I pumped the pump up until 180 and then I very slowly released the air valve. The air was slowly released and when I could hear the strong pulse beat that would be the SBP, watching the pointer flicker up and down slowly. To get the DBP reading I waited for the faintest pulse sound and watched the pointer hover. This was when I had to pay attention to check I had remembered the readings. My volunteer was very patient with me and allowed me to repeat the process many times until I felt confident in my readings.

Today I was given a reading on Physiological measures in participants with chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis and healthy controls following repeated exercise: a pilot study. I've read once however I will need to have a think about the contents and re read. I'm looking forward to being involved in observing the research study.

Week Three - Tuesday

Today I started to learn about Blood Pressure (BP) and the general knowledge information around blood distribution and the necessary equipment needed. BP should be taken using the left arm if using the cuff over the brachial artery. I always thought when exercising cardio exercise would increase your BP higher than resistance/weights exercise, however I learned that is not the case. In fact it is the opposite, something that I will take into account next time I am completing weights at the gym. The information I am gaining at the School of Sports and Exercise is very useful and helping me in my own journey.

Today I had a really enlightening meeting regarding my time on the placement and how to make the best out of my time here. I am hoping to develop my knowledge and learn new skills in a range of areas, such as measuring blood pressure, blood glucose, body composition, and tests that measure strength and endurance.

Good visit to the library, it will be a good place for quiet contemplation and reading. I have started to read The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner, its very interesting and I will update my Reading page once completed reading.

Week Three - Monday

Another opportunity to volunteer with the 'Bikes in School' programme a different local school. There was a lot more students involved in this data collection. The students nominated were due to parent approval of data collection and data analysis. Currently the research program is volunteer based and there is a current application in place to apply for funding for the research. There has been a huge investment from each school to purchase bikes and ensure the students have access to them during school, the schools have provided a bike track and the students thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to use the bikes and in turn keeping fit and healthy. Collecting height data is vital when analysing the weight and other measurements particularly when looking back at previous data. Over the next 12months the students will be further measured another 2 times.

Later on in the day I had the chance to get involved in a 'hands on' practical Training principles in practise based on fitness movements and exercises and muscle groups looking at when to use the exercise to make the most out of your muscles or minimise the impact on the joints. We then went around the gym pictured in the centre photo above and practised the movements that had been shown to us in the practical. An introduction to the knowledge and skills necessary for the planning, implementation and evaluation of goal-oriented training. Some exercises I could accomplish with ease, others I would need training and serious fitness levels to achieve. From bicep curls, lat pull ups, dead lift, bench press, pull ups, crunches, low row to name a few. The practical prepares the students with the knowledge and experience so they know which exercises to give to their clients. Exercise training programs are only handed out once a series of fitness tests and date is gathered ensuring the best possible training to suit the client needs.

Week Two - Friday

Today I was working in a different school with the 'Bikes in Schools' and I was visiting another local school. The children had previously met the team 3 other times across the last 12 months. I participated in collecting and gathering data from the children using the above body analyser machine to find the following readings; BMI - Body Mass Index, WHR - Waist to Hip Ratio and Fat %. I learned it is very important the data is collected using the same method each time to ensure consistency and accuracy. Each students data is collected three times to ensure the most accurate data is collected. Another person was collecting the students height and then each student was to run and match the beep test. "The 20m multistage fitness test (MSFT) is a commonly used maximal running aerobic fitness test. It is also known as the 20 meter shuttle run test, beep or bleep test among other names." (Source: Beep test instructions) The students run the 20m distance trying to get to their destination before the beep sounds.

Week Two - Thursday

Today I had the chance to work on the research program 'Bikes in Schools' and I was off travelling to a local school to help support and observe during data gathering and testing today. The schools have an awesome selection of brightly coloured bikes ready and waiting for the children to ride on their brilliant bike track! Today I met a selection of students from 7 years up to 12 years of age which were part of the data gathering. Students stood on the machine pictured above right to have their weight, BMI and statistics recorded. After being measured in height. Every measurement was taken 3x to provide an overall accurate measurement. Each student then participated in a fitness beep test, to see how far they could run and beat the beep to the line . The students were fantastic and ran a lot further and faster than I first thought they would have done.

Week Two - Wednesday

Today I had the opportunity to observe the Post Grad Students working with their clients in the main gym lab. The students meet with their clients each week and design a training program that suits them. Everyone was really friendly and welcoming which was fantastic. The first client , whom I will refer to as Client X and Post Grad student I observed was starting out with initial testing and collection of data to help analyse the best program to help them with their individual goals. Discussions of food consumed for breakfast prior to testing. Client X had eaten a banana and the professor was explaining if the bananas skin was brown this would impact the Glycemic Index test and make the readings higher than usual. A variety of measurements from the body, plus weight and height was taken along with a blood prick test to indicate G.I level. All of these measurements were taken pre exercise and then post exercise. Client X was asked to complete laps of a given space for 12 minutes and instructed to either walk or run depending on how they felt. Whilst the Post Grad student kept track of how may laps were completed, praising the client for progress and encouraging them to keep up the good work.

Another client, whom I will refer to as Client Y was also starting out on their training program. I was able to participate in training alongside of the client where we went to the running track and was given a series of instructions of walking at a brisk pace without warming up and then a series of cool down stretches and exercises. The data the testing provides enables the Post Grad student to put together a challenging training program that will encourage and support the client whilst meeting their personal needs to reduce pain and improve their overall health. I am looking forward to getting more involved in this rewarding research program.

Week Two - Tuesday

Meeting to discuss possible opportunities available to me. Bikes in Schools is a research project I can volunteer to help and support. "Bikes in Schools projects across New Zealand have so far helped over 22,000 school children across 80+ schools get to ride a bike on a regular and equal basis at school". An exciting opportunity to be involved in research in schools and help support the gathering of data, whilst working alongside scientists who will collect and analyse the data. Working at different schools gathering data & the science sport aspect has direct links to my teaching which is an awesome bonus.

I have the opportunity to observe and support the community fitness sport program working with clients from a variety of health backgrounds. There is a variety of clients who range from healthy to clients who have debilitating diseases, where exercise can have a positive outcome. They do a variety of tests and fitness which I hadn't even thought of all of which very interesting.

There is the opportunity to participate in different lectures and practicals to get involved with.

Week Two - Monday

Starting over with a new host, a meeting to discuss the possibilities of the different learning objectives and outcomes that could be possible. Further meeting arranged for tomorrow and an opportunity to meet different professors / scientists at the School of Sport and Exercise. The pace is very different to an average school day and that is something I am struggling with. Time to reflect and think about my goals and aspirations for the program and what I am hoping to bring back to my teaching...

I enjoyed observing the Post Grad students and discussing their progress. Whom are working on the Velodrome cycling gear project. The gear box is in the process of being repaired, once done they will be collecting data and analysing 'the impact of inertia and exercise on different sized humans.'

Week One - Wednesday onwards

Up early this morning catching the first flight to the capital! At Wellington is the 3 day Induction Symposium, starting with today where we will work with our host and senior management discussing the impact of the Science Teaching and Leadership Program on our school. I am looking forward to gaining Professional Science learning, Leadership development and making connections and Partnerships with science and organisations. Listening to many different speakers across the 3 days, I was equally impressed with both the principals and the participant teachers. Hearing from the schools who have supported and encouraged their participant teachers to make the most of their training and learning and bringing it back to the class. Also it was refreshing having the opportunity to ask questions to the previous participants about their journey and challenges they experienced 6 months earlier. Although with that came the OMG realisation that, that will be me in 6 months time.

There was so much valuable information shared during this Symposium with the opportunity to speak to people from different Science backgrounds and reaffirm my own passion and curiosity for the Nature of Science and the world around us...

Week One - Day Two

Everything changed overnight due to unforeseen circumstances I was originally going to be looking into...

'Exploring the impact of exercise and inertia on humans.' I will be based at the School of Sport and Exercise. Primarily, I will work alongside scientists as they explore the impact of exercise, particularly cycling, and the inertia used by different shapes, sizes of humans when undergoing exercise.

In addition, there may be opportunities to:

• collect data on the impact of vibration occurring whilst cycling / exercising on different types of surfaces
• participate in the engineering aspect of creating gears to collect data and feed into online devices

My placement will be changing slightly, however I am very lucky the School of Sport and Exercise are still keeping me! I look forward to the new challenges that lie ahead.

Week One - Day One

A flurry of excitement and nerves was buzzing around my head with the anticipation of starting my learning journey and wondering what lay ahead of me on my placement... Start of the day I met my first contact and had a briefing around expectations of the host and Sports School. A couple of other interns were starting at the same time as we listened intently to the basics of the program and where we will be working. Quickly forms were completed and access keys, keys to office and internet access was being requested. Above is an image of my laptop eager to start in my new office. An office which is incredibly quiet without my class of yr3 and yr 4 students!

Next on the agenda was a Health and Safety tour of the labs, areas and the do's and don'ts. Introductions to many new scientists, professors and students, really hoping I remember the names of everyone. A lot of information, some more serious than others particularly when dealing with samples. Given a tour of the many areas where you can work, gather date, research, observe and work with clients. Each of us were issued with a map and asked to familiarise ourselves with the campus, its pretty big and seems a lot bigger when you're lost and geographically challenged unsure which direction you went...