Bio-Protection Learning Modules

LENScience Director, Jacquie Bay and Professor Steve Wratten, Deputy Director of the Bio-Protection Research Centre will present connected workshops today at BioLive 2013, the biennial conference of the Biology Educators’ Association of New Zealand. Steve will explore the importance of biodiversity to New Zealand, a concept that in his experience students find difficult to define and struggle to appreciate the importance of.  He will share strategies that the Lincoln University team have developed to support undergraduate students to understand and appreciate biodiversity.

In particular he will illustrate how kinesthetic learning techniques, combined with contextualization have been effective in breaking down barriers to learning. Jacquie will present learning resources based around stories of the work of the Bio-Protection Research Centre that allow 11–14 year olds to explore issues of sustainable food production.

The learning resources, available from the LENScience website, are designed to support students to use science knowledge and understanding, alongside key competencies and values to explore their own ideas about how individuals, communities and society could respond to the challenge of sustainable food production.

Students develop their own scientific investigations within their schools applying the evidence developed by the Bio-Protection Research Centre and assessing how this evidence impacts the environment within their schools. Students, teachers and scientists taking part in these activities will be connected through the LENScience Connect Community – a secure social-network designed specifically to allow students to engage in discussion with scientists and teachers in a safe environment.

LENScience and the Bio-Protection Research Centre have been collaborating on the development and delivery of learning resources since 2010.

For more information please contact Jacquie Bay j.bay@auckland.ac.nz.