Science Teaching Leadership Programme

Last year, I was able to take part in the Science Teaching Leadership programme through the Royal Society Te Apārangi. The programme is designed to provide opportunities for nominated teachers to enhance the teaching of science within their schools and communities. The programme aims to enhance science teaching and learning to better engage students and develop their science knowledge and skills, contribute to professional learning and development of teachers, and build links between schools and their communities.

For phase one of this programme, teachers undertake a 6-month placement with an organisation that has science as a significant part of their work. This allows teachers to gain experience of the skills, knowledge and attitudes towards science that are desired in the workforce, make links with scientific organisations within the community and gain a deeper understanding of the nature of Science.

I was fortunate enough to undertake a placement with the Waitohi Department of Conservation. For 6-months, I was a biodiversity ranger in the Marlborough Sounds. This role focused on biodiversity management in the Marlborough Sounds, an incredibly special area of coastline, offshore islands, and mainland reserves that the Department of Conservation oversees and manages. I was actively involved in pest tracking, monitoring, and trapping as well as endangered species monitoring. I was also involved in plant work, including weed clearance and reserve plantings. Through this work I developed practical conservation skills in areas such as tracking and trapping, navigation, weed control techniques and identification of species.

Highlights of this programme included having boat rides through the sounds as a regular work commute, exploring and experiencing the amazing offshore islands that we have in the Sounds and being involved in some incredibly meaningful mahi. Having the Marlborough Sounds as your office must truly rank as one of the best office spaces in the world. A highlight that exemplified this was translocating native flax weevils as part of an island restoration programme, a project that was run by one of MBC’s own Science and Biology teachers, Mr Mark Anderson. Seeing some of our rare native species in the wild, including orange-fronted kakariki, powelliphanta snails, tuatara, takahē and Maud Island frogs was a true privilege that I know not everyone is lucky enough to experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working as a ranger and will always value the amazing opportunities that I had whilst I was on my placement.

I’d like to thank the Waitohi Department of Conservation for their active support and inclusion of me as a rookie ranger, their willingness to include me fully into their team will always be appreciated. Thanks also to the school board and Principal for allowing me this opportunity, and to the Science department and other colleagues for supporting and encouraging me both whilst I was away and now that I am back. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned and using it to enhance what we do in Science at Marlborough Boys’ College.  

Roseanne Homewood