Citizen science

This collection supports New Zealand Association of Primary Science Educators' Primary Science Week 2023. The theme is Citizen Science.

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Join Science in a Van and the Science Learning Hub – Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao for their FREE Hive Mind webinar on the topic.

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This collection curates Hub resources into themes – all of which support citizen science!

A shout out to the organisers

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The New Zealand Association of Primary Science Educators offers professional develop opportunities, resources, helpful Q&A and more. Check out their website.

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Science in a Van offers unique in-person shows, teacher training, videos and more. Check out their website.

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What is citizen science?

Citizen scientists are volunteers who contribute to scientific projects, usually by collecting or analysing data. Teachers are increasingly using them to make science education more relevant and engaging and to develop students’ science capabilities.

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Some citizen science projects are hands-on experiences and others are online.

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Online projects are great for whole classroom learning, individual interests and for individual students who may have a bit of time on their hands.

PLD to get things started

The Hub has resources to help you get started and to help you get the most out of the projects;

• Planning for students to be citizen scientists – article
• Getting started with citizen science – recorded webinar
• Online citizen science – recorded webinar

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Citizen science projects

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The Hub has a special section devoted to citizen science.

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There are short profiles on specific projects, which include information about the project, NOS and science capabilities, science concepts, and examples of learning outcomes. Each profile also includes links to wrap-around resources on the Hub and useful links to other websites.

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Use the drop down filters (topics and science capabilities) to help narrow your search.

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Case studies

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It's always helpful to read what others have done and to use their experiences to help get things started.

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These case studies offer rich examples of how online citizen science projects were embedded into primary science units, including how the teachers scaffolded students’ conceptual development, focused on the development of particular science capabilities and adapted their approaches when required:

• Dianne Christenson (year 2–4) – investigating litter as part of a unit on kaitiakitanga and sustainability.
• Carol Brieseman (year 5/6) – identifying pest species as part of a unit on ecosystems and conservation.
• Melissa Coton (year 5/6) – measuring light pollution at night as part of a unit on light.
• Matt Boucher (year 7/8) – hunting for exoplanets as part of a unit on light.

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Connected articles that profile citizen science

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The article Connected – promoting STEM literacy provides more information on how the Hub adds depth to Connected articles.

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• The fish highway
• Kimihia Kermit
• Sea science
• Down the drain
• Rau'ui: Giving it back to the gods
• Catch my drift
• Counting kākahi
• Under the sea
• City of bugs
• Bringing back the birdsong
• The war on weeds
• Global action
• Defending the dark
• Making scents
• Fostering felines
• Foulden Maar: fossils or food?
• Trees, seas and soil

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Hands-on citizen science experiences

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The following resources feature opportunities that schools can tap into. Some of the organizsations/experiences have facilitators available. Others provide a framework that educators can use on their own.

Additional resources

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The New Zealand Government’s Participatory Science Platform (PSP) is a world-first initiative that aims to engage communities in research projects that are locally relevant and have quality science and learning outcomes. Use our search to find articles on some of these projects.

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Browse the Hub's citizen science topic. Use the filters to find articles, activities, media, school levels and more.