SLH: Educators on the ice
26 February 2026 - 26 February 2026
4:00–4:45 pm
Region(s): Nationwide
Type(s): professional Development
Join Simone Marsters as she leads a discussion with a panel of expert New Zealand science educators – sharing their experiences about working in Antarctica and exploring why the icy continent provides such a powerful context for science learning.
Hear from Doug Walker, Dianne Christenson and Carol Brieseman, all previous recipients of the Prime Minister’s Science Teacher Prize, as they reflect on their time travelling to Antarctica and working alongside scientists on projects such as ice core and platelet sampling and the SWAIS2C.
Educators in Antarctica
In 2025 three teachers from New Zealand took the opportunity to travel to Antarctica as part of the K892 expeditions and the Antarctica New Zealand’s Community Engagement Programme.
Between them Doug, Dianne and Carol have experience teaching primary through to secondary, and during the session they will share classroom resources based on their adventures.
Many of these resources, including the article Antarctica and Aotearoa: connected by science are available on the Science Learning Hub. They provide support for teachers to understand that bringing Antarctica into the classroom can be more than delivering a science lesson – it can be a way to explore history, sustainability, citizenship and to empower students.
This session will be valuable for primary and secondary school teachers, as well as anyone interested in Antarctica and education.
REGISTERWe will be using Teams and will send the link to all those who register just prior to the webinar.
Joining the webinar
Follow these simple steps to join our webinar:
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android by clicking on the Teams link that we will send to all those who register just prior to the webinar, then follow the instructions.
Find the chat box located in the toolbar.
Using the chat box, introduce yourself, where you teach and, if you are in a group, how many people are there.
Set up your screen for optimal viewing. If you are using a mobile device, you may wish to view in landscape. You can select full screen under View>More options.
Then you can:
watch, listen and respond via chat to the presentation and discussion
ask questions using the chat box at any time
The Science Learning Hub team will be there to support you and answer questions.
If you have any questions, please email us.
Related content and activity ideas
Carol and Dianne share their experiences in Antarctica and Aotearoa: connected by science.
Check out resources that we’ve made with the help of Carol and Dianne:
Measurements and monitoring in Antarctica – interactive
Managing wastes at Scott Base – article and videos
Mount Erebus – extreme habitats – interactive
Tardigrades and rotifers – life on the edge – article and video
Doug spent time working with the SWAIS2C project research and created the activity Investigating the relationship between measured brightness and length of ice cores.
The Hub has extensive resources in the Antarctica topic. Use the filters to narrow your search.
Useful link
Learn more about Antarctica New Zealand’s Community Engagement Programme.
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