Curiosity is key

Dianne Christenson and Sarah Johns are outstanding educators who have both won the Prime Minister’s Science Teacher Award. They share what is important to them when creating engaging, meaningful, relevant and relatable science teaching and learning experiences.

“Curiosity is the key to building any student’s commitment to the learning. You can feel the shift when questions start to flow. Curiosity unlocks my learning and continues to shape my practice as much as what I'm trying to do with my learners. Curiosity is the key to unlocking learning potential for our tamariki and rangatahi, who are keen to seek out answers.”
Sarah Johns, Nelson Intermediate

“How do you foster curiosity? How do you celebrate innovation and how do you encourage your [learners] to take appropriate risks in their learning? What do I need to know? What do my kids need to know? How am I preparing them for the future?”
Dianne Christenson, Whareama School 

With reference to the New Zealand Curriculum and the Teaching Council’s Our Code, Our Standards, Sarah and Dianne shared examples of lessons in which they engage students with te taiao and provide hands-on learning opportunities to support students to develop their understanding of and about science.