Big Bang theory and Māori origin stories

Te Tīmatanga captures a student-led inquiry into the origins of the universe, where learners connected a Māori creation narrative (ngā atua Rangi and Papa) with the Western scientific Big Bang theory. Through discussion, hands-on experiments, movement activities, modelling and timelines, students explored multiple knowledge systems side by side, deepening understanding, engagement and respect for different ways of explaining the same phenomenon.

Questions for discussion

• In what ways did beginning with a Māori creation narrative support student engagement and open opportunities to explore scientific explanations such as the Big Bang theory?

• What teaching decisions helped ensure that both ao Māori perspectives and Western scientific ideas were explored respectfully as distinct yet co-existing explanations?

• How did the use of hands-on activities (for example, expanding balloon model, timeline and movement in darkness) help learners make connections between the two explanations?

Transcript

Simone Marsters

The times where I have used the multiple knowledge system approach in the classroom, it’s actually been student-led. For example, like starting with the relearning of a karakia about the creation of the universe. And when I did a little bit more digging behind what they knew about this karakia, they could tell me in depth about the creation story from a te ao Māori perspective. They knew about Rangi and Papa and the atua and that was the beginning of mankind and life. And then another student then started talking about the Big Bang theory and not everyone had heard about the creation of the universe from a Western science perspective. And so as soon as that was mentioned, I just thought, oh, here’s an opening, this is an opening, we can explore this further. And the kids were really engaged in what was happening there, which led us down this small inquiry that we’ve done.

Ka rawe!

Frankie

We were learning about how the universe was created. So we learned about the Big Bang theory and the Māori perspective of the universe.

Angus

The Big Bang theory, so there’s completely darkness and that was like when Ranginui and Papatūānuku were on top of each other – there was nothing. And then, and back into the Big Bang theory, the atoms collided – explosion. Then that’s basically means that Papatūānuku and Ranginui were just separated. I did enjoy learning it because we did heaps of experiments, and yeah, it is pretty cool to know all of that knowledge.

Fynn

We did do one activity. We were seeing what it was like in the dark. We were holding each other’s eyes and you couldn’t see where you were going. And it was like the Māori legend how no one could see where they were going and it was pitch black. And so everyone was like crashing into each other. So it was a good way to learn how they felt during that time.

Frankie

I enjoyed the expanding balloons. We have a Vivid and a balloon, and we draw dots on the balloon when it’s not inflated and then we blow into it and we tie it up and we see how the dots have expanded.

Angus

We did the universe timeline. We’d get specific events like the first stars, first atoms, first humans, and it’s a specific measurement on a metre ruler. So you get an idea how far like humans were, back to the Big Bang.

Frankie

It fascinated me that the universe was made like 13.5 billion years ago. You don’t think it’s that long ago, but like when you actually learn it, you’re like wow, wow. Like, that’s a long time ago.

Acknowledgements

Simone Marsters, Arataki School and Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao
Frankie, Angus and Fynn, Arataki School

Photos of students undertaking ‘Big Bang’ darkness and timeline activities, Arataki School