Projects and Innovations

With the ubiquity and accessibility of large language models increasing, managing the authenticity of student assessment work has become even more of a challenge for schools. Over the last year, I have led the development and implementation of our school's response. This video was created to support students in understanding these new processes. 

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Data collected from our high schools identified that primary school students often had limited opportunities, if any, to learn science at primary school. In addition, there is overwhelming evidence that Māori students are less likely to participate in STEM subjects at a senior secondary level. Inspired by the work of Angela Duckworth, this initiative is a science-art competition that encourages play and exploration. Unlike curriculum interventions and reforms that are high stakes for schools and students, this initiative prioritises play, exploration and creativity to engage with scientific thinking. The competition included running science art workshops for over 100 students, a science-art school holiday calendar, as well as hosting workshops as part of the Hobsonville Point Art trail. 

In 2024 I was the lead organiser of our kāhui ako's cultural festival. This involved coordinating and delegating between schools, managing volunteers, and more. The event included performances from seven schools across two stages, food trucks and various cultural activities. Over the course of the evening, we hosted approximately 2000 guests. 

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I was fortunate that during the COVID lockdown periods in New Zealand, I was in a school that was well prepared for moving learning online. However, I was aware that many of my colleagues at other schools were not. As a result, worked to collate advice from teachers in a range of schools into short videos that might support teachers in the transition to online learning. 

#edchatNZ was a professional learning community I started in 2012. My vision for this community was that every teacher who wants to do the best for their students should have access to quality professional learning - without a large paywall in the way. The #edchatNZ community grew from a fortnightly Twitter chat, to two groundbreaking conferences, a podcast, and an online course. Our first conference cost attendees $20, yet included workshops from academics, and professional providers including Core Education, Cognition Education, NZQA, NZCER, N4L, and a range of teachers sharing their work. It included a political debate with local MPs as it was an election year, as well as student presenters.