Otakiri School - Simon Ballantyne

Name: Simon Ballantyne

School: Otakiri School

Programme title: ‘The Mātauranga-Science of Coastal Reef Restoration’

Region: Eastern Bay of Plenty

Host: Coastal Marine Field Station, University of Waikato

Blog: https://stlp2024simonballantyne.blogspot.com

Otakiri School’s aspirations are for students to be engaged in rich learning opportunities within the school and local community and the creation of lasting partnerships with local organisations. It would be desirable for Simon to be able to share his journey with staff and create a passion for other teachers to be ‘doing more science’ in class and their wider community. Also, raising awareness of science related opportunities in their local environment and being a champion in their space for teaching science capabilities.

Simon has 17 years of local and international primary education experience. His passion for learning lies in sparking curiosity and fostering critical thinking in students from diverse backgrounds. Simon’s vision as an educator is to cultivate inquisitive learners who are well-informed about their local and global environments.

Simon will be based at the Coastal Marine Field Station, University of Waikato, Tauranga and also participate in a variety of field trips associated with a representative array of research projects conducted by the CMFS PhD and MS students. In all activities, the research is intimately linked to mātauranga Māori and hence Simon will have an opportunity to engage with mātauranga leads, and iwi / hapū collaborators from across the Moana a Toi (Bay of Plenty) region. Simon will engage with both field research campaigns and laboratory experimental programmes.

The programme’s completion will mark a significant advancement in Simon’s journey as an educator. He aims to transform his insights about the Nature of Science into actionable learning experiences at Otakiri School, thereby nurturing students that are equipped to care for their environment.