Bring ākonga closer to history with a museum visit

A 2020 New Zealand study found that EOTC is valued for educational and social benefits, with museums being one of the most enriching experiences available for ākonga.

In museums, learning comes to life through seeing and interacting with collections of historical objects. Some museums employ modern technology to bring us closer than ever to these objects, using scans and digital displays to allow us to interact with these items in new ways, while preserving them for future generations.

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In museums, students have an opportunity to interact with primary resources and texts in a way that is impossible through other mediums. 

Museums are social experiences too, as classes and teachers come together to explore and investigate learning areas. Getting closer to objects of cultural and historical significance can encourage sharing of intergenerational knowledge, preserving oral histories.

There are many ways to interact with museums, including allowing students to take the lead on enquiries and investigations. Museums are rich with possibilities, and allowing natural curiosity to take hold may lead to unexpected results.

In museums, students can use the available resources to gain a more holistic understanding of a subject or learning area. Looking at historical objects can also nurture soft skills such as critical thinking—students are invited to imagine how life might have been in the near and distant past, for similar or different cultural groups, even for different species. At the same time, these experiences encourage empathy and creative thinking. 

A 2017 review of the literature on museums and learning found that museum visits and other EOTC adventures are usually classified as informal and free-choice learning. This is a different environment to the highly structured learning in schools and can be a natural way for schools to allow their learners agency.

The review also found that three-dimensional models and live exhibits enable children to “construct richer and more realistic mental representations relative to traditional digital and pictorial illustrations in textbooks”. Museum visits are also rich in storytelling opportunities, which can be powerful drivers of deep, embedded learning. 

Many museums have dedicated, age-specific spaces. For younger children, environments designed for hands on learning can result in deeper developmental progress like understanding cause-and-effect relationships. Ensuring an appropriate learning framework for different age groups is important for students to gain the most from their museum visit. Many museums can guide schools and educators to age-appropriate activities and sections of their offering. 

Museum curators and educators are experts, making them invaluable resources in their own right. Many can work with your school or class to align the visit with specific topics of exploration. Museum curators and educators can also ensure any visit is aligned with the New Zealand curriculum, and many have extra resources to explore before or after the visit, ensuring learning is deep, long-lasting, and connected to classroom activities.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, we are fortunate to have many museums covering a range of subject areas. Here is a sample of some opportunities available for school groups. 

Formerly known as Waikato Museum, Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Museum & Gallery is an all-weather education venue in the heart of the Kiingitanga region. Te Whare Taonga o Waikato is proud to showcase many taonga of Kirikiriroa Hamilton and the Waikato—such as the magnificent waka taua Te Winika—and to share the region’s complex histories with all who visit. The education programs on offer cover arts, social sciences, history, science and tangata whenua themes, and are available to all levels from primary to tertiary. 

Te Whare Taonga o Waikato is well placed to support teachers with the new Aotearoa Histories and Art curricula. Nothing compares to students being able to encounter taonga, historical objects and artworks firsthand, with educators bringing their narratives to life through hands-on activities, puuraakau and other koorero. 

The education team at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato will manaaki students and teachers throughout their visit, from planning or timetables to meet-and-greet and farewells. For them, it is an honour to participate in the transmission of valuable cultural knowledge, so they work hard to make every visit as rich and memorable as possible for tauira and teachers alike. 

Although Te Whakaringa Mutu | Air Force Museum of New Zealand is best known for its military aircraft collection, the museum is not just about aeroplanes. Your students could be learning in a genuine air force life raft or be educated in an ejector seat!

Located at the historic air force base at Wigram, Christchurch, the Air Force Museum invites visitors to discover the stories of the people who have helped shape New Zealand’s military aviation history through free education programs for schools and non-profit community groups. The program content is wide and varied, and run by trained teachers.

While many students visit to engage in STEM-based programs, such as the science of flight or the mechanics of simple machines, ākonga can also hear about the story of the ANZACs at Gallipoli, the effects of rationing in World War II, the roles of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), survival skills and much more. The Air Force Museum can cover any learning objectives connected to the New Zealand Defence Force.

With a purpose-built and interactive classroom, simulator rooms, and behind-the-scenes access, the museum provides a hands-on learning experience for all ages.

Kauri Museum has offered engaging learning opportunities to tens of thousands of students across several decades, with many visitors returning as adults to relive the magic.

For teachers, the Kauri Museum has been continually aligning its school visit program to the evolving education curriculum, and has a streamlined approach to making it easy for schools, teachers, parent-helpers and students to “dig deeper here”.

Located one hour from the end of Auckland’s Northern Motorway, the Kauri Museum is an easy-to-get-to day-trip destination. Large undercover spaces allow for curiosity, discovery, and accelerated learning, making the Kauri Museum an attractive destination for schools looking for engaging experiences. 

School visits to the Kauri Museum are underpinned by the principles of the Aotearoa Histories Curriculum: understanding the big ideas of New Zealand’s histories, learning national and local contexts and thinking critically about the past by integrating stories throughout their immersive experience. 

Critical thinking is sparked by exploring everyday activities of the past, including schooling in the original 1878 Matakohe School where students today sit at old kauri desks complete with ink wells, with a teacher in Victorian dress, learning how school life has changed through time.

Colourful, age-appropriate object hunts are available and tamariki absorb information through multiple learning methodologies. Imaginative play using props and dress-ups also extends learning. Unique themes such as gumdigging and kauri forests of northern New Zealand are a focus, as well as saws, sawmills and pioneer life.

MOTAT’s Te Puawānanga Science and Technology Centre recently won International Exhibition of the Year at the prestigious Museums + Heritage Awards in London, with the judges commenting: “This outstanding exhibition seamlessly blends science and Māori culture, creating a vibrant, culturally connected space for young audiences. With impressive visitor impact and strong evaluation outcomes, it sets a new benchmark for inclusive, engaging STEAM experiences.”

Te Puawānanga’s two-year development and build began with research and collaboration with a wide range of education, and science and technology knowledge holders, including Mātauranga Māori experts. It opened in late May last year following a blessing by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, and its myriad visual and interactive experiences for all ages have delighted and inspired visitors ever since.

More than 248,000 visitors and 23,000 early childhood, primary and secondary students have experienced Te Puawānanga so far. Alongside this exciting space, MOTAT offers customised learning experiences either at the museum or at your school. Their range of hireable STEM resources called Learnables provide a convenient and cost-effective way to give students rich learning opportunities, and their experienced staff can work with you to tailor programs that meet your students’ specific needs. Whether it’s onsite and MOTAT, online with interactive workshops, or at your school, MOTAT provides a memorable learning experience.