Well, thats about it for my blog posts. I left Auckland on May 23rd headed back to Juneau to finish my master's degree from UAS. A very BIG thank you has to go out to my home-stay hosts Teresa, Luke, and Ralph Ratana, they were very welcoming and helpful my entire trip. Another BIG thank you goes out to all the staff and students at Albany Junior High School for being so accommodating and supportive towards an international student-teacher traveling from Alaska to learn about their country, cultures, and education system.
Most of all, THANK YOU NEW ZEALAND!!
It has been such an amazing trip that I might be back sooner than you think. :)
Cheers,
James White
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Teaching Experiences - Week 6
For my last week of teaching at A.J.H.S. I followed the same schedule of observing maths courses with Mrs. Jan Thomas (Head of Learning Area - Mathematics), Mrs. Paige Bayliss, Mr. Dave Clayton and Mrs. Maureen Robinson.
Overall I found the maths department to be well organized and structured to meet the learning needs of their students in the classroom. I was privileged to observe and support teachers in this progressive student-centered pedagogy.
On my last day at AJHS I was able to chapereone a field-trip with the year 10 Enterprise studies class to the Auckland International Airport and the Tip Top Ice Creamery.
Auckland International Airport Limited (AIAL) was formed in 1988, when the New Zealand Government corporatised the airport. AIAL appears on the New Zealand Stock Exchange and Australian Stock Exchange. International shareholders hold around 40% of the shares, domestic approximately 60%. AIAL has charged all departing international passengers (12 years old or older) a $25 departure fee. From July 2008 this is being replaced with a passenger services charge levied on the airlines for each arriving and departing international passenger.
Source: Wikipedia Article "Auckland International Airport"
Our last stop was at the Tip Top Ice cream factory. Tip Top ice creamery is New Zealand's leading and most popular ice cream maker. During our field-trip we were given a tour of their Auckland factory, we were shown a presentation on the marketing mix for their products, and best of all we were given free ice-cream. A great tour for students, Thank you!
Interesting Tip Top Facts:
-Tip Top produces around 50 million litres of ice cream a year.
-New Zealanders consume the equivalent of 1.9 million litres of milk in the form of Tip Top ice cream every year.
- The three most popular (by sales) bowl ice cream flavours are Vanilla, Hokey Pokey (My favorite), and Jelly Tip.
-Tip Top Ice Cream is exported to Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, Pacific Islands.
Overall I found the maths department to be well organized and structured to meet the learning needs of their students in the classroom. I was privileged to observe and support teachers in this progressive student-centered pedagogy.
On my last day at AJHS I was able to chapereone a field-trip with the year 10 Enterprise studies class to the Auckland International Airport and the Tip Top Ice Creamery.
Auckland International Airport is the largest and business airports in New Zealand with over 12 million (some 7 million international and 6 million domestic) passengers a year and is projected to more than double by 2025. The airport is in Mangere, a western suburb of Manukau City, and is 21 km south of Auckland city center. It is the central hub for Air New Zealand.
Auckland Airport is one of New Zealand’s most important infrastructure assets, providing thousands of jobs for the region, and is the country’s second-largest cargo 'port' by value, contributing around $14 billion to the economy, and catering for over four million visitors each year.Auckland International Airport Limited (AIAL) was formed in 1988, when the New Zealand Government corporatised the airport. AIAL appears on the New Zealand Stock Exchange and Australian Stock Exchange. International shareholders hold around 40% of the shares, domestic approximately 60%. AIAL has charged all departing international passengers (12 years old or older) a $25 departure fee. From July 2008 this is being replaced with a passenger services charge levied on the airlines for each arriving and departing international passenger.
Source: Wikipedia Article "Auckland International Airport"
-Tip Top produces around 50 million litres of ice cream a year.
-New Zealanders consume the equivalent of 1.9 million litres of milk in the form of Tip Top ice cream every year.
- The three most popular (by sales) bowl ice cream flavours are Vanilla, Hokey Pokey (My favorite), and Jelly Tip.
-Tip Top Ice Cream is exported to Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, Pacific Islands.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Teaching Experiences - Week 4 and 5
After leaving the Coromandel Peninsula I made my way back to Auckland and to Albany Junior High School to finish up the last two weeks of my overseas teaching experience.
For my last two weeks I am working in the Maths learning area at the school. The mathematics courses in NZ are presented in six "strands" each of which reflects a particular aim of the curriculum. These strands are mathematical processes, number, algebra, geometry, measurement, and statistics. Not very different from the American mathematics curriculum I am used to teaching. The big difference at A.J.H.S. is how the students are distributed into classes. Students are banded by their achievement level for each maths strand into different classes. The reason for this is that certain students develop faster in all aspects of mathematics than others in their peer group. In this case students move from different leveled classes based on what their previous academic knowledge for that strand (topic) was.
For example: If student James White tested moderately over the algebra strand in year 7 he would be in a level 2 or 3 class for learning that strand in year 8. If he had tested strong on the strand he would be placed into a level 1 class, if he tested poorly he would placed into a level 4 class. This allows students and teachers to address the difficulties faced in learning each strand with the entire class, rather than just the bottom third for example. Students can test out of levels and move up to meet their achievement level quite easily. Students also have different classmates as they move through the curriculum strands thoughout the school year. It seems to be a bit harder for scheduling the classes and maybe a little more work for the teachers, but from what I have observed it is very beneficial for the student learning and achievement.
This week I have been working with students in all years 7,8,9,10 in classes from all levels 1,2,3,4 and observing Mrs. Jan Thomas (Head of Learning Area - Mathematics), Mrs. Paige Bayliss, Mr. Dave Clayton and Mrs. Maureen Robinson at the school.
I also had a chance to chaperone a field trip to the Goat Island Marine Reserve. I took a bus with a class of year 9 (8th grade) students from the school on Tuesday about an hour north of Albany. This term these students are learning about the Huraki Gulf region in their Social Studies course and to start the unit they learned about the marine life that is found there. We were outfitted with wetsuits, snorkels and fins to swim around the island, thanks to the Sea Friends organization. On our snorkeling trip we saw lots of fish (snapper, grouper, goat fish), jelly fish, and kelp in the water and some students even said they saw a sting ray. Here's a couple of pictures from our snorkling trip.
J. W.
For my last two weeks I am working in the Maths learning area at the school. The mathematics courses in NZ are presented in six "strands" each of which reflects a particular aim of the curriculum. These strands are mathematical processes, number, algebra, geometry, measurement, and statistics. Not very different from the American mathematics curriculum I am used to teaching. The big difference at A.J.H.S. is how the students are distributed into classes. Students are banded by their achievement level for each maths strand into different classes. The reason for this is that certain students develop faster in all aspects of mathematics than others in their peer group. In this case students move from different leveled classes based on what their previous academic knowledge for that strand (topic) was.
For example: If student James White tested moderately over the algebra strand in year 7 he would be in a level 2 or 3 class for learning that strand in year 8. If he had tested strong on the strand he would be placed into a level 1 class, if he tested poorly he would placed into a level 4 class. This allows students and teachers to address the difficulties faced in learning each strand with the entire class, rather than just the bottom third for example. Students can test out of levels and move up to meet their achievement level quite easily. Students also have different classmates as they move through the curriculum strands thoughout the school year. It seems to be a bit harder for scheduling the classes and maybe a little more work for the teachers, but from what I have observed it is very beneficial for the student learning and achievement.
This week I have been working with students in all years 7,8,9,10 in classes from all levels 1,2,3,4 and observing Mrs. Jan Thomas (Head of Learning Area - Mathematics), Mrs. Paige Bayliss, Mr. Dave Clayton and Mrs. Maureen Robinson at the school.
I also had a chance to chaperone a field trip to the Goat Island Marine Reserve. I took a bus with a class of year 9 (8th grade) students from the school on Tuesday about an hour north of Albany. This term these students are learning about the Huraki Gulf region in their Social Studies course and to start the unit they learned about the marine life that is found there. We were outfitted with wetsuits, snorkels and fins to swim around the island, thanks to the Sea Friends organization. On our snorkeling trip we saw lots of fish (snapper, grouper, goat fish), jelly fish, and kelp in the water and some students even said they saw a sting ray. Here's a couple of pictures from our snorkling trip.
To learn more about Goat Island Marine Reserve and visit the Sea Friends Website: Click Here
Cheers,J. W.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Coromandel Peninsula
After leaving the Hawke's Bay region I spent a few days traveling to Coromandel Peninsula. On my way there I stayed a few nights at the Whakamarino Lodge at Lake Whakamarino. The lake was beautiful and very quiet. While there I got some good time to sleep, eat, and do a little fishing, but with none of the fish were large enough to keep or take pictures of. I still had a great time!
I left rainy Rotorouta on Monday and caught a bus up to the Coromandel Peninsula town of Whitianga. Whitianga is a sea-side resort town in the center of Mercury Bay with with plenty of marine activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking around the offshore islands. While in Whitianga I spent my first day kayaking in Mercury bay to the Shakespeare Cliffs and the next biking to the famous natural attractions of Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach.
After leaving Lake Whakamarino I headed for tourism centered city of Rotorua for the weekend. In Rotorua I stayed at a large backpackers spending my day visiting the local Maori sites and bathing in the hot thermal spas and my night out partying with some people I met at a local bar.
I left rainy Rotorouta on Monday and caught a bus up to the Coromandel Peninsula town of Whitianga. Whitianga is a sea-side resort town in the center of Mercury Bay with with plenty of marine activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking around the offshore islands. While in Whitianga I spent my first day kayaking in Mercury bay to the Shakespeare Cliffs and the next biking to the famous natural attractions of Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach.
Cathedral Cove is located just 1 km North of Haihei Beach on a 45 minute trail from the car park. On the walk I stopped and visited the rocky cove of Gemstone Bay which is known for its excellent snorkeling, and the sandy cove at Stingray Beach. Lastly, the magnificent Cathedral Cove is found by walking down through a famous gigantic lime-stone arch.
After walking back from Cathedral Cove I headed farther south on my bike to Hot Water Beach. Hot Water Beach is 9km south of Hahei Beach and where thermal waters brew just below the sand in front of a rocky outcrop. At two hours each side of the low tides people gather at the beach, dig holes in the sand with a spade, and then relax in their own natural spa. With a 40 km round trip biking that day this was exactly what I did to relax and refuel.
I had a great time around Whitianga the Coromandel Penn. and got plenty of exercise kayaking and biking around the region. It was a really cool area that I look forward to exploring more of in the future.
Cheers,
James
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Napier- The Hawke's Bay
After travling down the western side of New Zealand's North Island to Wellington I headed back up the Eastern coast to the town of Napier and the Hawke's Bay.
The Hawke's Bay region is also known as the fruit bowl of New Zealand. Hawke’s Bay is mainly know for its beautiful scenery, a Mediterranean climate, award-winning wines, local fresh produce, a thriving arts community, unique wildlife, stunning architecture, and rich cultural heritage.
The sea-side town of Napier is renowned for its 1930s Art Deco architecture, over 2,200 hours of sunshine a year. After arriving I spent a few hours relaxing on the beach before booking a trip through the famous wine country on the Grape Escape wine tours.
Our group visited 4 vinyards/wineries from all around the Hawke's Bay and Napier region. This tour gave us a chance to see famous large manufacturers and also well known smaller producers. This was my first ever wine tour and not being much of a wine aficionado anyways I found it to be amazingly informative and of course very fun.
Established in 1851, Mission Estate is New Zealand's oldest winemaker. Over 150 years of experience and passion have culminated in the current collection of Mission Estate, Vineyard Selection, Reserve and Jewelstone award winning wines. Grapes are sourced predominantly from Hawke's Bay, with modern viticulture and winemaking techniques practiced to ensure the long-standing reputation for quality is maintained.
The last winery we visited on out tour was the Craggy Range -Giants Winery. http://www.craggyrange.com/
Craggy Range is famous for producing some of the best red wine produced anywhere in the world, while the white wine, particularly its prestigious chardonnays, are also hard to beat. The Giants Winery specialises in the production of the company’s two Prestige Collection red wines, “The Quarry” and “Sophia”, and the Giants Vineyard Chardonnay. The winery boasts a circular red wine fermentation cellar where twelve, traditional 8,000 litre French oak fermentation cuves are used for fermenting the best parcels of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec grown on our Gimblett Gravels Vineyard.
The Hawke's Bay region is also known as the fruit bowl of New Zealand. Hawke’s Bay is mainly know for its beautiful scenery, a Mediterranean climate, award-winning wines, local fresh produce, a thriving arts community, unique wildlife, stunning architecture, and rich cultural heritage.
Our group visited 4 vinyards/wineries from all around the Hawke's Bay and Napier region. This tour gave us a chance to see famous large manufacturers and also well known smaller producers. This was my first ever wine tour and not being much of a wine aficionado anyways I found it to be amazingly informative and of course very fun.
Established in 1851, Mission Estate is New Zealand's oldest winemaker. Over 150 years of experience and passion have culminated in the current collection of Mission Estate, Vineyard Selection, Reserve and Jewelstone award winning wines. Grapes are sourced predominantly from Hawke's Bay, with modern viticulture and winemaking techniques practiced to ensure the long-standing reputation for quality is maintained.
Next we visited the much smaller but very well known Clearview Estate Winery. http://www.clearviewestate.co.nz/
The winery, although a much smaller producer is world famous for their Chardonnay and Bordeaux red wines. This was my favorite winery that we visited on our tour. We had a generous tasting of their wine selections accompanied along with a wonderful cheese and meat board. We were then taken out on a tour of the vinyard and manufacturing facilities by the owner and wine maker. A truly unique and amazing opportunity for our group to receive. Thanks Tim!
Craggy Range is famous for producing some of the best red wine produced anywhere in the world, while the white wine, particularly its prestigious chardonnays, are also hard to beat. The Giants Winery specialises in the production of the company’s two Prestige Collection red wines, “The Quarry” and “Sophia”, and the Giants Vineyard Chardonnay. The winery boasts a circular red wine fermentation cellar where twelve, traditional 8,000 litre French oak fermentation cuves are used for fermenting the best parcels of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec grown on our Gimblett Gravels Vineyard.
I had a such great trip to the Hawke's Bay and Napier region it is really a beautiful part of the country. The people that I met and places I toured around to were so great, I look forward to returning sometime soon.
Cheers!
James
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Te Papa - New Zealand National Museum
On Monday I spent the entire day touring through the Te Papa National Museum.
Te Papa literally translated as "Our Place" is New Zealand's national museum, it offers visitors a unique and authentic experience of the country's treasures and stories. The Museum is over five floors, and you can explore the nation's nature, art, history, and heritage - from the shaping of its land to the spirit of its diverse peoples, from its unique wildlife to its distinctive art and visual culture.
The museum has many different areas and exhibits to visit. These are a few of the highlights from my tour in the museum.
Awesome Forces:
Shows the massive natural forces that have shaped New Zealand. Experience a real-life shake-up in the Earthquake House and view the Maori creation story.
Mountains to Sea:
From kiwi to kauri, in the Mountains to Sea exhibit you learn about the amazing variety of New Zealand’s animals and plants in a range from the highest places to the deep underwater. Here you explore six major kinds of ecosystem through displays animated by light sound and light.
From kiwi to kauri, in the Mountains to Sea exhibit you learn about the amazing variety of New Zealand’s animals and plants in a range from the highest places to the deep underwater. Here you explore six major kinds of ecosystem through displays animated by light sound and light.
Mana Whenua:
Explore the world of the Māori, the first discoverers of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and their rich complex and dynamic culture, from past to present.
Explore the world of the Māori, the first discoverers of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and their rich complex and dynamic culture, from past to present.
The Marae:
This unique Marae (customary meeting place) designed and created by leading Māori artists is an exhibit everyone should visit in Te Papa. It is actively used today as a place to meet to discuss and debate current issues, to celebrate, to share, to welcome the living, and to farewell those who have passed on.
This unique Marae (customary meeting place) designed and created by leading Māori artists is an exhibit everyone should visit in Te Papa. It is actively used today as a place to meet to discuss and debate current issues, to celebrate, to share, to welcome the living, and to farewell those who have passed on.
Whales - Tohorā exhibition
Here you explore the amazing world of whales. The Whales/Tohora event exhibit brings together historical information and current research about whales in dynamic and interactive ways . This exhibition also draws on one of the largest whale collections in the world where you see enormous skeletons, explore whaling history, learn the evolution of whales, listen to different whale sounds, observe the anatomy and diversity of the species. This event exhibit is temporary and only runs through May 11th, 2008. If you can make it, I highly recommend visiting it. If you cannot check out the website by clicking: Whales - Tohorā exhibition
Te Papa is truly an amazing experience and easily one the best museums I have ever visited. I spent a entire day there and could have easily spend another 2 exploring and learning everything it had to offer. The countless dynamic interactive exibits with lights, sound, and video makes the museum a engaging place for visitors of all ages. This place is a must-see for anyone interested in the New Zealand people, history, culture, animals, plants and everything else kiwi.
To learn more about the Te Papa National Museum and visit their website: Click Here
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