Science Teaching Leadership Programme 2025 applications now open.
For the first half of this year, Longburn School teacher Heather Gatehouse has traded her classroom for the great outdoors, where she’s solving real world problems alongside scientists at Horizons Regional Council. Heather is participating in the Science Teaching Leadership Programme, administered by the Royal Society Te Apārangi and funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) through Curious Minds.
The programme pays for teachers to be released from school for two terms and provides opportunities for them to develop their leadership skills and enhance the teaching of science within their school community. During terms 1 and 2 (Phase One), she’s undertaking professional development training in leadership and science teaching, while also working on placement alongside scientists to gain a deeper understanding of the Nature of Science. In term 3 Heather will be taking her learning back into school for Phase Two, championing science there for the following 18 months.
Longburn School wanted an environmental focus for Heather’s placement and she has been lucky enough to be placed with Horizons Regional Council, working alongside scientists from a number of their environmental teams. Seeing the processes behind their projects, and the levels of scientific literacy needed to really understand them, has really helped Heather and she will bring that knowledge back to school later in the year.
Working with such a mix of scientists is providing a diverse range of contexts that Heather plans to weave into an exciting science programme based around the Nature of Science. Are you interested in professional development which will make a real difference to students' science learning by enhancing the teaching of science within your school community?
Applications for next year’s programme are now open. For more information visit https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/what-we-do/funds-and-opportunities/science-teaching-leadership-programme/ -
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