Following the GLOBE Treasure Map using GPS

By Adi Leng with assistance from Perry Rapson and Year 6 students from Aranui School

The GLOBE programme has created many possible treasure maps for schools but sometimes it is easy to get a bit lost. We have probably all experienced following a map and finding the parts we know easily and feeling pretty sure of the destination but sometimes lose it with a dead end and having to go back to near the beginning. If you have used a GPS then you know you are in charge of the direction, you just have to read the situation correctly. Well Aranui School have a treasure map they would like to share with you and they have created their very own GLOBE Position at School to produce treasure.

 They know how great it feels sailing along a fantastic unit on weather. Students become scientists, who are aware of the effects of weather and climate. They also become adept at cloud observations, discerning current, maximum and minimum temperatures and the amount of rainfall. Both students and teachers get in tune to conditions around them and it is real context, practical environmental education. The key to Aranui School’s GLOBE treasure has encouraged their students to continue the daily practice of midday data recording. Their measure of success is that the teachers do not have to continue to be the captain of the ship and have the daily practice become another of their responsibilities.

The year starts at Aranui with the GLOBE trained teacher, introducing the protocols and practice of recording for one session to each class of students, Year 1 to Year 5. This way the importance of the weather station is renewed, along with the responsibility that the school has placed on those who regularly gather the data. This value is reinforced each week when these students hear and see the graph of the data being reported at assembly.

It is the Year 6 students, who know they are sailing the GLOBE ship. Their teacher either captains a unit on weather to introduce the protocols thoroughly, or delivers the practical details of the protocols for the students to drive learning about the weather. The teacher supports one student at the start to take accurate data then this student takes on the responsibility of data gathering for the week and teaching another student what to do. Both students report this data at assembly. This practice then continues with the newly trained student training another student. After all students have managed this for a week, the length of responsible time increases. The students follow this routine as part of a class routine where all students are active in a rotated area of responsibility around the school.

Feedback from the students is that they are aware of the GLOBE routine, enjoy learning about the weather, are proud to be a teacher to another student and of having the responsibility of reporting to assembly in the role of a scientist. Feedback from the Year 6 Teacher is that this routine is working as the student’s responsibility to take the lead, not him. Other teacher feedback is that students aspire to this Year 6 responsibility. Principal feedback is that the pedagogy, used for this activity, has enabled these students to achieve important treasures of confidence and actively involved, social responsibility.

Yes, there is an off-road on this map but it really leads to another treasure map yet to be unfolded. The school now has a computer suite so will soon start to access the gems on the GLOBE website. A nearby GLOBE school on a hill wants to find some of these jewels as well, so Aranui will go treasure hunting with them to share their coastal jewels.