Timeline
Week 1, August 23rd– August 30th:
- Arrive in Christchurch and get situated
- Learn the bus system, get acquainted with city layout
- Visit Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum to learn more about the local Maori culture representations
- Explore the surrounding area, get a better idea of “place”
- Work with Dr. Richard Manning (Professor at University of Canterbury)
- Arrange interviews with local officials and schools
Week 2-5 , August 30th – September 27th:
- Site visits to local schools utilizing place-based education
- Participate in service learning by shadowing teachers
- Assist Dr. Manning with research regarding treaty education
- Compare multiple school settings to get a better idea of where place-based education is most feasible/useful
- Conduct interviews with school officials regarding the implementation of place-based education
- Visit pertinent Maori cultural sites
- Interview students and teachers to asses their knowledge of “place”
- Write weekly blog posts on my DS site to keep the Lewis & Clark community up to date with my research findings
Week 6, September 27th – October 4th
- Conduct follow-up interviews as needed
- Organize interview notes and transcripts
- Return to important sites to wrap up research
- Finish work with Dr. Manning, say goodbyes to partner schools
- Communicate initial results and reflections on DS site via images, text, and possibly video
Fall Semester 2015: October-December
- Work with Professor Greg Smith and Jennifer de Saxe to find contacts in the Portland area for service learning at a Portland school that utilizes Place-Based education
- Compare experiences at one of these schools with experience in New Zealand
- Compare Maori experiences and indigenous education in New Zealand with Native American experiences and education in eastern Oregon
- Present findings at the ENVS poster celebration and in undergraduate and graduate school education classes
To ensure the feasibility of this project, I have been in contact with various professors, researchers, and students living in New Zealand. Professors Greg Smith and Jennifer de Saxe from the Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education have given me place-based education information and support. Dr. Richard Manning, professor and researcher of treaty education and place-based education at University of Canterbury in Christchurch has agreed to support my research while in New Zealand. I have been in contact with the Lewis & Clark students currently studying abroad in New Zealand to get the relevant information about food and housing to plan this research opportunity. I am also interested in getting in contact with other scholars in New Zealand, such as Wally Penetito and Mike Brown who have performed very interesting and relevant research in the field of place-based education and it’s feasibility in New Zealand, and surrounding the indigenous Maori population.