Māngere school teacher bringing the wonder of science to the classroom

7 October 2024 - Primary school teacher Jane Thomas switched the classroom for the lab this year to learn about the lives of working scientists first-hand.

Now the Year 5-6 teacher is putting the learning into action in developing the school’s science programme.

Mrs Thomas is the Science Lead Teacher at Favona School in Māngere, in South Auckland.  She was a participant in the MBIE-funded Royal Society Science Teaching Leadership Programme for six months of this year, and chose to be hosted by the Riddet Institute, a Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) focused on food science and human nutrition. 

The purpose of the Science Teaching Leadership Programme is to improve science teaching in schools. See more about the Royal Society programme here. 

Mrs Thomas says going from teaching the basics of science to nine- and ten-year-olds to seeing food and nutrition scientists in action was a great experience.

Riddet Institute researchers are based in several locations, with the institute’s headquarters in Palmerston North at Massey University.

As part of the programme Mrs Thomas visited the University of Otago for three days, alongside Riddet Institute CoRE Principal Investigator Professor Indrawati Oey and her team. There, she attended lectures and learnt about food science and the latest research. 

A talk from Riddet Institute scientist Dr Nick Smith about global food systems, sustainable food supply, and human nutrition introduced another aspect of food science.

“It was quite amazing to think about those issues; just understanding what’s happening with nutrition and food.”

She also spent a week at Massey University in Palmerston North observing the daily lives of food scientists, which she says had the greatest impact of all.

Riddet Institute researcher Dr Debashree Roy shared her research on structural changes in milk during digestion, and then included Mrs Thomas in laboratory work with doctoral student Hao Cui on pea extrusion.

She also spent time with Dr Noha Ahmed Nasef who is currently at Palmerston North hospital researching intestinal biology and gut inflammation. Mrs Thomas went to a presentation about coeliac disease and even helped deliver notices to recruit research participants.

Best of all, she spent hours in the lab talking to scientists and seeing them at work.

“Just talking to the scientists was the most impactful part of that week. And it was interesting that a lot of them said they couldn’t recall doing any science at primary school. It made me think about what we do in primary education.

“Many had a parent with a science background or had parents who were scientists, so they got exposure to science in the home environment that way, if not at primary school.”

Time with Massey University Pacific Dean and food scientist Professor Tasa Havea also made an impression.

“I had a great talanoa to him, and connecting with a person who also has Pasifika descent who had achieved so much in the area of food science was really impactful to me,” Mrs Thomas, who is Samoan, says.

Favona School in Auckland is predominantly Māori and Pacifika.

A remark from Professor Havea helped kickstart her thinking about how she could develop the science programme at Favona School.

“We talked about a lot of things, but at the end he said, ‘You know, science is everywhere’.  I knew that, but the way he said it just clicked in my head. We don’t have to have a fancy lab to do science here at Favona School; it’s just the skills and the attitudes of curiosity that we can foster.”

She says her experience with the Royal Society programme, and at the Riddet Institute, will help her develop a science programme that benefits the school community, and helps children further their interest in science.

“This is not just about science as a career, but how scientific thinking can contribute to our lives generally.

“We are trying to develop the skills real scientists have: the wondering, the curiosity, the ways of looking at the world that a scientist has. I was definitely exposed to that at the Riddet Institute, and at a really high level.”

She says she will draw on her experiences at the Riddet Institute in her teaching, enhancing the school science programme, and developing the skills of colleagues.