Pūtātara Activity Sets - Whakapūawai
This page has the Whakapūawai activity sets as part of the Pūtātara resource suite.
About this resource
This resource supports schools and teachers to develop learning opportunities that are place-based, inquiry-led, and focused on participation for change.
This page includes the Whakapūawai activity sets. Use this set as it is or adapt to be applicable to your own learners and contexts. This set contains numerous external links to support the learning, which were up to date at the time of publication. You may find it helpful to look for alternatives should some of the messaging be time-specific.
Flourishing ever forward
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.
Success does not come from the work of one, but the work of many
Whakapuāwai embraces future directions for humanity that are optimistic, and solutions focused. It promotes a shift from the linear economy to the circular economy and provides a base from which learners can explore popular culture, dominant economic mindsets, and the innovation required to move from where we are to where we need to be.
Whakapuāwai encourages learners to be active citizens. Ākonga may uncover complex ethical questions around the changing role of technology and artificial intelligence. Equally, they may discover the multiple opportunities technology can offer for creative solutions to societal problems, as well as for new and exciting career directions.
The Pūtātara resource suite uses concepts from te ao Māori as well as te reo Māori throughout. If there is a concept or term that you are unsure of you can visit Te Aka Māori Dictionary (maoridictionary.co.nz).
We have made some suggestions about which year level(s), each particular activity set will suit best, but these are not fixed. This resource will be adaptable to the students in front of you.
Use the tabs below to go to the Whakapūawai activity sets.
Activity Sets
- Whakapūawai – The circular economy (Years 7-8)
- Whakapūawai – Understanding food injustices (Years 9-10)
- Whakapūawai – Challenging norms of consumerism (Years 9-10)
- Whakapūawai – Effects of technology on people and the environment (Years 9-10)
The activities below can be used as a stimulus for exploring the context of effects of technological innovation on people and the environment. Ākonga will analyse and reflect on the impact of technologies such as AI and other automation including the benefits and the risks. Select from and adapt these activities to suit the learning needs of your ākonga. Throughout, look for ways to make meaningful connections with local histories.
Consider:
- Learning about the possible ramifications of automation technologies as used by powerful corporations will build understanding of how the use and/or misuse of power have profoundly influenced people’s life experiences.
- Learning about the impact of trends such as automation will build understanding of human impact on society and the environment.
- By investigating the possible impacts of currently available automation technologies and its impact on different industries and cultural norms, ākonga build knowledge that people actively question and redefine identity as they work towards are more equitable society.
- By exploring innovative companies and new technologies, ākonga build understanding that people collectively claim their rights and strive to create change, with varying outcomes.
- By researching and debating the benefits and risks of technologies, ākonga build knowledge that that new opportunities can arise from innovation and enterprise. Specifically, they will see that these opportunities can enhance well-being, challenge beliefs about needs and wants and have consequences on te taiao.
Identify a scientist, technologist or other innovator to connect with your class, either in person or online.
Review your understanding of the definition of technology as intervention by design. Prepare to present the field of technology - from sewing machines to artificial intelligence - as having common purposes in expanding human possibilities.
Find out about your school’s relationships with the local hapū and iwi before beginning this activity set. See the Productive partnerships with whānau, hapū, and iwi section in the Leading Local Curriculum Guide Part 1 for more information on growing these relationships. If appropriate, ask a representative to consider the question of tikanga around the hypothetical use of AI and other automation in toi Māori. They could respond to you or speak to your class around this issue.
You may want to review the activities you choose to use with your class to identify vocabulary that may need to be pre-taught beforehand. Create a word wall including these words that you can add to throughout the learning experience.
- What new opportunities are created by automation? How can these opportunities enrich or damage lives?
- How are new technologies impacting on sustainability?
- In pairs, ask ākonga to research one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Ask them to identify the goal and the current situation (how far from the goal we are). Each pair should then draw up their findings and share them on a collective digital board or a display board in the classroom.
- Individually, in pairs, or in groups, ask ākonga to choose one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and examine:
- Possible technologies that are or could be used to work towards the goal. What could encourage people to use them more?
- Possible technologies that are or could be used to undermine the goal. Why might people continue to use them?
- As a class, create a definition of “automation”. The definition should cover the following technologies:
- Manufacturing robots that produce products
- Generative AI that can create art or writing.
- Cars that can drive themselves by sensing the world around them.
- Facilitate a class debate on the use of automation technology. Consider the following points:
- What is the earliest example of automation in history you can think of? Is this any different to the automation we see now?
- How does automation make people feel? How could that affect the way the technology is used?
- Who has the power over what automated technology is and isn’t allowed to do? Who is making decisions about the use of automation?
- What impact might artificial intelligence and robotics have on what it means to be human? What can we do that robots and AI will never be able to do?
- List some common occupations such as doctor, builder, or accountant. As a class, discuss how technologists could automate each job, then debate whether they should or not. Consider:
- How the job benefits from human judgement.
- How a machine could add accuracy or efficiency.
- The risk to human safety of the job.
- How automation could affect employment.
- How power and decision-making about the job would be affected.
- Connect in person or remotely with someone in an innovative company. Consider people in Aotearoa New Zealand who are disrupting sectors with technologies that prioritise sustainability and wellbeing.
- After the person has spoken to your class, ask ākonga:
- What backgrounds, skills, talents, and personalities do these people bring to their positions?
- What similar or complementary qualities do you have? What do you see your role being in creating the future? What do you want to cultivate in yourself most strongly?
- What are the roles of scientists, technologists, company directors, and innovators in solving the vast challenges we have ahead of us?
- Arrange for ākonga to tour a local workplace that uses advanced mechanisation or automation as part of its process. What advantages does the technology have? What negative impacts has it had on people or the environment?
- Ask ākonga to identify specific local instances of barriers that are getting in the way of moving towards a low-carbon future. Encourage them to research technological and non-technological solutions to those barriers. What are the costs and advantages of each possible technological solution?
- Provide an opportunity for ākonga to gather information and resources relating to the use of technology in their lives and rohe, and present that information back to the community in a meaningful way. See the Tips for engaging with community section of the Pūtātara home page for specific support.
- Support ākonga to come up with the presentation idea. Some examples are:
- Ākonga developing a common set of interview questions and gathering data from whānau, community members, local elders, and hapū about how the land in their area has changed because of technology. They could gather historic images of landmarks in their area to display alongside these interviews, with photos of the same places today.
- Ākonga creating a video project, capturing community perspectives on the role of technology in causing and solving some of our greatest challenges. This could include asking five questions based on what they have learned. For example: What AI do you interact with daily? Could technology be part of the solution to societal issues like inequity or climate change? Would you go back to a simpler way of living if you could? Ākonga could edit community members’ responses to these questions together. This video could then be shared online or used as a class resource for discussing ‘how technology can enrich or damage lives’.
Ask ākonga to reflect on their action. What impact did it have on the school? What impact did it have on them personally? What strengths and limitations did it have?