title: The rewards of professional change: Two primary school teachers’ experiences of transforming outdoor education.

authors: Cosgriff, Marg

subjects: Professional change

abstract: Embarking on and sustaining professional change is often a challenging process for educators. This is particularly so within a broader context of rapid (r)evolution in curriculum, pedagogical and assessment-related developments in the compulsory school sector in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past decade. Teachers’ and school leaders’ accounts of professional learning and change in recent issues of this journal have suggested it can be both risky and rewarding, with a range of impacts and outcomes for all involved. In this paper I pick up on the notion of the possible rewards of professional change, drawing on the experiences of two generalist primary school teachers engaging in curriculum and pedagogical change in outdoor education within the Health and Physical Education learning area. Specifically, the contributions of outdoor-based learning in a local bush reserve to teachers’ own sense of personal wellbeing and rejuvenated sense of professional identity are explored. Here I speculate about the potentially renewing components of professional change in outdoor education in HPE for teachers themselves.

text: The rewards of professional change: Two primary school teachers’ experiences of transforming outdoor education. Embarking on and sustaining professional change is often a challenging process for educators. This is particularly so within a broader context of rapid (r)evolution in curriculum, pedagogical and assessment-related developments in the compulsory school sector in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past decade. Teachers’ and school leaders’ accounts of professional learning and change in recent issues of this journal have suggested it can be both risky and rewarding, with a range of impacts and outcomes for all involved. In this paper I pick up on the notion of the possible rewards of professional change, drawing on the experiences of two generalist primary school teachers engaging in curriculum and pedagogical change in outdoor education within the Health and Physical Education learning area. Specifically, the contributions of outdoor-based learning in a local bush reserve to teachers’ own sense of personal wellbeing and rejuvenated sense of professional identity are explored. Here I speculate about the potentially renewing components of professional change in outdoor education in HPE for teachers themselves.

year: 2017

title: Characterization and surface chemical modification of mussel shell: Probing its potential application as a bio-filler in a polymer-shell composite

authors: Xu, Jing

abstract: This work investigated mussel shell's potential as a bio-filler for polypropylene (PP). Micron-scale mussel shells were obtained by ball milling. Both aragonite and calcite were identified in mussel shell through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The aragonite and calcite percentages in mussel shell were estimated with X'Pert Highscore Plus software at 54.9% and 45.1 %, respectively. Mussel shell shows a minimum weight loss (<5 wt%) at temperature below 650°C as revealed by thermogravimetric analyses, indicating it is sufficiently thermally stable for compounding with polypropylene. A better compatibility with hydrophobic PP matrix was achieved by mechanochemical modification of hydrophilic mussel shells using maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) alone or in combination with polydopamine (PDA) coating. Inspired by the super-adhesion of mussel foot protein, self-polymerized dopamine deposited a PDA layer on mussel shell particles, which can serve as a bridge between mussel shell and MAPP. XRD analysis indicated that PDA coating did not affect the mussel shell's crystal structure. Both MAPP and PDA/MAPP modified mussel shell showed a higher hydrophobicity according to contact angle measurements. Using the Fowkes model, the surface energy of pristine and modified mussel shells was calculated from contact angle measurement data.The PDA/MAPP­mussel shell exhibits similar surface energies to PP, indicating its surface compatibility with PP when added as a filler. Overall,mussel shell is a promising and sustainable substitute for the mineral CaCO3 as fillers for polymer composites and its properties in mussel shell/ PP composites will be further investigated.

text: Characterization and surface chemical modification of mussel shell: Probing its potential application as a bio-filler in a polymer-shell composite This work investigated mussel shell's potential as a bio-filler for polypropylene (PP). Micron-scale mussel shells were obtained by ball milling. Both aragonite and calcite were identified in mussel shell through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The aragonite and calcite percentages in mussel shell were estimated with X'Pert Highscore Plus software at 54.9% and 45.1 %, respectively. Mussel shell shows a minimum weight loss (<5 wt%) at temperature below 650°C as revealed by thermogravimetric analyses, indicating it is sufficiently thermally stable for compounding with polypropylene. A better compatibility with hydrophobic PP matrix was achieved by mechanochemical modification of hydrophilic mussel shells using maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) alone or in combination with polydopamine (PDA) coating. Inspired by the super-adhesion of mussel foot protein, self-polymerized dopamine deposited a PDA layer on mussel shell particles, which can serve as a bridge between mussel shell and MAPP. XRD analysis indicated that PDA coating did not affect the mussel shell's crystal structure. Both MAPP and PDA/MAPP modified mussel shell showed a higher hydrophobicity according to contact angle measurements. Using the Fowkes model, the surface energy of pristine and modified mussel shells was calculated from contact angle measurement data.The PDA/MAPP­mussel shell exhibits similar surface energies to PP, indicating its surface compatibility with PP when added as a filler. Overall,mussel shell is a promising and sustainable substitute for the mineral CaCO3 as fillers for polymer composites and its properties in mussel shell/ PP composites will be further investigated.

year: 2022-11

title: Ko te Korokoro o te Parata: Ko tātou tonu

authors: Higgins, Rawinia

subjects: Whakaora reo

abstract: I roto i ngā kaupapa whakaora i te reo Māori kei te waipukehia tātou e te reo Pākehā. Ahakoa he aha te kaupapa kei te mate tonu te reo Māori, ā kāore anō tātou kia kite kei hea te ara tika hei karo atu i te korokoro o te parata. Kāore hoki tātou e titiro me pēhea e whakarekareka ai te reo ki te huhua o ngā Māori, tuatahi; tuarua ki te motu whānui. Ko te āhua nei ko tātou tonu kei te patu i tō tātou reo. He tere nō tātou ki te whakahāwea i ngā tūmomo kaupapa whakaora reo Māori. Kei ngā ngutu noa iho te mate nui ki te reo Māori. Ka ara mai he kaupapa whakaora reo, arā kē te tokomaha o ngā tāngata e patu ana i taua kaupapa. Ahakoa ko wai, kāore tētahi kaupapa e noho tapu ana. Katoa kei te tātāhia e tātou tonu. Nō reira, me aha? Me tuku kia mate? Me pēhea te patu i te korokoro o te parata mehemea ko tātou tonu taua taniwha?

text: Ko te Korokoro o te Parata: Ko tātou tonu I roto i ngā kaupapa whakaora i te reo Māori kei te waipukehia tātou e te reo Pākehā. Ahakoa he aha te kaupapa kei te mate tonu te reo Māori, ā kāore anō tātou kia kite kei hea te ara tika hei karo atu i te korokoro o te parata. Kāore hoki tātou e titiro me pēhea e whakarekareka ai te reo ki te huhua o ngā Māori, tuatahi; tuarua ki te motu whānui. Ko te āhua nei ko tātou tonu kei te patu i tō tātou reo. He tere nō tātou ki te whakahāwea i ngā tūmomo kaupapa whakaora reo Māori. Kei ngā ngutu noa iho te mate nui ki te reo Māori. Ka ara mai he kaupapa whakaora reo, arā kē te tokomaha o ngā tāngata e patu ana i taua kaupapa. Ahakoa ko wai, kāore tētahi kaupapa e noho tapu ana. Katoa kei te tātāhia e tātou tonu. Nō reira, me aha? Me tuku kia mate? Me pēhea te patu i te korokoro o te parata mehemea ko tātou tonu taua taniwha?

year: 2011-04