Rongoa Māori
Level: Year 7-8
School: Tauranga Technology Centre
Teacher: Heather Bonk
Category: Teaching strategy
Technology Teacher Heather Bonk's decision to "revamp" the Year 7/8 Biotechnology course at Tauranga Technology Centre led her to learn about Rongoa Māori, set up a business and develop a new unit in which students could refer to the technological process she had followed.
Students from 13 client schools attend the Technology centre (at Tauranga Primary School) for a four-day Technology block every term, as part of their two-year rotational programme. Each session is a whole-day (9am-3pm) per week over four weeks, so a class will have, for example, four Mondays in a row during a term. In order to make the most of the time available, lunchtime is only 20 minutes but student enthusiasm is such that many ask to stay in during the morning tea or lunch break to continue working. That's okay, Heather says, as long as they've been outside and had something to eat. "We're very fortunate having a programme like this. When we had different schools attending the morning and afternoon sessions it seemed that a lot of valuable Technology time was wasted coming in, setting up and cleaning up before the next class."
Over their two years, students take Biotechnology, Hard Materials, Soft Materials, Food Technology, Electronics, Structures and Mechanisms, and Process and Production. The Technology areas have always been integrated, with responsible students allowed to move freely between the rooms to source specific materials or expertise they require. A student working in Hard Materials, for example might require a fastening such as Velcro or a zip from the Soft Materials area, or in Soft Materials a hammer may be needed to attach eyelets to a product. The students move to a different teacher and Technology area every term, and in the fourth term they revisit one Technology area. Heather says this does not pose a problem because of the integrated technologies, and there are new themes and challenges each term. The teachers also move from time-to-time to a different Technology area and Heather has been fortunate to have worked in all areas. Working as part of a team is not only what is required of students but it is also modelled by the Technology teachers in planning and sharing expertise – one of the strengths of the Tauranga Technology Centre.
Students all work in mixed Year 7/8 classes on the same rather than a differentiated programme because, Heather explains, student achievement level is not necessarily linked to their year level. The team assesses students based on the Achievement Objectives for each strand of The New Zealand Technology Curriculum (2007) and tracks them as they move from curriculum area to curriculum area over their two years at the centre.
Each year the three teachers deliver their subjects based on a shared theme, which in Term 4, 2010 was 'Entrepreneurs'. Biotechnology students were given a brief which asked them to develop bathroom products suitable for a new shop opening in Tauranga.
Heather's students work in groups of four and all the equipment they use is colour-coded for easy identification and monitoring so that, for example, if a green-labelled recipe book or saucepan is left out she knows the Green group hasn't tidied up properly. During class discussions the Green group writes on the whiteboard with a green pen, and students initial their writing so that Heather can easily note who is contributing to the activity.
Rongoa Māori
Heather has long had an interest in the ngahere (bush), especially around the Whanganui River where her family owns a property, and queried why exotic ingredients such as lavender and eucalyptus were being used rather than native plants. She wanted to teach her students the medicinal uses of these plants so, funded by Tauranga School which promotes the value of lifelong learning, enrolled in Robert McGowan's University of Waikato course on rongoa Māori in 2009. The two-year wait to get on to the three-weekend course (held in different North Island forests) was worth it, Heather says, for the fantastic knowledge she gained about the properties of native plants, the tikanga of rongoa Māori, the kawa (protocols) for harvesting plants and meeting people of like-mind. The process of learning to identify plants and learning of their medicinal properties was followed up with reading, listening to others and lengthy walks in the ngahere. In sharing her knowledge of how to use and combine native plants, Heather points out to her students that some of the plants with the strongest medicinal properties are also the most poisonous and warns them of the danger in not correctly identifying a plant, "You know, you could make something quite dangerous if you don't know what you're doing".
Developing a business
Heather combined her experience in Technology with her rongoa Māori knowledge to create a range of products as Christmas presents for family and friends, to introduce them to "the amazing properties of our native plants". The project, however, "just blossomed from there" – Heather was approached by people asking if she sold the products, and by shop owners who wanted to supply her range. Heather understands that rongoa Māori is a koha (gifting) "and is really a connectedness between the ngahere (plants), the maker and receiver" so she decided to run the business just to cover her costs. She initially considered setting up a charitable trust and started working with a lawyer on this, but it became too complicated with accountants and yearly audits so she has not yet made this move. However, in keeping with technological process, as well as rongoa Māori, she gifts to where she sees a need and recently made a generous donation to the Salvation Army Canterbury Earthquake Appeal.
Heather already had ideas for remedies she wanted to develop and, after investigating existing products on the market, decided to create six products (lip balm, moisturiser, insect repellent, chest rub, healing balm and a balm for aches) for her Koru range. "I went through the technological process, entering and exiting at different points just as the students do. You go back, revisit, modify and change." Working on the project also reinforced that technologists often have to work on quite different aspects of a project at the same time, as she found when she had almost finished the products and realised that the packaging and labels needed to be underway as well. Heather used part of a special photo she had taken down the Whanganui River of a mamaku frond, as a symbol for the products she developed. Although the products were just intended as gifts at this stage, Heather decided to follow the Technology process right through and design the packaging as well.
In order to fully inform customers about her products, Heather designed a brochure with information on the ingredients which she developed with a professional designer, and plans to design an order form to include with it.
The products are packaged in 15g containers, the size chosen because, Heather says, "We don't pick the plants lightly, and what a waste if it's thrown out"; these are really trial pots and she will make larger amounts when required. Sourcing cardboard boxes wasn't as straightforward as it might seem, the first ones she used couldn't be reordered because they were no longer being imported, then the same thing occurred when Heather went to buy more of her second choice. To overcome continuing hassles, she paid approximately $250 for a packaging company to make a template (which now belongs to her) so that now she can order more as required. This also reduced the price considerably and Heather points out that discussing problems around obtaining supplies and the costing involved in ordering the template is helpful in showing students some of the 'hidden' costs in production.
To increase the aesthetic appeal of the packaging, Heather designed a band using paper produced from harakeke (flax) to go around the box. Although she has made the paper herself, she decided to buy it from a friend to ensure a plentiful supply and to support another small business. Heather was gifted a whakatoke (proverb or reflection) to put inside the box lid. Heather has bought a website address (that matches her business email address) to develop in the future and a school colleague has offered to develop this.
The positive feedback Heather has received from people using her balms has also informed her outcome evaluation – eczema sufferers have reported positive results from using the moisturiser, so she is considering the benefit or otherwise of renaming the moisturiser. Heather has realised that the manono used in some products, where the label warns against application to open skin, is actually a healing agent so will change those labels. She also plans to redesign all the labels so that they don't look too similar, and enlarge the writing so that it's easier to read,
Entrepreneurs in the classroom
Heather used her experience as the basis for a one-day unit on rongoa Māori, as part of the term-wide theme of Entrepreneurs. She says this theme worked particularly well in Term 4 when students were assessed on Planning for Practice and Outcome Development and Evaluation which they relate to; students often say "We've done that" and she explains "Yes, that's what it's all about"
Each day follows a similar routine: students are given their Technology 'challenge' for the day, brainstorm ideas as a class and then develop their concepts in their groups. Having a whole day allows time for students to experiment, trial recipes and modify before developing their final outcome, and throughout the day they record their discoveries, changes they could make for improvement and evaluate product attributes. Students who finish early can continue noting their reflections and client comments, or do something extra such as a survey.
On Day 1 the class extracted oil from either lavender, eucalyptus or lemon. Students were given the equipment and, without any help, asked to extract the oil from their plant. Some knew what to do, but others tried to mash the plant while others thought lemon juice was the oil. After experimenting themselves, the students watched a video of the White Bay Lavender Company to see how professionals extract oil, and then tried again using kettles, electric elements, tape, plant material, plastic and ice to extract the oil. Heather notes that having the whole day makes a 'trial and error' approach more easily achievable.
In the rongoa Māori unit on Day 2, students were asked to design and develop an insect repellent using titoki (a natural insecticide) and poroporo (which has anti-itching properties), and a lip balm based on manuka honey and tea-tree oil. The class started with a brainstorming session on rongoa Māori, using the wall display of native trees and their properties as a discussion starter. The students then watched a documentary Earth Whisperers which, amongst other things, looks at how rongoa Māori was almost lost to New Zealanders.
Given the time it takes to gather plants and produce the oil, there isn't time to do this in class so Heather provides pre-prepared oil. She shows the students how to make lip balm and insect repellent but doesn't give quantities, so that they need to experiment to find the best combination of ingredients. Throughout the day, Heather refers back to the processes she went through in developing her products.
As the floor is carpeted, the students work on tables outside as they grate, melt and mould the wax for their lip balm and insect repellent. They are given bags of ice, so that they can test the consistency of their melted wax by cooling a spoonful in the ice. Students packaged their products in either a small pottle or a recycled glue stick – and those tempted to wind their balm up before it was set soon realised their mistake! Some coloured their products (using grated crayon) and even made striped lip balm, all of which looked fantastic, Heather says.
While the students are developing their products, Heather tells them about a group some years earlier which had created a food product to present to a chef. Told that he would buy some to sell to his client, the students' initial excitement turned to disappointment – Heather asks her class why that might be, then explains that the group had forgotten to write the recipe down and couldn't make it again. That's a big lesson, Heather says, which helps her students understand why they are writing things down as they trial recipes.
One of the great things about the rongoa Māori unit, says Heather, is enhancing the link between home and school and some of the students share stories about how their families successfully use medicinal plants at home.
On Day 3 the students developed bath products, such as bath bombs, modifying existing recipes to make their own version. The class looked at the properties of different essential oils and students had to consider which to use in their products so that, for example, they didn't use a stimulant for something designed as a relaxing product. Given the enthusiasm with which students can squirt lots of oil rather than the requisite few drops despite safety warnings, Heather buys cheap brands to save her budget. However, she notes, it doesn't tend to be an issue because group members are allocated roles (as production manager, quality controller, resource manager and marketing manager) and the quality controllers usually watch that not only their group but the others aren't wasting supplies!
Day 4 is allocated as Entrepreneurs Day, when parents visit at lunchtime to see what the students have been working on in each classroom and try samples of the Food and Biotechnology outcomes. In the morning Heather's students finished any outstanding tasks and then developed their labels, brochures, business cards and packaging. Heather says that while giving the groups scope for making their own decisions, she also directs them so that they're not spending too much time on particular aspects, such as making a box for their product.
Following the parent visit, the students write their own report for the term. They include photos of themselves involved in the development processes and evaluate the level at which they have worked in relation to the Achievement Objectives – students indicate as to whether they were working at spectator, apprentice or expert level. Heather explains to them that one of her assessments of their level is based on what they tell her they have learnt: "I've discovered how to get oil from plants" = spectator; "I've discovered how to get oil out of plants by boiling it and allowing the steam to go through so the oil collects in a jar" = apprentice; "I've discovered how to get oil from plants by putting plant material in the pot, heating it up so the steam carries the oil through the tube and is cooled by the ice, which is called condensing, into the jar where it settles on top" = expert.
Applications Series
Anyone interested in teaching a similar biotechnology unit will find two of the Ministry of Education's Applications series journals useful resources.
- The Gift of Rongoa by Shirley Cormack
(Dewey No 610.8999442, ISBN 0 7903 0847 9, Item No 30847) - Lips, Lipids, and Locks
(Dewey No 668.55, ISBN No 0 7903 0849 5, Item No 30849)
The above items can be ordered free of charge through Down the back of the chair by phoning 0800 660 662 with your school's login password.
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