Lauren's short film showcases the work completed across the community to preserve and monitor the local bat population. The film is an outcome supported by our staff professional development plan to encourage projects reflecting the NPDL (New Pedagogies for Deep Learning) philosophy.

The NPDL training asked our teachers to consider their learning programmes, and how they could be deepened and diversified across four topic areas: Pedagogical Practices, Learning Partnerships, Leveraging Digital and Learning Environments.

Lauren's short film encapsulates one of the projects developed with this philosophy. Working in partnership with Catriona Gower (Otago Museum), students developed skills to track and monitor and conserve local bats. This hands-on, place-based, inquiry learning project was split into different curriculum sections depending upon the age and ability of the student groups. Students and their families were able to access digital equipment and contextual teaching within the bat habitats.

Lauren has created a snapshot of the project, its leadership and its impact on the community in her short film. 

In writing about the film, she has shown the development of ideas and structures to showcase genre, develop narrative and characterisation and manage cognitive load.

Lauren's video was showcased by Catriona Gower at a bat conference in Te Anau prior to lockdown.