How would you introduce yourself?
At heart I am a curriculum designer.
I have 20 years of experience
working at a system level to create
the conditions for meaningful and
engaging lifelong learning to occur.
The focus of much of my work has
been guiding and challenging the
conversation about the future of
learning, transformational learning
approaches, and the role of digital
technologies in learning and life.
Prelude to MUS.E.S
2019
An
Email
Interview
with our Outstanding
Educator In Residence
(OEIR)
-- Ms. Pamela
Streeter
(Head
of
Learning, Museum of
New Zealand Te Papa
Tongarewa)
Through my work at Te Papa, I have
the chance every day to translate
those ideas into something that
works for individuals on the ground.
The best part of my day is seeing
young people taking ownership of Te
Papa as their own space for learning
and life.
Outside of work, I’m mum to Madeleine
(5 years old) and Evelyn (7 years old),
who particularly love Te Papa’s art
gallery Toi | Art, and are very excited
to be part of the wider Te Papa team.
How did you get involved in museum
education?
I originally trained as a biologist -
researching animal reproductive
physiology, but alongside my studies
I had a part time job at our local
museum. This lead to a permanent
job when I graduated, where I helped
learners of all ages use the research
and inquiry tools of the museum for
their own exploration.
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After taking time to travel the world,
I returned to New Zealand and took
a role with the New Zealand Ministry
of Education, where I stayed for 15
years – developing a career as an
educational designer and curriculum
thought leader.
When the opportunity arose to
become Head of Learning at Te Papa,
I jumped at the chance to make real
the learning opportunities I was part
of designing at the system level, and
to make this amazingly rich resource
be even better for learners.
What is unique about Te Papa?
One of our founding principles at Te
Papa is that of Mana Taonga – which
refers to a fundamental commitment
to give to all the Iwi (the tribes of our
Māori people) a very real sense of
ownership in the Museum.
negotiate programmes with gallery
educators, which – while engaging
and exciting, leave learners as
passive recipients of someone else’s
plan.
I hope that through the programmes
we offer at Te Papa, every learner
comes away understanding that
the museum belongs to them. That
every facility, every tool, and all the
skills, knowledge and capability of
this learning institution ultimately
belongs to them to use in whatever
way they want.
How do you think museums can
be a catalyst for interdisciplinary
collaborations in learning?
By this principle, we recognise the
authority of communities to care,
conserve, curate and interpret their
taonga (treasures). This philosophy
permeates every aspect of what we
do, and not just with Mana Whenua
(the people of the land – Māori). The real world isn’t split into subjects
and disciplines. Life combines and
recombines ideas all the time, and
museums are a reflection of our life
and who we are. They are the perfect
context to explore ideas in new ways
and from new angles.
We at Te Papa have a role as kaitiaki
(caretakers) of the collections and
their associated stories, but the
collections belong to the people of
Aotearoa | New Zealand, and it is
their right to access, understand and
learn about them, and to interpret
and respond to them as they see
fit. Hence the concept of ‘shared
authority’ is one that defines much
of what we do, and the results of this
can be absolutely incredible. As more and more as museums offer
themselves up as a platform from
which people can grapple with real
challenges and real problems, will
then the constructs of disciplines
begin to fall away. It is all just
knowledge, skills and context to be
used to challenge and develop the
way we think now.
What do you want students and
teachers to take away when they visit
Te Papa?
Often learners are led in museums a
little too much. Teachers plan and
What are you looking forward to
most for your first trip to Singapore
as STAR’s OEIR for MUS.E.S 2019?
Meeting so many people and sharing
ideas for ways we can all get better at
this amazing work we are entrusted
to do.
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