12 June 2013 at 9:00 am
Kiwi robots breakthrough in China schools
New Zealand schools’ prowess at robotics is proving to be a great way of getting attention in China for New Zealand education and in particular our science and engineering classroom.
At the 2013 world robotics championship New Zealand high schools won three of the five high school divisions and went on to win the World Championships.
Students from Glenfield College and teachers from Glenfield College, Westlake Girls High School and Massey University, led by Chris Hamling, National Manager of Kiwibots were invited by Tianjin Association for Science and Technology (TAST) to attend last month’s Tianjin Science Week.
They visited five schools in the northern Chinese city. As well as showing off their robots, the teachers also did a number of presentations about New Zealand’s education system on the theme of “How we make winning students”.
Chris says “We wanted to build up from a simple description of how robotics are used in the classroom and then go on to illustrate how New Zealand's education system emphasizes practical work.
“Our ESOL support is important in allowing international students to find their feet quickly and that our universities are an important part of our education pipeline.”
The Kiwi party was followed from school-to-school by CCTV, China’s largest television channel.
Earlier this year TAST approached Chris wanting New Zealand schools to take part because China, like New Zealand, wants to to accelerate scientific progress and develop new technology, popularize scientific knowledge and create an environment for innovation. Chris says discussions between TAST and the Kiwibots led them to conclude that “it is primarily because of our education system that we are so successful”.
Education New Zealand Senior Education Manager in Beijing, Stijn Te Strake, says “stimulating creativity through education is a recurring theme in dialogue with China and other Asian countries looking towards technological innovation to advance rapidly developing economies.
“Kiwibots is a great demonstration of New Zealand’s strengths in these areas, in a fun and engaging manner that all can relate to.
“During the visit we saw New Zealand and Chinese students interacting and learning from each other, with their passion for science and technology as the basis of common understanding.”
Education New Zealand (ENZ) supported the Kiwibots visit to Tianjin. Last December ENZ also supported the Asia-Pacific Robotics Championship held in Auckland to leverage and promote New Zealand as a study destination, particularly for middle and high school students with an interest in technology.
More than 500 students in nearly 150 teams competed in this championship, with 70 percent coming from offshore, mostly China (77 teams) but also Hong Kong and Singapore.
