Top teacher says Einstein right

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LEADING TEACHER: Paul Lowe, winner of this year's Prime Minister's Science Teacher Prize, with Morrinsville College students.

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Paul Lowe reckons Albert Einstein summed up education best when he said: "I do not teach students, I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn."

It's a philosophy the Morrinsville College head of science has taken to heart, and one that has seen him receive the inaugural Prime Minister's Science Teacher Prize, worth $150,000.

"It's very humbling. There are a lot of really good science teachers out there," he said.

The Prime Minister's Science Prizes were introduced last year to raise the profile of science in New Zealand. The Science Teacher Prize is awarded to the science teacher seen as best engaging their students in the subject.

Dr Lowe is one of four people to receive a Prime Minister's Science Prize, with awards also handed out for Future Scientist, Emerging Scientist and Science Communication.

Two thirds of the $150,000 prize goes to the school's science department and Dr Lowe can keep the rest.

The teacher said the secret to his teaching success lay in having students working in teams to solve problems, and taking greater responsibility for their own learning.

Dr Lowe's "hands-on" approach has led his students out of the classroom and into glider pilot seats at Waharoa, to study physics, underground caves (chemistry) and to the Goat Island marine reserve north of Auckland to learn about biodiversity.

"We ask (the question) and don't tell the students the answer ... that's for them to figure out."

Dr Lowe was to receive the award from John Key at the Stardome on Auckland's One Tree Hill Domain this morning.

The Morrinsville teacher has been the head of science at Morrinsville College since 1997 and has taught at the school since 1981.

- © Fairfax NZ News