Meet the Learning team

Tara Fagan, Principal Learning Advisor

Tara is Principal Advisor Learning at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Tara is part of the Learning Team at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and is responsible for enabling innovative learning experiences for learners of all ages through engagement with Te Papa’s collections, exhibitions, cultural, and scientific resources, and the Learning Lab.  

Tara designed and led the four-year Museum-based Raranga Matihiko programme which delivered innovative learning programmes to those with limited digital learning opportunities as a support for the revised technology learning area.

Prior to her role at Te Papa, Tara held an education leadership role and is well regarded for her expertise in digital technologies, programme design and building learning communities. Passionate about life-long learning, she believes in innovative community learning programmes that provide a wonderfully rich context that can support all teachers and learners.

Mel Thompson, Online Course Lead

Mel is an experienced researcher, holds an Honours degree in molecular biotechnology, and has a strong interest in communication and education.

These interests have intersected with her background in science in a variety of ways. She has advised on an educational children’s science show in New Zealand, and has been volunteering in the drug harm minimisation space as an educator and communicator for several years.

She is now working within the Te Papa Learning team in the creation and facilitation of online courses, sharing Te Papa’s collections and stories (and Aotearoa’s rich natural, social and cultural history) with a local and international community of learners.

Laura Jones, Learning Specialist

Laura has worked in the museum education sector for over eight years. Engaging audiences and deepening narratives using art and objects is her passion.

Previously, Laura has taught in schools in Cambridge, London, Barcelona, and Wellington, where her interest in art and object-based learning began.

She has a degree in English and Art History, and Postgraduate qualifications in both Education and Museum and Heritage Studies.

Laura loves to help people develop personal connections with art and discover the power of objects to explore critical ideas and narratives. She is passionate about helping teachers and museum professionals engage with museums in creative ways to open up the museum space for challenging conversations.

Jessie Robieson, Learning Specialist

Jessie has been on the Learning team since June 2017, and before that was an intermediate teacher for 5 years. Her strengths lie in digital technologies, and innovating how we learn about our taonga. She enjoys working with both students and teachers, empowering them to use more digital technologies in the classroom, and how this can benefit all types of learners.

She is also interested in 21st-century learning and pedagogy and how we can disrupt and change our learning systems for the better.

Martin Langdon, Learning Specialist: ECE and Whānau

(Waikato-Tainui, Ngāti Hikairo, Kāi Tahu)

Martin is an educator who has worked in the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) sector for over 14 years, 7 of those years at Te Papa Tongarewa in the education team where he brings a wealth of creativity and innovation to the museum education sector and has developed educational resources for whānau and school audiences.

Martin has successfully developed and delivered learning programmes across a range of important kaupapa and has a strong interest in toi, te taiao/ pūtaiao and mātauranga Māori. Martin is a student centred educator who has empowered learners across all levels to develop a love and appreciation of the rich kōrero and taonga cared for at Te Papa in order to enrich their learning pathways.

Contact us

Contact the Learning Innovation team at learning@tepapa.govt.nz, or follow the team on Twitter and Facebook.