Week 27: Examine your Cultural Context (Take Action)

Blog 3: Examine your Cultural Context (Take Action)

In my class of 25 students, 22 students identify as New Zealand Māori, 1 as Cook Island Māori and 2 as New Zealand European. 23 students list Ngāpuhi as their iwi affiliation on the enrolment form. There is a strong cultural identity across the school with tikanga Māori at the forefront.

The aim of my teaching inquiry is to normalise the use of te reo Māori as a conversational language in class and out in the playground. Currently, te reo is predominantly spoken during our morning mihi and for simple commands or questions during class time. My inquiry is strongly linked to cultural responsiveness as language is a keystone of culture (Wang, 2011).

Indigenous knowledge is the unique knowledge belonging to a culture or society (Senanayake, 2006).  At the heart of Māori culture is te Ao Māori, the Māori world view (Education Review Office, 2016). It is important that te Ao Māori is acknowledged in the classroom as this will enable students to achieve as Māori. Russell Bishop supports this view when he talks about the importance of allowing Māori students to bring their experiences to learning conversations (Edtalks, 2012). According to Bishop, agentic teachers are the key to  raising achievement. An agentic teacher has a positive, non-deficit view of their students. They also need support from the school to be effective. At my school we are supported by the Māori Achievement Collaborative.

I would place myself between the blue and green boxes in this action continuum (Milne, 2017).

Our class routines are strongly based on tikanga Māori. We always start the day with himene, karakia, mihi and waiata tautoko. Karakia mō te kai is recited before all meals including our fruit at morning tea. Te reo Māori is used for classroom management throughout the day. As a school, our report to parents includes self-assessment and teacher assessment of the key competencies. Being grounded in Te Reo me ngā tikanga o Ngāpuhi is valued at school. However, many of our assessment tools still support a colonial view of success. For my inquiry, assessment will be based on observations, surveys and an oral assessment.

To move to the red box I need to develop my own knowledge and become more confident in my use of te reo Māori. Part of my inquiry includes 15 minutes of every day when the whole class communicate exclusively in te reo. This has given me an insight into the gaps in my vocabulary and sentence construction. I am learning alongside my students using the concept of ako, where the educator is also learning from the student (Ka Hikitia, 2013). Learning alongside my students, and giving them the opportunity to be the experts will acknowledge the skills and experience they bring to the classroom.