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| My culture and ways of living |
Culturally responsive pedagogies and pathways for authentic learning must incorporate children’s and communities’ fund of knowledge into the curriculum. Culturally responsive pedagogies and teaching approaches in classrooms support diverse ways for children to develop, express (orally and in written form) and share deeper learning and their understanding of concepts. Teaching and learning in all the areas of curriculum will be enriched if teaching pedagogies and approaches create opportunities to incorporate children’s and communities’ lived experiences into the curriculum. Teaching approaches should create an inclusive classroom culture and learning environment that welcomes indigenous knowledge systems, their world views, values, and ways of relating to nature. When these pedagogies invite children’s and their whanau’s to share their lived experiences in to the classroom, the learning outcomes are culturally rich, authentic and meaningful, which in turn increases children engagement, motivation and improves attainment. Culturally responsive pedagogy is effective when it is ensured that students have multiple and diverse opportunities to learn, and receive feedback on their learning. Children learn and gain life experiences form their parents, grand-parents and the legends in the community, this learning should also be promoted in the classroom by creating opportunities where older students help and support younger ones. There also need to be culturally inclusive diverse ways for children to gain feedback on their growing knowledge, leading to further learning. The newer teaching approaches and initiatives like Project Based Learning, Authentic Learning, Big Picture Project, create many opportunities for students, their parents, families and communities to be involved in children's education, this draws authenticity, cultural values, life experiences, and history in to learning, resulting in higher level of children's interest, motivation, engagement, learning and achievement. At high school level a projects on Maori Carving, Pacific Music are good examples of Project Based Learning.
The inclusion of mātauranga Māori enables all children to understand the significance of Māori as tangata whenua through the use of te reo Māori; Māori symbols; learning experiences that focus on the environment (taiao) through the lens of atua Māori (guardians of the forest, sky, earth, wind, rain, storms earthquakes and volcanoes); pūtaiao (science); and hangarau (technology). Mātauranga Māori communicates something fundamental about the Māori world, something distinctive and valuable. It encompasses both ancient and modern forms of knowing and enlightenment. The inclusion of Mātauranga Māori across the curriculum enhances the mana and wairua of Māori children. This validates their ways of knowing, being and doing. At the same time it provides all children with knowledge and information that extends their learning and understanding of the world they live in.(Education Review Office)
Cultural responsiveness in practice at Te Kura:
Te Kura vision, mission and core values
Our vision is ‘students achieve their educational and personal goals, enabling them to participate effectively as members of their communities’.
At Te Kura we demonstrate by our
actions that we:
Put the success of our students at
the forefront of everything we do
Respect each other, students,
their whanau and our partner organisations
See strength in diversity
Celebrate innovation and success
Communicate openly and honestly.
The Bi-Cultural
responsiveness in practice at Te Kura is quite strong. The leadership focus and
pedagogies as well as pastoral care approaches are very much culturally
responsive. Te Kura environment is rich with Maori staff, culture, language and
regular activities like weekly waiata, cultural celebrations like Maori
language week, matariki, and many other ongoing initiatives! Te Kura pedagogies
and teaching approaches support focusing on motivation, engagement and raising
achievement levels of Maori students.
At early childhood and primary level, teaching learning programs incorporate cultural responsiveness very well. Te teachers work with children, their parents, guardians or caregivers and whanu, to develop students’ individual learning programs based on the expectations of family, whanau and community environment; hence these programs are well engaging, and motivating. Students’ whanau and community interest are well woven in to the curriculum; this creates authentic and culturally rich learning experiences.
However at secondary level teaching and learning programs, and the nature of assessment activities are mainly driven by academic expectations and New Zealand Qualification Authority’s policies and procedure, I feel this limits the opportunities of cultural responsiveness. NZQA Assessment specifications at NCEA Level 1, 2 and 3 seem to guide the learning, and assessment, leaving minimal space for authentic learning, creativity and entrepreneurism. A good example of this could be; a student, who is passionate about fishing and is highly skilled, has a wealth of cultural knowledge about all the aspects of fishing from whanau, and community legend; struggled to gain his Numeracy and Literacy at NCEA Level 1.References
Understanding Indigenous worldviews, by Vicki Tauli-Corpuzy from Tebtebba, Phillipines https://app.themindlab.com/media/12843/viewA culturally responsive pedagogy of relations by Russell Bishop https://app.themindlab.com/media/12844/view
Mike Hogan Culturally responsive practice in mainstream school https://app.themindlab.com/media/12845/view
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and assessment Whakamana tamariki http://www.tlri.org.nz/sites/default/files/projects/9268_cowie-summaryreport.pdf
Support indigenous knowledge in New Zealand school libraries http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/blogs/libraries-and-learning/15-02/support-indigenous-knowledge-new-zealand-school-libraries
Te Kura Charter and Annual Plan 2016 http://www.tekura.school.nz/assets/Publications-non-curriculum/Te-Aho-o-Te-Kura-Pounamu-Charter-and-Annual-Plan-2016.pdf
Te Kura vision and values http://www.tekura.school.nz/about-us/vision-and-values/
Free photo from Freeimages http://www.freeimages.com/search/culture
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