Know me before you teach me: Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leaning at APS

" If a curriculum does not respond to a culture, then the culture cannot respond to the curriculum" (L Hook 2013)

Albany Primary School (APS) is a culturally diverse school which reflects our community and changing face of Auckland as a whole. Currently we are building our Cultural awareness and capability, being responsive in our school and classrooms to develop meaningful relationships with all of our children and their families. We see this as a powerful way to develop belonging and high engagement for all of our learners and their whānau.

At APS being Culturally Capable means we respond to children and their families in a manner that is respectful of their identity and culture. Our actions should always show that all community members are not only welcome within our school and community, but that our school is a place of belonging and identity for all.

At the heart of the responses, we want to strengthen connections. It is our belief that by knowing a child, their family and their story from the beginning of their time at APS, they feel welcome, safe and are able to begin to develop a sense of their own identity belonging in this new place. It is our responsibility to forge a relationship with every family, through being welcoming and open to answering questions and sharing ideas without letting the language barriers inhibit these interactions.

Cultural Capability at APS reflects the research principles of best practice for responding to Maori and Pasifika in New Zealand and are relevant to pākeha, Māori and tauiwi (or all new immigrants). These include:

• Manaakitanga: Caring for students and culture

  • Demonstrating caring for every student

  • Ensuring everyone feels culturally safe and comfortable

• Mana Motuhake: Caring for the performance of all students

  • Setting high expectations for all

• Whakapiringatanga: Managing a space to promote learning

  • Develop  a collaborative  environment where different styles can be catered for and work together to achieve positive outcomes

• Wananga: Effective teaching relationships;   Ako: reciprocal teaching and learning relationships

  • Understanding and knowing our learners

  • Working to ensure all Learners are engaged and able to discuss their learning

• Kotahitanga: Promote, monitor and reflect on outcomes that in turn lead to improvements in educational achievement for all.

Deep understanding of our own culture, what is important and the perceptions that may have been developed (by understanding and recognising the nuances of our own culture it helps develop awareness of those in other cultures.)

We also choose to use the guiding principles of Ka Hikitia (To step up) after its publication by the Ministry of Education in 2017.

• Excellent Outcomes: We will support Māori learners and their whānau to achieve excellent education outcomes

• Belonging: We will ensure Māori learners and their whānau have a strong sense of belonging across our education system

• Strengths-based: We will recognise and build on the strengths of Māori learners and their whānau

• Productive Partnerships: We will support strong relationships between learners and whānau, hapū, iwi, educators and others to support excellent outcomes

Te Tiriti o Waitangi: We will give practical effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the education system

At APS we continue to recognise the journey we are on towards complete proficiency and that our competency and proficiency within different cultural areas will differ depending on the changing intake from the community.  It is important to reflect regularly on where individuals and teams feel they are within their cultural understandings: