Embedded Files
FOCUS: To understand how to meet the needs of Pasifika learners through exploring supporting documents that guide our teaching practice.
Talofa lava, malo e lelei, kia orana, ni sa bula vinaka, fakaalofa lahi atu, taloha ni
"The terms Pasifika or Pasifika peoples are umbrella terms used to categorise culturally diverse peoples from the Pacific region who now live in New Zealand but continue to have family and cultural connections to Pacific Island nations.
Pasifika identify themselves with the islands and cultures of Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tokelau, Tuvalu and other Pasifika heritages.
Pacific peoples are the fourth largest ethnic group in New Zealand, with the highest proportion of children aged 0-14. It is estimated that Pacific learners will make up approximately 20% of the student population by 2050.
They may be recent migrants, long settled in New Zealand, or New Zealand-born. Pasifika and Pacific also have increasingly multi-ethnic heritages and identities beyond ethnicities. It is important that teachers and leaders are aware of and respond to these diverse, ethnic-specific, as well as multiple identities." Tapasa, 2019.
Document 1: The Action Plan for Pasifika Education sets out the Government’s strategy for Pasifika Success where Pasifika learners enjoy educational success as Pasifika, where they are secure in their identities, languages and cultures, and participating, engaging and achieving in education, contributing fully to Aotearoa, New Zealand’s social, cultural and economic wellbeing.
The action plan sets out five key shifts that have been prioritised by Pacific communities, and a series of associated actions as the first step to achieving this vision.
work reciprocally with diverse Pacific communities to respond to unmet needs, with an initial focus on needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic
confront systemic racism and discrimination in education
enable every teacher, leader and educational professional to take coordinated action to become culturally competent with diverse Pacific learners
partner with families to design education opportunities together with teachers, leaders and educational professionals so aspirations for learning and employment can be met
grow, retain and value highly competent teachers, leaders and educational professionals with diverse Pacific whakapapa
Document 2: Tapasā is a resource for all teachers of Pacific learners. It is designed to support teachers to become more culturally aware, confident and competent when engaging with Pacific learners and their parents, families and communities. It provides a Pacific lens to the Standards for the Teaching Profession and the Code of Professional Responsibility.
The structure of the Tapasā framework allows you to identify your current knowledge base about Pacific pedagogies and to recognise areas that can be strengthened across three specific competencies (ngā turu)
Turu 1: Identities languages and cultures
Turu 2: Collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviours
Turu 3: Effective pedagogies for Pacific learners
The next 4 sections have a video with a key quote selected from the video and a question to consider.
Read the quote,
Watch the video and
Take some time to reflect and record your answers to each of the questions. These reflections do not need to be submitted. These 4 sections are for your own learning.
These resources have been developed by the Ministry of Education.
1. Diversity and Identity
https://vimeo.com/216114507
"There are many commonalities between the nations of the Pacific yet at the same time Pasifika peoples are very diverse. There are many differences between protocols, traditions, generations, languages, life styles, and identities. In education it's important to understand and appreciate the unique individuality of Pasifika students."
Question: There is great diversity within the Pasifika community. What the opportunities does this create for me as a teacher working with Pasifika students? This reflection does not need to be submitted.
A resource you might find useful when considering aspects of culture is the iceberg metaphor - visible aspects of culture as seen 'above the water' but a much larger part of culture is the unseen aspects that are 'under the water'. These aspects are illustrated on this iceberg file.
2. Different Worlds, Different Expectations
https://vimeo.com/216114494
"Many students from the Pacific transition between different worlds. For some, handling the roles and responsibilities of home and the expectations of society, school, church, sports and social groups are a daily challenge."
Question: How can I ensure Pasifika students are participating, engaging and achieving in education and feeling secure in their identities, languages and cultures? This reflection does not need to be submitted.
Optional Activity for Practicum (Making connections and knowing your learners): Either get each student to draw a spider map of the different worlds they live in (you may want to model this with your own map) or get the class to produce a collective map illustrating all the different worlds they live in.
3. Expectations and Relevancy
https://vimeo.com/216114550
"How many teachers are prepared to acknowledge that at the end of the day it is their attitude, it is their performance, it is their response, to those particular kids that will ultimately determine how they learn."
Expectations are usually based on a set of perspectives or assumptions we as teachers may make about learners, their backgrounds, and their capabilities. Examine some of the current views you hold about your Pasifika students.
Question: Which views do I think will assist me to create a safe and inclusive classroom? Which assumptions may hinder my ability to do that? This reflection does not need to be submitted.
4. Involvement and Engagement
https://vimeo.com/216114533
"That relationship needs to be absolutely focused on learning, that means going beyond the superficial, supporting, fund raising, sausage sizzle, that sort of thing, it's absolutely about the students progress......The difference between involvement and engagement is the deeper level relationship. Involvement is superficial but still important, but engagement is where you really get the involvement and understanding support of the parents with the teachers....And you just will have that young person growing and being nurtured in the relationship between one or the other."
Question: How might I involve and engage the parents of my Pasifika students? This reflection does not need to be submitted.
Module 2: Due date: see google classroom
Exploring Tapasā
There are two tasks to complete & submit for this module, task a & task b
a) Complete this Google Form as you read through the Tapasā document. Note you will not see your results
After completing the google form and exploring the Tapsā document, summarise in your own words the key messages for you as a teacher in a google document .
Then
b) Choose 3 clips to watch from teaching stories ( these are not the clips above) and identify what the story made you think about and something you might consider doing differently in your teaching practice as a result of watching each video.
Teaching stories are grouped under 5 broad topics.
Here are 5 links to start you off.
There are many more teaching stories to explore, so choose ones that might challenge you to reflect on your practice.
Submit to classroom in the google document
Your summary of the key message Tapasā
Your reflections from the teaching stories from the Tapasā site
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