Focus on Maori achievement through culturally responsive pedagogies @ Te Awa
Tim Van Zyl
Theories about what is causing this challenge? Our explanation about why we have this challenge?
Widespread underachievement of Maori students (the well documented 20%)
More Maori students within school catchment.
Although our experience is that some Maori students achieving better that Pakeha students.
Some Maori students do not appear to identify with their “Maori-ness”. Perception that some Maori families do not practise any Maoriness themselves. Not strong participation in local Maori community.
Teachers in mainstream schools are predominantly Pakeha – therefore coming from a monocultural background and approaching teaching with traditional western ideas
In spite of being well meaning, Pakeha teachers sometimes just do not understand how to relate to Maori students and lack confidence when teaching Maori students
The frequency of interchanges between teachers and Maori students can be less that that between t provide evidence of a lot of deficit talk re Maori students and families. In discussion of achievement of eg Maori boys – excuses such as “no breakfast”, gang affiliations of families”, no support at home” etc
Some teachers resistant to change, in spite of Principals putting PD in place eg Te Mana Korero discussions.
Mind shift is needed in the teaching profession to ensure that our day-to-day practices are encompassing Maori values.
Some schools do the tokenism stuff well – kapahaka groups, powhiri.
Emerging theories, answers and conclusions Note: These strategies are just as effective for non-Maori.
Research recently highlighting problem with underachievement of Maori students and what this might mean for New Zealand society and economic stability in the future.
The challenge for Principals and BOTs is - how to effect deep change within the school so that all teachers are delivering a high quality programme which takes into account culturally sensitive pedagogies?
Strategic plan over 2 - 3 years – community ownership of this plan with professional guidance
Strategic section of annual plan – staff should input into the annual plan, so that rather than a compliance document, it becomes a strong commitment to action, and the BOT is right behind it.
Strategy 1: Building strong relationships (this is paramount)
Relationships are based on mutual respect and understanding between adults and students
Build strong relationships with families and children.
Make connections with families
Teachers need time to spend on relationships. Put in place management system where Management team takes care of discipline, so that teachers can get on with teaching and learning. Build strong whanau feeling in school through quality relationships. Kids are comfortable.
Social worker at school, and lots of teacher aides.
Taking every opportunity to get families in to school, any shows, musical items, units of work, pet days, sportdays, cultural days.
Encourage them to be in the school grounds at all times – weekends, holidays.
Male rolemodels
Dads at school – come down in the morning and play a game for 15 mins before school, reading with kids
Use police education officers – frequent visitors
Resource teachers – RTLB, RTM
Artists coming in and working with kids
Kapahaka every week – being taken by parent or “expert”
Front gate connections - visit families in homes
Talk to parents about how they can support their children at school with their learning.
Phone calls with positive – good news phone
Encourage and support a tuakana-teina approach whereby students support each other
Lessons and topics based on students’ prior knowledge.
Modelling positive engagement strategies and interactions.
Strategy 2:
Get rid of the deficit thinking – base your statements on evidence. Have you been into the home? Have you talked to the parents?
Child has come from another school.
What can you do for this child?
Remove the barriers – eg provide food (breakfasts) and water
Strategy 3:
High expectations
Celebrate successes
Involving students in goal setting
Role modelling
Confronting deficit thinking
Positive interactions
Understanding “whakama”
Developing a behaviour plan. Identify those kids for whom it won’t work for. Work out a different strategy for those kids.\
Stategy 4:
Ensure the strategic plan as an aspirational document. The annual objectives will fall out of this strategic document. These annual objectives can impact onto appraisal and effect change in classroom practice.
Certain teachers can achieve major improvement in academic achievement.
What are these teachers doing that is different?
Follow the ako approach – everyone is a learner and a teacher
Strategy 6:
Valuing student voice:
Valuing your students and talking to them, establishing trust.
Talking to students about how teacher feels or how another student feels.
Strategy 7:
Commitment to te reo
Staff taking PD Certificate of Maori Studies through Te Wananga – extra mural The only PD they did that year. Understanding tikanga and implementing that with classes.
Getting Te Reo speakers in to work with kids.
Strategy 8:
Professional leadership:
Working with the Maori community – consultation, regular meetings, and a real open door policy, meeting in homes, standing at the front gate.
Signage
What is heard?
Nurture relationships with students, whanau, staff.
Develop skills in “open to learning” conversations to assist staff professional learning.