Challenge-Developing a meaningful localized curriculum
According to the Ngati Kahungunu Matauranga Educational Refresh Report for 2020–2027 (2020), many of our Mori whanau continue to struggle with their identity and, as a result, their feeling of belonging, attempting to accept the importance of Mori knowledge and understanding. Colonization, assimilation, and urbanization have all played significant parts in this situation, yet many whanau are ignorant of their complicated histories, which can serve as a foundation for knowledge and self-awareness. Our local iwi has set the goal of advancing educational ambitions, accomplishments, and successes for all Kahungunu and Maori learners residing within Ngati Kahungunu.
In 2019, Prime Minister Ahern announced in parliament that by 2022, all schools would be expected to cover aspects of New Zealand’s history as part of the curriculum. As part of the local curriculum, schools would be expected to cover the arrival of Mori in Aotearoa, early colonial history, the Treaty of Waitangi, and the history of the signing of the treaty. The New Zealand Wars and the evolving national identity of New Zealand in the late 19th and early 20th century. Later in 2019, after completing the Tomorrows Schools review (Education Act 1989), the government stated that it was time to strike the right balance between what needs to be provided by the government and what is best left with schools to ensure strong connections with their learners, whanau, and communities, and what needs to be better supported and enabled at the regional and local level. Our Kahui Ako has engaged the services of a local professional facilitator in localized curriculum design. Our goal is to work alongside our local marae’s kaumatua to learn about local history and to build teacher knowledge so that they can use their learned knowledge in classroom lessons as part of our school curriculum.
As our school expands its local knowledge and teachers participate in professional development, they learn about Ahuriri and Ngati Kahungunu’s history. Those narrating the history have made it obvious that these stories have historically been passed down orally through generations, and those who have transmitted these stories to us have insisted on this practice continuing. We have talked as a school staff about how we can keep this information alive at our Kura and guarantee that the numerous stories are available for the tamariki for years to come and that the knowledge is not lost when personnel departs the school.
One of our strategic goals for the next three years is to develop a Mara Hupara that will incorporate our local historical landmarks. We will build five historical pa sites that are significant to our local iwi, Ngati Parau, and use augmented reality to retell the history of each pa site, therefore ensuring that the knowledge is kept for future generations attending our school.
Digital Storytelling
Digital storytelling is a form of digital multimedia that enables users from all walks of life to share their experiences and narratives. It is a new phrase that captures the growing trend of ordinary people using digital technologies to communicate their "story." Digital storytelling will be considered in this context as a pedagogical opportunity to blend traditional and creative learning techniques to engage students in knowledge and skill development by allowing students to construct tales and represent Ahuriri's local history. According to Jenkins and Lonsdale (2007), the value of digital storytelling lies in its promotion of "learning-about" and "learning-to-be" abilities, which are critical for building skilled twenty-first-century citizens and lifelong learners. Digital storytelling has been shown to accelerate the adoption of student-centered learning techniques like technology integration, project-based learning, student involvement, and reflection for deeper learning, and it is an effective tool for monitoring these techniques (Barrett, 2006; Jenkins and Lonsdale, 2007). Hartley (2010) observed that digital storytelling may improve the classroom experience by including creativity, oral facilitation, narrative, and self-expression. According to Weis, Benmayor, O'Leary, and Eynon (2002), "digital media are allowing students to become researchers, storytellers, historians, and cultural theorists in their own right." Students become active participants rather than passive consumers of knowledge during the process of generating digital tales (Meadows, 2003; Ohler, 2008).
Pedagogical approach
A learner-centered approach views learners as active agents where students bring their knowledge, past experiences, education, and ideas to the learning experience compared to the traditional instructor-centered approach where the learner is an empty vessel and the teacher’s role is to impart knowledge to the student. Using a learner-centered approach entails delegating responsibility for learning to individual pupils. Its goal is to foster independence and transform students into active, responsible participants in their learning. Wrapping learning around what students want to learn will motivate students and grow students into lifelong learners. A learner-centered approach supports both Cognitive Learning Theory and Constructivist Learning Theory and is also a feature of Adult Learning Theory. Each of these theories has its schools of thought, but what binds them all together is that the more the learner is engaged in the learning process, the more they will retain.
New Zealand is a place based on exploration, where natural wonders abound; it is not difficult to imagine that if we simply left pupils alone, youngsters would unfold and bloom spontaneously. Students constantly astound us with how organically they grow. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that some educators feel that if the correct conditions are created, this process will continue endlessly. Students regularly amaze teachers with how they develop naturally, and if the schools create the right learning conditions, students will learn unconditionally. Successful schools must maintain an unwavering emphasis on developing students' interests and skills while also meeting their learning requirements. Rich learning experiences must be lived out to encourage instructors and learners to do things differently and achieve greater results. (ERO, 2012). A learner-centered approach aims to provide students with experiences so they will construct knowledge themselves rather than acquire it from a teacher. John Hattie (2009) analyzed 800 meta-analyses of the effects on pupils’ performances of 138 different interventions. From his analyses, he created a list of effect sizes between 0 (showing no change in student achievement) and 1 (one standard deviation in attainment). When implementing a new program, an effect size of 1 would mean that, on average, students would exceed 84% of those students not receiving the program. Hattie then went on to compile a table comparing teaching methods where the teacher was delivering lessons more traditionally compared to a facilitator’s role where the teacher supported students to gain knowledge. Hattie found that, on average, teachers who followed a more traditional teaching approach had an effect size of 0.6 compared to a teacher using a constructivist approach of only 0.17. Hattie’s studies align with the United States study aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty through enhanced student learning. The Project Follow Through was a 10-year-long study that started in 1967 involving more than 70,000 economically disadvantaged K–3 students and compared constructivist teaching methods with direct instruction methods. Students were followed through their school, and it was found that students who received direct instructional teaching were twice as likely to graduate high school (Meyer, 1984).
Students will be able to actively engage in their learning, revisit their learning, and be more likely to understand, be motivated, and remember the learning if they have a place-based curriculum that includes a learner-centered approach with an element of direct instruction supported by augmented reality.
Technology to support diverse students
According to UNESCO (2017) in their 2030 agenda for sustainable development that focuses on ensuring no one is left behind, augmented reality allows us to create an inclusive and equitable education system. The advancements in ICT have offered diverse learners an experience that can positively impact their learning. Augmented reality is the combination and superimposition of real-world things with information and virtual objects. Augmented reality may improve students' experiences by improving their level of dedication and interest, as well as providing opportunities for self-learning and collaborative learning both within and outside of the classroom. Virtual reality, augmented reality, and the rising usage of mobile technology have provided students with disabilities or unique educational requirements with access to learning possibilities that were previously unavailable to them in the traditional classroom. We are not confining the experiences to a certain age range by employing augmented reality to bring our specialized curriculum to life. The other benefit of using augmented reality is that there is no expensive cost for software or hardware. In virtual reality, both hardware and software can be expensive. Teachers are already using augmented reality tools to dynamically engage pupils in history. 360Cities and Timelooper, for example, provide virtual trips to locations all around the world to teach about cultural and historical views. Students and instructors may use their cellphones to access AR applications that give more information and context about historical objects on exhibit at museums and historical locations (Augmented Reality in Education: Interactive Classrooms, Maryville Online, 2021). Despite the positive impacts of AR, some teachers who are not open-minded and who are not innovative may struggle to use AR as part of their teaching practice. One of the biggest challenges we might face in accessing is training or professional development. Although AR has enormous potential, having a platform that works on a variety of devices may also prove to be a barrier.
Using QR codes may be a simpler and easier application to use. A QR code is a 2D barcode that the user scans, and they are then directed to the desired web content. The codes can easily be created online and require only a URL to link to the desired website. QR codes are simple and easy to use and are widely recognized in society today.
Using QR codes will allow us to better meet the needs of our diverse student learners in a variety of ways. By linking QR codes to paper-based materials and then linking to multi-media resources, we may provide our students with a more engaging learning experience. Students will be able to experience a virtual experience without the cost of travel, and this will open the world to them beyond their local neighborhood.
Supporting Teachers
TPAK is a framework to identify the knowledge teachers need to effectively teach using technology.
The principles are that technological pedagogy and content knowledge should not be taught in isolation but rather merge to create the perfect lesson. Teaching with technology adds a whole new challenge to knowledge and expertise. Using the TPAK model helps teachers consider how the knowledge domains intersect to effectively engage students with technology. It is an approach that looks at what the teachers know, how they teach, and the role of technology to enhance students' learning. TPAC considers the three domains of teacher knowledge: pedagogical knowledge, and content knowledge. Content knowledge is the teacher's subject knowledge and considers the facts, theories, and content of any given subject, while pedagogical knowledge is the art of and design of teaching, including learning theories, instructional design, and assessment. 21st-century teaching also includes the teacher’s technological knowledge. Teachers need to have knowledge that includes selecting the correct tools and integrating technology into the curriculum. This also includes the content that is being integrated. The intersection of all three domains refers to the teacher's understanding of how tools can enhance teaching and support students' learning more deeply and effectively. Not only does this model support teachers to understand their capabilities, but it also allows staff to coordinate with each other and use the skills from within to enhance students' learning outcomes. It is important that teachers are not caught up in technology but rather focus on the content and pedagogy and then layer in the technology to support the content. Augmented reality, the technology that adds virtual components to real-world situations, is continually improving. Augmented reality can provide students with immersive, genuine, and engaging learning experiences, thus improving learning. However, effective integration of augmented reality into instruction necessitates instructors to master a unique set of digital abilities.
Supporting Students
Successful learning for Mori students is founded on language culture and values. Using any form of e-learning needs to be fit for purpose and allow opportunities for students to be engaged, be inclusive, and apply their knowledge of their culture to their learning. The use of QR codes or augmented reality in a place-based curriculum will allow students to not only gain an understanding of their culture, Tikanga, and language but also hear their own stories in both Te Reo and English within an engaging platform. As the place-based curriculum is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whanau will be encouraged to have the opportunity to be involved in the learning too. By creating our place-based curriculum website, whanau will be able to add their voice and knowledge to the learning experience for all to see and hear. Succeeding as Mori means students should feel positive about who they are, be able to understand the ancestral past, and how they can use that knowledge to move forward into the future. Our Mana Hupara will be a place of learning where students will continue to develop and learn as more and more knowledge is added.
Leading Culturally Responsive Change
Culturally responsive leadership supports inclusive environments and improves learning for students and families with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It involves developing leadership pedagogies, practices, and policies that create inclusive schooling environments (Williams, 2016).
School principals are central in shaping the learning experience for all students, and their choices can influence students’ achievement and success. The ministry’s documents show that school leaders greatly influence the effectiveness of schoolwide practices and strategies aimed at improving the educational outcomes for Mori students. The Ministry of Education's Statement of Intent for 2014–2018 (MOE, 2014a) identifies its priority "is to raise teacher quality and leadership to raise student achievement" (P. 14). It also goes on to identify that this objective to be realized, schools are required to support and incorporate Mori students’ needs, identity, language, and culture into their learning experience as this is critical in addressing disparity.
When leading change, it is important to communicate the change process. Staff, board, whanau, and stakeholders need to be aware of what the changes are, why they need to be made, why the change in practice, why the change in the systems, and why these changes are taking a priority. When teachers have a clear understanding of the change process and the process is explicit, they are more likely to take ownership of it rather than see it as something being forced down by senior management or from external pressures.
Conclusion
Physically building a place-based curriculum that is interactive and can connect our learners to their past in an authentic context is not only exciting but also daunting. The building of the area will include a wharf, so that students can use QR codes to learn about Tikanga and kawa, running water to symbolize a local river, and students can access the knowledge of how Mori used the river system as their voyaging highways and the historical naming of the river. We will also have traditional Rongo planting with QR codes that name the plant and also how the plant was used for traditional healing. Our school gates are a significant landmark as they were the first public memorial to veterans of the Second World War. Students will be able to hear some of the stories of WW2 and hear from soldiers themselves about what it was like. But the most significant part is that, with the building of our local Pa sites, students will be able to learn about their past engagingly and that these will be there for others to learn from too, including whanau. This will be a truly "living" place-based curriculum that recognizes New Zealand Aotearoa history in a meaningful context.
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