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Subpage - The History of te reo Māori
Subpage - The History of te reo Māori
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The Education Hub conducted an extensive literature review in order to understand more fully exactly where Aotearoa New Zealand is at in terms of literacy achievement, how we got here, and what might be done to turn the situation around.
Their research is presented in two reports.
Now I Don’t Know My ABC, provides an overview of the findings, including recommendations for how to improve the state of literacy in New Zealand.
What’s happening with literacy in Aotearoa New Zealand? is a companion report, written by Taylor Hughson and Nina Hood, which provides a more detailed analysis of the research on literacy in New Zealand.
These reports serve as a critical call to action, urging comprehensive and targeted interventions to address the multifaceted challenges facing literacy education in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Data came from three sources:
(1) the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA),
which is three-yearly international study conducted by the OECD into fifteen-year old’s ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges;
(2) the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)
a five-yearly international study monitoring trends in the reading achievement of ten-year olds; and
(3) the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA)
which monitors student achievement across the New Zealand Curriculum, including in reading and writing, at Years 4 and 8 in English-medium state and state-integrated schools.
Key findings that highlight persistent and growing challenges, from both reports:
- Declining Achievement:
Both primary and secondary students have shown decreasing literacy levels since 2009, with reading and writing skills substantially deteriorating.
- Persistent Inequalities:
Large achievement gaps remain between students from different socio-economic backgrounds, ethnic groups, and genders, exceeding disparities seen in comparable nations.
The crisis stems from multiple interconnected factors:
Educational System Challenges:
Inadequate initial teacher education and professional development
Curriculum and assessment systems that may discourage literacy-rich learning experiences
Lack of a comprehensive national literacy strategy
Insufficient systematic literacy support, particularly in Māori-medium education
Broader Societal Influences:
Socio-economic inequality
Systemic racism
Uneven home literacy environments
High student absenteeism and mobility
Declining interest in reading for pleasure
Potential negative impacts of digital environments on literacy development
PIRLS and PISA data.
The Literacy landscape in Aotearoa New Zealand
The Literacy landscape in Aotearoa New Zealand
Stuart McNaughton's review (2020) of the state of literacy learning in New Zealand
Source:
Summary report: https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2022-04/PMCSA-20-16_The-Literacy-Landscape-in-Aotearoa-New-Zealand-At-a-glance-final.pdf
References to Māori and Pasifika students include:
Knowledge gaps: Evidence is lacking in some areas. For example, we know very little about what literacy activities actually occur in the everyday experiences of children and young people, and what outcomes eventuate from these activities. Even less is known about literacy progress through kura kaupapa Māori, but many of the recommendations here that focus on English medium education could be extended to Māori medium schooling.
Year 4 Literacy progress slows around Year 4. Around 8% of children in regular classrooms can read individual words accurately but have language skills that limit their holistic reading comprehension. By this time, differences are very apparent between students from low socioeconomic status (SES) communities, Māori and Pasifika students, and other students.
Years 9-11 From Years 9-11, aspects of collaborative reasoning (argumentation) and critical literacy become even more important, in addition to developing high level subject-specific literacy skills. From Year 9 onwards, students’ motivation and social and emotional skills make a major contribution to achievement.
Recommendations:
For Year 4 include:
• Shift focus onto language and comprehension strategies for a range of different subjects and purposes.
• Screening and diagnostic tools to inform effective teaching and resources.
For Māori, living with whānau with strong Māori identity, language and culture enables greater achievement. Additionally, attending Māori medium schools or having teachers who are Māori increases the odds of achievement even more.
During the transition to school, formal and informal assessment tools are needed. These should provide detailed profiles of new entrants’ strengths and learning needs.
Teaching to the North East
Teaching to the North East
Education hub post about Russell Bishop's work. https://theeducationhub.org.nz/teaching-to-the-north-east/
Education hub post about Russell Bishop's work. https://theeducationhub.org.nz/teaching-to-the-north-east/
When designing the Te Kotahitanga project on the early 2000's, (click expand for Note 1) Russell Bishop found four problems limiting improved learning outcomes:
Blaming children themselves rather than look at teaching practice
Using the dominant pedagogy of the majority culture as the main transmission mode for teaching
Failing to implement suggested effective interactions with targeted (Māori) students
Lack of funding
Additionally, if schools don't provide their own in-school support systems "to support teachers to maintain the implementation fidelity of their literacy learning approaches, dilution and modification will occur" (p 6)
John Hattie (https://visible-learning.org/2018/03/collective-teacher-efficacy-hattie/) identifies a Number One influence related to student achievement; Collective teacher efficacy - CTE -Collective Teacher Efficacy is the collective belief of teachers in their ability to positively affect students. (click expand for Note 2)
It is not enough to just change the literacy learning approach. This is a combined belief that is us (teachers) that cause learning - not the in-student factors, not the barriers. It is NOT just a belief you can make a difference, or a Growth Mind set, but "teachers working together to have appropriately high challenging expectations of what a years growth for a year's input looks like - fed with the evidence of impact - and that is what sustains it."
Note 1Te Kotahitanga The purpose of Te Kotahitanga was to improve classroom and school practices in order to build culturally responsive contexts for learning and effective teaching and learning relationships for and with Māori learners.
It was a research and professional development programme that:
supported teachers to improve Māori students' learning and achievement, enabling teachers to create a culturally responsive context for learning which is responsive to evidence of student performance and understandings
enabled school leaders, and the wider school community, to focus on changing school structures and organisations to more effectively support teachers in this endeavour.
The programme focused on years 9 and 10 as these are critical years for Māori learners and the quality of teaching at this stage can impact on future engagement and achievement.
Te Kotahitanga was commissioned as a research programme by the Ministry of Education. It was developed by the Māori Education Research Institute, School of Education, University of Waikato, and Poutama Pounamu Research and Development Centre.
Note 2
The concept of Collective Teacher Efficacy itself is much older. It was introduced in the 1990s by Albert Bandura and is rooted in his concept of self-efficacy, Bandura (1993, 1997). He defines collective efficacy as “a group’s shared belief in the conjoint capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given levels of attainment.” Bandura found that the positive effects of CTE on student academic performance more than outweigh the negative effects of low socioeconomic status.
What Parents NEED to know about changes to reading and writing in schools.
What Parents NEED to know about changes to reading and writing in schools.
YouTube: Melissa Chan-Green
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Structured Literacy
03:00 Personal Journeys and Motivations
06:10 The Role of Parents in Literacy
09:08 Understanding Structured Literacy
11:56 Teaching Methods and Differentiation
15:10 Impact on Teachers and Students
17:59 Reading at Home: Strategies for Parents
21:05 Measuring Impact and Progress
24:03 Supporting Learning at Home
26:55 Acknowledging Teacher Efforts
30:00 Ensuring Best Practices in Schools
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