Activities 9 : Evaluations of the cultural responsiveness in practice

Create a blog post where you share your own views on your indigenous knowledge and culturally responsive pedagogy and then evaluate how you or your school addresses cultural responsiveness in practice in two of the following areas:

• vision, mission, and core values
• policies,
• goals,
• communication methods,
• decision-making,
• planning and assessment,
• learning activities,
• school-wide activities,
• resources 

My own indigenous knowledge is an ever developing entity.  Over the last couple of years Kilbirnie School has employed a specialist te reo teacher to teach both the language and culture in the class and across the school.  This has certainly developed my knowledge.  I am developing confidence using te reo.

As a school Kilbirnie has chosen to focus on three of the five principles of Ka Hikitia - Accelerating Success 2013-2017, The Māori Education Strategy. Each principle has a corresponding school procedure, and when all three are enabled, they will address knowledge-based curriculum focus areas, the delivery of programmes in the classroom, and the management of the school through productive partnerships.  They are:

1. The Treaty of Waitangi

The three broad principles of Te Tiriti;  Partnership, Participation and Protection will be applied to all aspects of the school environment, including school policy, management, organisation, planning and curriculum.

Through greater understanding of Te Tiriti, knowledge of Te Reo me nga tikanga and engagement with Māori whānau we recognise that our school community will be enriched, better prepared to engage with, and contribute, to New Zealand society.

2. Identity, Language and Culture

Kilbirnie School recognises that Māori children succeed when their learning programme reflects and values their identity, language and culture.  The school will ensure that Māori identity, language and culture is integral to the school’s planning and teaching practice by providing opportunities to ensure all children have positive, meaningful engagement with te Ao Māori. 

This will occur through regular and ongoing teaching of te reo Māori throughout the school,  ensuring that tikanga Māori is a part of everyday teaching, and by developing a relevant history programme for all children. 

3. Ako – a two-way teaching and learning process.

Ako describes holistic, collaborative learning relationships.  The concept is embodied at the school by tuakana-teina relationships, buddying programmes, enrichment and recovery programmes, and parent involvement in the child’s learning journey. It reflects the Māori approach to learning, and an emphasis on this approach will support whānau Māori and Māori students’ success while enriching the learning environment for all students.

As a result of the above focus as a school we undertook a series of workshops with Treaty professional learning facilitator, Bronwen Olds. This gave us a number of tools to help us implement new ideas.   One of the first was to create a playground treaty to change behaviour around the school.  The process allowed all students to have input into the treaty via our school council, a treaty was drawn up, the treaty was then reviewed before all students in the school signed with a thumbprint.  We have a developing kapa haka group and ensure that when we have visiting guests they are greeted with a powhiri. We are also hoping to extend the use of powhiri to the start of the year and potentially as a start to each term.  Another area of school wide focus is the use of tuakana-teina.  Our senior students buddy up with our junior students on a regular basis.

We have also been developing our school wide activities. As a result of the workshops we decided to try and have a karakia across the school, said at the start of the day to centre everyone.  The karakia needed to be short and secular. This has been taken up to different degrees throughout the school depending on the confidence of teachers.

References

Ka Hikitia – Accelerating Success 2013-2017, The Māori Education Strategy

Tau Mai Te Reo, The Māori Language in Education Strategy 2013-2017

Tataiako, Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners – NZ Teachers Council

Te Aho Arataki Marau mo I te reo Māori – Kura Auraki – TKI website