Week 31: Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness

Activity 7: Week 31

Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness

My reflection covers many of the areas listed in Week 7’s assessment requirements especially our school’s core values, school wide activities and human resources.

What is my understanding of indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness and the two areas to focus on for discussion?

The ideas of indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness to my understanding is knowing that our students come to school with so much knowledge and understanding of who they are, their culture, beliefs and values. The assumption of children coming to school with nothing or they do not know anything after having their initial assessments is heart breaking and  sometimes disregards the value of families and whanau, most of all undervalue the wealth of knowledge that children bring to school. Milne of Core Education (2017) refers to as “White space with lack of awareness and no intention to change.” 

The term ‘response ability’ as mentioned by Covey (2004) cited in Bishop and Berryman (2009) is about teachers understanding the power they have to respond to who the students are and to the prior knowledge and experiences that they bring with them into the classroom.

Cultural responsiveness is about embracing not only our own culture as classroom teachers, but the diverse culture of people around us. It is vital to be responsive of the learners in our classroom regardless of who they are and where they come from. We are obliged to value what children bring with them if we want to be successful in our practice and have successful learners. (Castagno & Brayboy, 2008; Cothran & Ennis, 2000) cited in Savage et al (2011) also says that a lack of connection between the culture of the school and students has been associated with low engagement in the absence of culturally responsive practices.

Majority of students in our school are Maori 36%, Samoans 35%, other Pacific Islanders, Asians, Indians and Europeans 29% (ERO report 2017). Majority of teachers and teacher aides are Samoans and Maori. We have 2 Bilingual Units, (Maori and Samoan), the main goal of the units is to maintain children’s heritage language, culture and personal experiences by incorporating these in the classroom learning.

The school’s vision is to create conditions for students to believe in themselves, ‘Whakapono ki a koe’. The vision is underpinned by values of:

-  Whanaungatanga (relationships)

-  Hiranga (excellence)

-  Kaitiakitanga (sustainability)

-  Ako (teaching and learning from each other)

-  Aroha (love)

-  Puawaitanga (blossoming)

-  Oranga (wellbeing)

-  Ngākau tapatahi (honesty/integrity)

-  Oho-ake (awakening).

Each of these values is fundamental to the wholeness of the child; they foster the child’s identity and provide purposeful opportunities throughout their educational journey which actively allow them to reflect and develop their cultural identities while achieving educational success that is grounded within their individual cultures.

The school aims to create a curriculum that reflects students’ cultures, backgrounds and interests. The intent is to develop students’ wellbeing and resilience, self-management and relationship skills.

We value our parents by including them in the daily life of the school, with such activities as listed by Mutch and Collins (2012) like fundraising, volunteering for trips and camps, etc.

We also run Home School Partnership and Reading Together programmes to educate parents with skills and strategies to assist children with their homework as well as aiming at raising achievement and improve services for children who need special assistance. MOE tki: enabling e-learning says that ‘the better the engagement between parents, families, and schools, the greater the impact on student learning’. Comer and Haynes (1997) states that children learn best when the significant adults in their lives (parents, teachers, and other family and community members) work together to encourage and support them. 

Some of the school wide activities that acknowledge the diversity of our school culture are the yearly celebration of Maori, Pasifika languages and Diwali. During these celebrations we display posters, share resources, books, arts and crafts, we also share dances, songs, poems, stories and costumes as well as traditional food. Gay (1995) cited in Gay (2001) describes it as symbolic curriculum, in which a culturally responsive teacher is critically conscious of the power of the symbolic curriculum as an instrument of teaching and using it to help convey important information, values, and actions about ethnic and cultural diversity.

So what: Evaluate your practice or your school practice in light of one of the following frameworks or use another one that you are familiar with.

                         

Looking at the ‘Action continuum’, reveals that we are doing well in the Indigenous and culturally-centred part of the green column. We aspire to affirm and respect the diversity of knowledge and expertise that children bring to school as well as acknowledging what families and whanau offer to enrich our classroom learning. Savage et al (2011) said that a strong embedded culturally responsive pedagogy in the classroom has a strong foundation of relationships between teachers and students with an outstanding outcome of a direct connection between student participation in the programme and subsequent academic achievement.

In the ‘Red column’, our Maori learners, whanau and community are authentically part of every aspect of school life. Manaakitanaga drives our school policies and pedagogy to promote learning that cares for students, parents and whanau and acknowledging their mana. Maori and non Maori students and staff are required to be part of such proceedings like powhiri, haka, singing waiata, using simple instructions and pepeha in the classroom to honour the Treaty of Waitangi. “te reo Māori me ōna tikanga are valued and promoted in schools and in teaching and learning through pōwhiri, karakia, and kapa haka.” MOE tki.  It also says that, “Maori language won’t survive unless we as a nation embrace this language”. It is an official language and we want people to learn it so they are able to understand stories and the history of the place.

On the other hand, we are still colonial in terms of expectations and definitions of success.

For example, how do you define success in the Samoan unit Junior classes if those levels are required to sit 6 Year Net and other junior assessments in English knowing very well that the language used in the first 2 years of schooling is 80% Samoan. Although it is a MOE requirement, but there must be a way to acknowledge and assess the strength of children’s first language right through out the Bilingual Unit. Success is not just about English but also about the child as a whole. It is about being responsive to what the child brings to school.

Now what are the next steps? (What next) What might you or your school need to consider or take action on to move up to the next level of cultural responsiveness?

Although our school is so strong in the ‘cultural responsiveness’ aspect of the action continuum, but there are some areas in our school structure and programmes that need improvement:

·    Our mainstream classes must incorporate cultural diversity and pedagogy in their programmes to cater for the diversity of students in their classrooms

·    More PDs to upskill our teachers’ understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi as well as other dominant cultures of the school so they are able to impart that knowledge to students

·    PDs to develop and fill teachers’ kete with appropriate responsive pedagogy and practices to cater for the diverse learners of the school. Gay (2010) cited in (Savage et al 2011) defines culturally responsive pedagogy as teaching ‘to and through students’ cultural strengths, their intellectual capabilities, and their prior accomplishments’.

Although our teachers are experts in developing relationships with students and whanau, but they must be equipped with more authentic and cultural strategies to engage Maori learners as Maori and Pasifika learners as Pasifika.

Timperley, Wilson, Barrar, and Fung (2007) cited in Savage et, al. (2011) emphasize the need for professional development that would enable teachers to better respond to the reality of diversity in the student population, rather than continuing to teach to a hypothetical mainstream or ‘normal’ group of students.

Gay (2001) says teaching ethnically diverse students has to be multiculturalized. It is the act of matching instructional techniques to the learning styles of diverse students. Such techniques and strategies as collaboration amongst the learners to foster student engagement, cooperative group learning arrangements and peer coaching.

References:

Gay, G. (2001): Preparing for Culturally Responsive Teaching. Journal of Teacher Education 2002; 53; 106

 

Comer, J. P., Haynes, N., (1997): The Home-School Team: An Emphasis on Parent Involvement. George Lucas Education Foundation, eduTopia.

 

MOE tki: enabling e-Learning: Beyond the Classroom. Home School Partnerships: http://www.elearning.tki.org.nz/Beyond-the-classroom/Engaging-with-the-community/Home-school-partnerships

 

Education Review Office (2017): Roscommon School report

 

Bishop, R., and Berryman, M.: The Te Kotahitanga Effective Teaching Profile  SET 2 2009

Savage, C., Hindle, R., Meyer, L., Hynds, A., Penetito, W., and Sleeter, C. (2011): Culturally

responsive pedagogies in the classroom: indigenous student experiences across the curriculum. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. Vol. 39, No. 3, August 2011, 183–198

Cowie, B., Otrel-Cass, K., Glynn, T., Kara, H., Anderson, M., Doyle, J., Parkinson, A., Te Kiri, C., (2011). Culturally responsive pedagogy: Connecting New Zealand teachers of science with their Maori students. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 39, 118−127.

Mutch, C., and Collins, S. (2012): Partners in Learning: Schools’ Engagement With Parents, Families, and Communities in New Zealand. School Community Journal, 2012, Vol. 22, No. 1

The New Zealand Curriculum tki MOE: The New Zealand Curriculum Treaty of Watangi 2012