When I think about the student achievement levels at my school and the discussions we have as a school and at the BOT level, Maori achievement is always an area to analyse and put plans in to actions. Maori achievement against National Standards in Reading Writing and Mathematics has been an area of discussion and cause for concern. In the last 5 years our data has shown Maori achievement in these areas are improving. There are more students achieving at and above the National Standards now in comparison to 5 years ago when many Maori students had high representations in the well below and below areas. Our 2016 data identified 65% of our Maori students were at or above in Reading, nationally last year this data 68 %. In mathematics our school had 44%, achieving at or above, Nationally this was 65%. In Writing 48%, and nationally 61%. So there is still much work to do to try and raise these levels.
Our school has a population of 30% Maori students and I have only one student in my class who is identified as being Maori. Our school has done much work around culture and developing our mission statement. Savage,C, Hindleb, R., Meyerc,L., Hyndsa,A., Penetitob, W. & Sleeterd, C.(2011), share that. " a lack of connection between the culture of the school and student has been associated with low engagement in the absence of culturally responsive practice"
A poster I have in my classroom at the moment is, what are you doing to reach the summit of Mauao?
Over the last 3-4 years our school has developed our school mission and vision through consultation and engagement our school community and iwi. We have done this through surveys, questionnaires, interviews with stake holders such as students, our student councillors and the wider community. We have developed our school mission and core values. Respect Pride Learner is our school Motto.
Our school wide vision statement: "Developing Confident, Connected, Actively Involved Lifelong learners, Whakawhanake ake te matauranga mutanga kore! Okea ururoatia!" has come directly from our school community and iwi.
Our mission statement, which has also come directly from the community engagement:
"We provide quality education that inspires students to succeed, Ko ta matou he whangai i te tino kounga o te matauranga kei nga tihi o te taumata, kia taea ai nga tauira te eke ki te ara angitu"
We as a staff, community ad BOT go to great lengths to make sure our school is inclusive and everyone follows our school wide mission and vision, everyone is on board.
Professor Russell Bishop ed talk is a reminder of that teachers need to take stock of their own cultural values before they can foster a culturally responsive programme in their classrooms. Some points I have reflected on while listening to his ed talk are:
There is power in goal setting, and Maori are educable people. The key to making a difference are teachers who have agency and they understand themselves and where they come from. Maori can bring themselves to the learning conversation and engagement, improvement outcomes of achievement and also attendance.
There are some key points Professor Russell Bishop has for a culturally responsive classroom.
1. Care for Maori students as Maori, embed high expectations
2. Manage the classroom in such a way that is conducive to learning for all involved.
3. Interactions with Maori are important and give quality feedback and feedforward
4. Teachers need to use a range of strategies, working with groups and individuals, roving, fostering collaboration
5.Use evidence of students performance to guide their teaching and student need to know their outcomes.
6. Learners among leaners.
7. Teachers creating context in the classroom, relationship being paramount.
8. Caring for people and caring about relationships.
The way I see all the above, it is important that these things happen in every classroom despite what cultures are represented. Are they happening in every classroom at my school? I am going to say probably not and yes, there is much work tstill to do.
Milne, B.A. (2013). Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools. (Doctoral Thesis, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10289/7868
Source:Cowie, B., Otrel-Cass, K., Glynn, T., & Kara, H., et al.(2011).Culturally responsive pedagogy and assessment in primary science classrooms: Whakamana tamariki. Wellington: Teaching Learning Research Initiative. Retrieved from http://www.tlri.org.nz/sites/default/files/projects/9268_cowie-summaryreport.pdf
Source: Edtalks.(2012, September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. [video file].Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49992994
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteI love your schools vision statement, "Developing Confident, Connected, Actively Involved Lifelong learners, Whakawhanake ake te matauranga mutanga kore! Okea ururoatia!" The words 'confident', 'connected' and 'actively involved' are so important because as educators we need measure our success on whether our Maori students are being successful as Maori learners. In a ever-changing world where students are no longer simply leaving school and going into a trade but instead jobs that may not have even been created yet, this is never been more important. We need to work hard to engage our Maori students in relevant and connected learning experiences, where they can see themselves as true partners in the learning process.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, they made me reflect further on my own practice.
HI Kylie, thank you for your comments. I agree we need to work to engage our Maori students. I am glad my entry for this week has helped you reflect on your own practice.
DeleteI totally agree with you that the key points from Russel Bishops culturally responsive classroom, should be taught to all learners no matter what ethnicity. It is a recipe for success. Well done. Great read.
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