Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu: how can language and literacy be optimised for Māori learner success?

2. Private Training Establishment tutors

“Māku anō e hanga toku nei whare
Ko ngā poupou he mahoe, he patate
Ko te tāhūhū he hīnau
Me whakatupu ki te hua o te rengarenga
Me whakapakari ki te hua o te kawariki”¹⁰

(Let me build my house; our foundation and backbone made from
the humble woods of the forest, but robust enough
to withstand and sustain all things)

2.1: Introduction

Wintec has committed to providing a wide range of courses of study and training (Wintec, 2004), consistent with regional needs, tertiary education priorities and the resources at its disposal, in a way that identifies and responds to the needs of the student clients.

Relationships are also developed with Māori communities to ensure the organisation incorporates a Māori perspective appropriate to its activities.

Part of the strategic plan for Wintec is to work in partnership with industries and businesses, educational providers, and community agencies in the development of innovative programmes for students and in research and development activities that have economic or social benefit to our communities of interest.

 

Table 2: Illustration of Wintec’s strategic plan to work in partnership with industry and businesses.

responsive
	collaborative		students
		integrity		staff
	business		respect
		industry		achievement
			community		accessible
				Māori		responsible

“Ko au, ko tāua, ko tātou”¹¹ 
(It is I, it is you and I, it is all of us – that is, a cooperative framework of understanding and belonging)

2.2: Background profiles

“Māku anō e hanga tōku nei whare”
(Let me build my house of literacy and language)

Tutors from two Private Training Establishments (PTEs) were asked to participate in a focus group interview to share their perspectives and experiences about/for/on Māori learner success in language and literacy in Foundation, Introductory and Certificate programmes. oth private tertiary establishments run Introductory, Foundation and Certificate programmes focusing on employment skills, vocational units and credits.

The first Private Training Establishment (PTE 1) offers certificate courses in Business Administration and Computing Level 2, Construction Levels 1-4, and Employment Skills; they also provide some literacy and numeracy support. The ages of their students range from school leavers through to mature adults.

The other Private Training Establishment (PTE 2) specialises in literacy and numeracy for school leavers towards employment or further tertiary studies. All students aspire to completing the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) National Certificate in Employment Skills (NCES). Enrolment criteria require the student to be between 15 and 17 years old and they need to have left school with little or no credits or qualification. Those who are 18 years old will be accepted under special circumstances, that is, if they were 17 years old when they initially enrolled.

Personal development

PTE 1 had tutors whose educational backgrounds ranged from National Certification in Adult Teaching to a degree in Teaching and a degree in IT, while PTE 2’s tutor came from a primary school background, became a principal of a primary school and then was offered their present position as senior tutor. The tutors from both establishments are aged in their 30s and 40s.

Tutors from both PTEs expressed a desire to continue developing their skills towards providing quality teaching delivery to meet the students’ needs, and felt that they were well supported.

I do professional development classes all the time… Our whole team goes to most of the workshops.

Trust between the tutor and their manager was a dynamic that was seen as important by some tutors for good service and team management.

Our manager...she doesn’t stand over me. I run my programmes; I ask for my resources and I get my resources. She trusts me to do the best that I can do for our programme and our students... I can ask her and she’s ok with that. I think that’s huge.

My cousin and her husband own [the Private Training Establishment]...and we’ve all got a teaching background. TEC fund us and at the time they were looking for a literacy and numeracy specialist for their books…they asked me if I was interested in doing it.

Barriers

In looking at professional development, one tutor expressed concern over ‘matapiko’, a sense of selfish ambition, because she felt it impacted on her family time:

I’m starting to become quite selfish.… That was very selfish of me to get that [professional development study] done in a year. I finished it and I felt good because there were 22 that started, 10 finished ... I think I was the only Māori that finished it.

This was of interest as it highlights the internal struggle tutors may feel because their loyalties are torn between family and the need to further develop their skill base. Rather than place the onus on the tutor, it begs the question whether there is enough time allocated for the tutor to seek professional development alongside the Timetabled Teaching Hours (TTH) so as not to impinge upon their personal life.

The above example may also highlight matapiko as a possible reason why few Māori tutors are engaged in professional development in adult teaching, literacy and language.

Although all PTE Tutors were highly motivated to increase, and stay up to date with, current knowledge in their specialised fields of practice, it was not uncommon for them to be asked for support because of their natural abilities in manaakitanga.

My Pākehā friends asked me for support...since I organised them here at tutor training at night… I organised it, we came here, we worked together and we finished together, but I was the only Māori, which made me sad. Not enough support.

This evidence seems to suggest that consideration be made to put in countermeasures to ensure there is not a burdening expectation (May, 2004) of manaakitanga given naturally by the Māori literacy and language tutors. It is arguable that the responsibility falls on the tutor; however, this would suggest that it is therefore wrong to use their inherent habitus of manaakitangata – an obligatory offer of necessary aid.

The same tutor also identified that she chose her family over getting any higher forms of education (university):

The system would say that I need to go back to school and I have thought about that but I have three children, two at university and one at the School of Hairdressing, and my focus has been to support their learning and I feel like I’ve had my opportunity so although one day I wanted to do that it’s no longer my focus anymore... Even doing that level 5 certificate was a lot of work to do in one year...

Observations

• Ruarua noa iho ngā tāngata Māori e matatau ana ki te reo Māori me ōna tikanga. Anō nei, me pēhea te whakaako i ēnei tūmomo tangata? There are limited quality, specialised te reo me ona tikanga Māori literacy and language tutors. How can we ensure these needs are catered for?
• There is insufficient allocation of time within the workload policy to ensure that professional development is an integral part of personal development.
• Me matua haere ngā pouako Māori katoa ā rōpū ki ēnei tūmomo wānanga whakapakari, whakaako hoki i a rātou. (Workshops for Māori tutors wanting to learn the literacy and language skills from a Māori pedagogical framework are non-existent.)
• Those few Māori tutors need to be supported and assisted where necessary to ensure they do not suffer burnout.
• No budget has been set aside for staff cover to ensure continued quality of the programme.
  

2.3: Whakawhanaungatanga

“Ko ngā poupou...”
(A foundation for literacy and language)

A common thread identified by all PTE Tutors was whakawhanaungatanga. Whanaungatanga is often described as that which centralises the whānau and its significance in influencing the activity of its members. Within it, space is provided for cultural imperatives such as karakia, tikanga, manaaki tangata, kanohi ki te kanohi, and whakawhitiwhiti kōrero, to name a few, when and if they are required.

It was with interest that the researchers noted how tutors did not express this central theme in any of the descriptive ways above (i.e. manaaki tangata, awhi, aroha, kanohi ki te kanohi). Rather, it was more of an inference that we, the tutors, being Māori’ would view care and support for students in the same way, that is, as Māori from a Māori paradigm.

The underscoring foundations…stem solely, completely from tikanga Māori, from who we are and our cultural background and what worked in previous years…

Firstly we introduce ourselves, tell them what our role is... Our role is to support them in their goals to achieve those certificates or to support their learning...help their learning, help them gain more skills, new skills that support their learning and support their needs...it’s just a point to start with.

This inference is subjective and is here simply as a point of interest as to what paradigms are NOT being spoken, but are nonetheless still present.

Whanaungatanga was seen by the tutors as integral to unlocking a multitude of avenues when looking for ways to optimise the success of Māori students. Here, it looks to have reciprocal benefits not only for the continued development of the student, but also for the tutor, giving opportunity for the tutor to look at the deeper issues affecting the student and access to whānau when deemed necessary.

Observations

• Mā te whakatītina me te whakawhānaunga a te pane i ana pouako kia eke rātou ki tētehi taumata. (The manager needs to provide support and reciprocal benefits for the continued development of the tutors.)
• There is a need for an authentic Māori space that allows for whakawhanaungatanga practice and reduction of stress when learning.
  

2.4: Tuakana/Teina

“He mahoe, he patate...”
(Correlation towards robust literacy and language)

The tuakana (eldest siblings) were seen to possess numerous skills to advance and maintain the well-being of the whānau, hapū and iwi. This played a vital role in the passing on of skills, knowledge and expertise from the tuakana to the teina (younger siblings). It also highlighted the position that each person of the whānau, hapū, iwi was responsible for. The PTE Tutors operated at a tuakana teina level with their students.

There’s a balance there. We can go as far as we can go and the other part is that we encourage them to come and meet us halfway.

Yes, so that they’ve got individual goals. They’ve got to know where they’re at, what they know and that’s great because I celebrate that and what they don’t know. Then I say that these could be their goals and what would they like to work at. It’s that old adage that if you don’t know where you’re going you won’t know when you arrive. It’s a bit of a driving force for these guys. We need goals.

Student responsibility

Part of the process that the students had to go through was being interviewed and diagnostically tested for entry to the course. Here, the students were informed of what was expected of them and their responsibilities, and also what was expected of the tutors and their responsibilities to ensure that the students were able to fulfil the requirements of the course criteria to achieve success. The student and the tutor would then work collaboratively on identifying and committing to goals that they had prepared; whether they were short- or long-term was irrelevant. This continued theme of tuakana/teina resonated throughout their practice.

At the end of the day if a learner doesn’t want to come in, they don’t have to. If they feel very intimidated by this room that’s fine...that’s empowering them to have a voice.

Yes, to have that choice, it’s their responsibility. All we want to do is help them. We’ve had some more mature learners who don’t choose to come here and that’s ok. We continue to encourage them.

Attitudes and values

All tutors recognised that the cultural attitude and values of the students played a significant role in the students’ interactions in the class. Having already identified that the majority of students came from low socio-economic backgrounds, the tutors set out to present a culturally safe learning environment (pedagogy and practice), attempting to reverse the cycle of historical academic failure, which resulted in restricted literacy and language options.

This setting allowed for the student to be fostered and guided towards achieving his or her goals and aspirations. The tutors recognised that students didn’t always come ready to learn, and chose to address this by giving them space.

Being gentle! It’s good to be gentle... They’ve had enough growlings. Mind you I’m firm; I don’t let them walk all over me and I will say, “Obviously you’re wasting my time so see you tomorrow...So it’s not like you’re useless, it’s more like you’re tired and I’m tired so we’ll try it again tomorrow.” Because not everyone’s in a good space, including me. Some days I’m better than others. An experience that was really good for me was that I have a student who has Attention Deficit; five minutes and he’s climbing over chairs. But the other day, for the very first time (I’ve had him for over a year), I gave him level 1 Comprehension and he did it by himself for 15 minutes on his own. I’m quite an emotional teacher and I went to hug him. I said to him, “David, did you know that you did that for 15 minutes on your own?” It took me a year to get him to that point. That’s huge for him! But that’s at his right level and he obviously thinks he’s got the skills to do it. For 15 minutes he was able to stay constant!

Barriers

Patterns emerged that are likely to be a product of the students’ previous educational difficulties and histories, revealing an inability to initiate or motivate their own learning development.

Very, very poor math skills, but, in saying that, they don’t see the need for it either. Sometimes they are unable to recognise because they think as long as they get by that they are ok. They hide stuff. That’s a pattern.

They hide it and it’s only now that they are out of school or out of the system that they recognise where to from here.

So the pattern is that they don’t like to be told so you need to use them to help them solve their own problems because then they own it. It belongs to them. That’s very Māori.

Observations

• Tutors gave responsibility back to the student for their attendance and commitment to learning.
• Students came with pre-conceived ideas, attitudes and values and needed space to be able to work out a balance in a cultural and non-threatening learning environment.
• Patterns of lack of discipline emerged which are likely a result of previous educational difficulties and histories.
  

2.5: Pedagogical practice

“Ko te tāhūhū he hīnau...”
(The backbone and epistemology of literacy and language)

In years past, and to some extent the present, Māori have been the victims of cultural inequality through education and stand-over strategies through manipulation of curricula, which are mainly dominated by Pākehā systems and politics.

2.6: Specialised profession

Through the pedagogical process of listening, looking, repeating instructions, recitation, incantation, practical involvement and reinforcement, the student is able to become a part of the amorangi, the tohunga, becoming an intermediary between the past and the present. All Māori knowledge originates from the past. It may be deposited in an individual(s) but eventually it is disseminated to the group for the benefit of all.¹²

The tutors’ Māori attributes were identified as a central part of their delivery to connect holistically with Māori students. These were displayed in the natural ability to move in and out of different scenarios as the needs arose. Listed below are those characteristics that were significant in establishing rapport with the students:

• Ngākau māhaki – humble.
• Rongo momoe – engaging.
• Whakanui – esteeming.
• Whakamana – empowering.
• Poipoi – encouraging.
• Kua tangata whenua – expertise.
• Mauritau – self-awareness.
• Horomata – open (pure).
• Tiaki – caring.
• Hīkoi ngātahi – journey together.
• Tino rangatiratanga – self-knowledge.
• Kaua e whakaiti – non-judgemental.
  

Pedagogical strategies

Approaches by all PTEs ranged from formative and summative processes to practical assessment and diagnostic tooling. An example was given by one PTE tutor of a successful experiential teaching approach that revealed to students the importance of numeracy and its practical application in an everyday situation.

If they’re reading about things like a graph or a survey or stats, I look at it and say, “Ok let’s do one,” and I get them to do a graph and they say, “Oh, is that what that is?” Straight away it changes from “I can’t do a graph, Miss. I don’t know what a survey is”, but yes they do. And so you find things like a school timetable or reading a timetable at the movies to show them. You keep it simple for them.

The example was reading a packet of noodles. So I bought everybody a packet of instant noodles and gave it to them to read and follow the directions and then to go and do it. Then when they came back and discussed what they were doing such as what were the instructions and the steps? Instead of reading that in a book I made it real life for them and then they did it and related it back. That was much better for them that way.

Both PTEs embraced manaakitanga as a strategic tool towards empowering and therefore optimising learner success. A tutor from PTE 1 expressed this very well:

This is how I think about it. It’s providing skills and strategies. Empowering them. Supporting confidence to be able to meet the challenges of the world they live in. So if they need to be able to speak and they can do that with confidence in the workplace. It’s supporting them... It’s the transference of new skills and strategies so that they become more independent learners to solve problems in real life circumstances. So if they need to be able to write, to fill in an application, to go into the bank, to apply for a job, to go on a course then they can do that.

Diagnostic tools

The tutors used a range of different diagnostic tools to measure and assess the literacy and language needs of the student. PTE 1 used the diagnostic tool from the Tertiary Education Commission Literacy Progressions, San Diego and Burt, and PTE 2 used programmes developed by Horton Avery of the New Zealand Graduate School of Education in Christchurch. Others tools were used but were not specified in the interview.

Through these tools, information is gathered about the adult student’s prior knowledge or lack of prior knowledge, to aid the tutor and the student in their journey together, and indicates the stage at which the student needs to begin. This recognises the diversity of each adult student and their individual requirements.

Yes and in some cases some students may find work from there. They do vocational so they do a portion of their courses where they have workplace experience but their main focus is gaining literacy and numeracy foundation skills so at least that’s going to help them to get ready for wherever they do branch out to.

We’re a youth programme funded by the Tertiary Education Commission. We specialise in literacy, numeracy and vocational units and credits. Literacy, self-explanatory; numeracy, self-explanatory. Vocations are preparation for the workplace. We...aspire to...the National Certificate in Employment Skills (NCES). We are accredited with NZQA and so all our mahi here is in the form of unit standards, whereby students can gain credit which could go towards a qualification. Youth Training is for 15-17 year olds who have left school with little or no credits or qualification. Eighteen year olds under special circumstances, that is, if they started as a 17 year old they’ll have permission to roll on as an 18 year old if they are working towards a qualification or if they have particular literacy needs.

When I first began in August last year I obviously had to learn the ropes in terms of their assessment material and fit into the way of doing things here and that was probably maybe 2-3 weeks of doing that.

It’s really not until you do that diagnostic assessment that you know what their literacy level is. Often their oral language might be fine but it’s not until you put pen to paper that you see other things; for example, I’ve just done a lot of diagnostic assessments with four learners this morning and all of their levels are actually at 12 and over and Bert says that a reader at this level is a competent reader and yet a couple of months ago I had to do somebody and they were probably quite a bit lower than that. It can be quite diverse but you build that rapport with them.

Barriers

It is of interest that all PTE Tutors chose to focus on the positive outcomes of their work rather than the negatives. However, all made mention of the varying dynamics that encroach on their quality delivery because of the lack of resources and/or the lack of quality tutors to draw upon.

It is therefore not unusual for a tutor to be multi-tasking in order not only to meet necessary contractual requirements, but also to ensure that the learning experience and environment are appropriate to the needs of the student and the tutor. One tutor gives some background on what her initial role and responsibilities were:

... this is my fourth year...and I am the main tutor... I had to be the chef and bottle washer here for the first two years then T came in the middle of last year.

It’s not uncommon to hear that a lot of tutors are picking up their learners to bring them to the course and take them home.

One went on to train as a broadcaster, another to Journalism. He was fantastic. Another went to media arts. He was very artistic. We filled out the application together and I took him up there for the interview and they got accepted. It was so cool.

The diagram below exposes the multi-tasking avenues that one particular tutor engages in.

Figure 2: Multi-tasking of tutors

One tutor revealed that a number of the resources available were not suitable for the needs of the student and therefore they needed to create their own.

When I had to come up with a programme, there was nothing there. I had no idea where to start. The first question I got was: Summarise the results of your initial assessment outlining the learners’ foundation learning needs or any specific patterns of needs. That was all I got.

Lots of reading. What are the basics, reading, writing and maths, so you start there. Then you go look for your material and you speak to people. When I first met S she gave us that Bret and I said if it was ok we use that and she said that that was a good idea and we could all use it and nobody else thought about it. It’s suddenly a start.

Observations

• Manaakitanga is a contributing strategy used to assist students towards optimising their literacy and language success.
• A range of diagnostic tools are used. However, tutors need to source or create their own resources suitable to their needs.
• Tutors are multi-tasking to meet necessary contractual requirements and ensure the environment is conducive to good learning success and practice.
• Tutors need to be acknowledged and recognised nationwide as belonging to a specialised profession.
  

2.7: Holistic approach

The Whare Wānanga/Maire schools were designed for tamariki who had been chosen by the iwi. The Whare Wānanga and/or the tohunga identified the skill and natural flair of each student and designed an environment where Mātauranga Māori and student were both successful.

The fragmentation of whānau

What once was probably a typical Māori whānau, consisting of mother, father, children, maybe aunty, uncle and grandparents, with a solid foundation in tikanga, is likely to be made up of a different group of members today, such as a solo parent with new partner, only the grandparents, a gang, or even classmates, creating a new whānau-type dynamic.

Figure 3: Conceptual model of Te Aho Matua a Māori pedagogical practice that provides a holistic approach to the student¹³

With this fragmentation of whānau and tikanga, it is common to be engaging with students who are feeling disconnected with who they are and where they come from. Add to this any historical academic failure, and this can be enough to disrupt the student’s ability to engage effectively in study, adding to the low self-esteem and fear they often already feel when attempting study again.

Most of these guys are leaving school because they’re not keen on rules and regulations imposed by the school; that’s the problem. Most of them who come here are smokers who probably drink every weekend and struggle to continue with formal education at school.

You could say that that had an affect on maybe on when they actually left school in the first place... Some of their backgrounds are horrendous. In the last week we’ve had two learners leave the course because of court orders to go back to where they need to go back to. It’s a big struggle. It always has been. They don’t get the support at home.

According to the tutors, all students are valued for the skills they already possess to bring into their learning environment. Such skills can be avenues to filling the gaps that may be present in their learning.

So when you see something as wonderful as an artist, you acknowledge that, make them feel good.

…sometimes if I’m struggling to get a piece of writing out of somebody, when they do some art work they’ll put up some stuff that I’m thinking, ok this piece of writing is not the greatest but he’s expressed himself well in another way.

Trust

Trust became a major component in the development of the relationship(s) between the tutor and the students and at times with family and community.

Figure 4: Te whakapono me te aroha (trust)

So naturally I did some diagnostic assessment with learners that were coming in and some of those learners are still there and they will come in and sometimes they only want to talk to me because they know that I did their diagnostic assessment and it’s the same with T sometimes.

Building relationships

Each tutor used a range of strategies, from dealing with attitude first to providing a safe environment and an open-door policy for their students. Also, one tutor enrolled in a course to get a better insight into understanding the philosophy and sociology of Māori culture, and therefore transferring that knowledge into her approach – empowering and giving the students the confidence to stand tall in whatever challenge they will face.

A lot of the teaching is dealing with their attitudes... For me, to succeed at high school you have to be quite self-disciplined and quite self-motivated and if you’re not it’s going to be one hell of a hard ride for you.

We have a very friendly, family environment here and our door is always open. Anyone is welcome to come in even if it’s not a scheduled visit. At the end of the day, if a learner doesn’t want to come in, they don’t have to. If they feel very intimidated by this room, that’s fine.

It’s all very, very similar and obviously I’m reading a lot about...Māori because it’s helping me with the work that I do. It’s very important for me to be able to carry on learning in terms of how I can best help them and they talk about with Māori how they do believe in learning the oral language first and getting to know their own culture first and then learning the other...

Empowering them. Supporting confidence to be able to meet the challenges of the world they live in. So if they need to be able to speak, they can do that with confidence in the workplace. It’s supporting them... It’s the transference of new skills and strategies so that they become more independent learners to solve problems in real life circumstances. So if they need to be able to write, to fill in an application, to go into the bank, to apply for a job, to go on a course, then they can do that.

The table below highlights the intricate relationships that can occur when engaging in optimising literacy and language for Māori learner success under whakawhanaungatanga.
                                                                                                                   

Table 3: Intricate relationships that develop under whakawhanaungatanga

How the tutor engages to optimise student success
Tutor    to...	Student (by teaching, engaging student learning)
Student    to...	Tutor (for feedback, concerns)
Tutor    to...	Tutor 2 (for peer support and moderation)
Tutor    to...	Student whānau (by engaging whānau as a support base)
Whānau    to...	Tutor (for feedback, concerns)
Tutor    to...	PTE (for accountability)
PTE    to...	Tutor (by supporting, PD, moderation)
Tutor    to...	Diagnostic tooling (for testing student learning)
Tutor    to...	Other educational institutes (for source resources, training, collaborative activities, research)

Student-tutor relationship

PTE Tutors provide both formal and informal direction of learning, balancing a student’s learning, a definite need to support and guidance towards independence.

No, it’s a much bigger picture and it’s not until I get to know them and we get some oral language happening and we build that rapport and then we might get some pieces of paper and do it that way, if they’re comfortable with it. I’ve found particularly with my Māori and Pasifika, they really love the informal approach. In terms of measuring success, initially if I can build that relationship with them then I call that a success. If they can come back to me and we can move on to the next process because I’m very much directed by what the course and what the course tutor wants me to do.

Quality of dialogue

Observations show that the quality of dialogue was important to tutors to ascertain the abilities and prior knowledge, or lack of prior knowledge, the student had.

Our role is to support them in their goals to achieve those certificates or to support their learning, their stairway to whether they’re going to use those skills to keep going or whether it’s just to learn something different. So our role is to help their learning, help them gain more skills, new skills so that supports their learning and supports their needs.

...at the initial interview we ask about their schooling, what they liked about school, what they didn’t like, good and bad experiences, their hobbies and we ask questions about their learning... Do they have difficulty understanding written work? Oral language? Do they have special learning needs? Do they need glasses? Can they hear ok? Is English a second language or a first language? Do they think they can spell ok? What we say is, sometimes, it’s just a point to start with. It’s not in concrete because often a lot of students, especially Māori, tend to put themselves down more than they need to. No, I can’t do that and I can’t do this, when actually they can. I only ever had one interview with a student who really couldn’t read.

Experiential teaching

Having gained the trust of the student, the tutor can provide programmes that correspond to the student’s needs. A PTE tutor gives an illustration of how they were able to develop a programme that corresponded with the needs of the student.

Māori students like hands-on stuff. Never read. So I’ve had to develop lots of real life learning for them. For example, in taking a measurement class, “Miss, I don’t need this, I’m not going to measure anything, what’s the purpose?” So the next day I brought in all my cooking stuff, gave them a recipe and had them using only measurements to make pancakes. There was a group that followed them and used all the stuff and there was a group that didn’t. Such a big difference and so they did that and when we talked about that and I said, “You know, you said you don’t need measurements but that was cooking what happened there.” They said that that was pretty cool. So for Māori they need to have things related so that it becomes meaningful. The learning needs to be meaningful.

Insight

Tutors found that the ability to work alongside students requires a depth of understanding and knowledge of what the student is dealing with. In one case, a PTE tutor felt that the journey with some students didn’t end at the conclusion of the course.

It’s the continuing support, especially for the high needs ones like K, level 1 reader, level 1 maths. So ok to say that I’m able to say that I’m able to meet the assessment as outlined... Can’t do that stuff and that’s ok; they don’t mind that. So, he left this year and he went to Hamilton to train.. The reason that we helped him find that one, because we supported him (I took him there from construction in Huntly but he lives in Hamilton), is because: 1. he was going to continue to use a hammer, and 2. they have a Foundation Skills Learning Literacy tutor.

Again, it was recognised that cultural safety was of high value to ensure the comfort of the student and tutor; this was highlighted by the tutors placing a greater emphasis on group activities instead of individual activities – often a cause of discomfort for the student.

They are quite interested in learning in groups or with a friend. They don’t like to be isolated. So you try to keep them in that way except for the one-on-one stuff. So desks in rows is not them. They might want to sit next to someone to feel supported and just the same.

Yes, because they can support each other. They like working in groups because then no one is being singled out.

Because they’re not sure about being singled out they think, “I’m being singled out because out I’m dumb! I didn’t do it before and I can’t do it now.”

Observations

• It is important to foster and encourage self-esteem, self-confidence and success in Māori students through whakawhanaungatanga, where tutors are trained for this.
• There is a need to empower the students and develop trust and confidence that help create a dynamic web of relationships between tutor and student, tutor and whānau, tutor and tutor, to optimise successful outcomes for all.
• The quality of dialogue has an impact on how the tutor is able to measure and evaluate the students’ prior knowledge and retention of information.
• Experiential teaching plays a significant role in student learning.
• Tutors need to be aware of and insightful about the situations they face with their students on a daily basis.
• An environment more conducive to literacy and language success should be set up.
  

Barriers

All tutors acknowledged the habit of students to think less of themselves when they arrived.

It’s not in concrete because often a lot of students, especially Māori, tend to put themselves down more than they need to. No, I can’t do that and I can’t do this, when actually they can. I only ever had one interview with a student who really couldn’t read.

Observations

• The changing dynamics of whānau and societal needs must be taken into account in teaching and learning.
• Childcare is not available to enable teenage mothers to continue with the course. Childcare needs to be available through the holidays. A kōhanga should be provided for mothers in need, or finance given to pay for the care of the child(ren) while the mother is studying.
• Skills that are inherited or inherent are of value and unique to that student. All adult Māori students should not be considered homogeneous or ‘painted with the same brush’.
• Tutors must acknowledge and assist the needs of each individual adult student.
• Tikanga and language are fundamental tools within the environment.
• Programmes need to be set up highlighting the skills and talents of the student and guidance given towards a vocation.
  

2.8: Resources

“Me whakapakari ki te hua o te kawariki...”
(The academic rigour and sustainability of literacy and language)

All PTE Tutors used their own background skills in teaching to ensure that a programme was developed and implemented for foundation skills of literacy, language and numeracy.

In addition, PTE Tutors identified that the patterns that were emerging were needs-based, and designed a curriculum to suit those needs.

Although I have professional development opportunities all the time I also look for my own, like for my own materials. I search out my own materials as well. In a way I must be self-motivated.

For example, their curriculum is unit standards-based, so it’s a little bit easier to find the material because there’s stuff everywhere. When I had to come up with a programme, there was nothing there. I had no idea where to start. The first question I got was: Summarise the results of your initial assessment outlining the learners’ foundation learning needs or any specific patterns of needs. That was all I got.

Barriers

PTE providers did mention an informal system sharing of resources to ensure quality delivery, but also had concerns whether or not one-on-one support would be available in the other educational institutions as it is well known that when students enter the bigger institutions they are seen as merely a number.

But not many of the students will do this and that’s a great concern for me when they leave, what happens to them. Not every programme has an individual one-on-one tutor who can spend the time with them because of resourcing and funding. It’s not their fault; it’s just how it is. But it’s a big concern.

We do that at the workshops. We share resources, ideas. That’s about all. I guess there’s the fear about whether it will continue. What happens when it stops? How will we cope? How will our learners cope because as it is they are allowed separate individual time with us?

When I first started 19 years ago we used to teach typing and our students used to sit trades exams and typing. Trades and Pitmans. Stages 1, 2 and 3 and Shorthand. So when they came they were pretty onto it. They could read and write. Not now.

Observations

• PTE Tutors revealed concerns over finishing students being able to “cope” and be “retained” in a new learning environment. This has implications for student follow-up and retention.
• PTE Tutors raised concerns over institutions having adequate support systems in place for these students.
• PTE Tutors mentioned that the curriculum at high school level had changed considerably and literacy and language computer courses had now become non-existent, which impacted on the fundamental basics of vocational study.
  

2.9: Habitus

‘Me whakatipu ki te hua o te rengarenga...’
 (The growth and nourishment of literacy and language)

Tāwhirimātea Williams suggests that the barriers that have been imposed on and institutionalised for Māori through colonialism and assimilation have long denied Māori the mana and sovereign right to define a future for themselves (1999,). In it, the process of education was taken out of the hands of the Māori family and its elders. Māoridom must take its own autonomous measures to redress the unequal power relations and the continuing crisis for Māori in education, especially now in relation to literacy and language.

Here, it continues to be argued that Māori-centred knowledge based around creation and epistemology, alongside Māori leadership and the knowledge that Māori are sustainable wealth creators in their own right can influence Māori adult student life-long learning pathways.

Each recognised that, although it wasn’t verbalised, pedagogical strategies were heavily influenced by Māori cultural dynamics.

Environment

The ohu or apu is the practical application of teamwork overseen by capable leaders. This was a prominent function within the Māori community as described in George Ramsden’s unpublished biography of Sir Peter Buck (Ramsden n.d., p. 270).

To me the driving force has always been that knowledge is power, knowledge is power; the longer you stay at school the more options you have, the more tohu you have, the more employable you are. I’m so entrenched in tauiwi myself that I start to look at it, to a certain extent, to be the way.

I am amazed because they have so much talent but, given that opportunity and someone to encourage that, you see them glow as soon as they get a certificate and they get told that they can actually do it and they can achieve. That’s awesome. That’s another success on its own. It doesn’t have to be written, it’s just that environment and that atmosphere that you get when you go into that room.

There’s no money where they come from. So for them to say “I’ve got a job” is a success story. So the National Certificate is just like a bonus. For me it is the accomplishment of their goals because if you look at their goals, they might not be to get a National Certificate. It might be to get a job and then we break it down into how can I help you to get a job, what do you think you need from me to help you get that job.

... “You’re wonderful, you can speak two languages, you can speak English and I can understand you, you’re awesome” – because they see it, I guess as Māoris would, as a disability. Asian students are the same. If you speak more than one language then you should be applauded.

Ok I’m knocking against this quite a bit with Māori students, I’m seeing this happening quite a bit with Māori students that we need to identify as a continuing habit that’s coming through our Māori students.”

Very, very poor math skills but, in saying that, they don’t see the need for it either. Sometimes they are unable to recognise because they think as long as they get by that they are ok. They hide stuff. That’s a pattern.

They hide it and it’s only now that they are out of school or out of the system that they recognise where to from here.

...you help them to recognise that you can use that in certain situations but in other situations it’s not what we should use and then you need to have them discuss why you wouldn’t use it then and you try to have them be responsible for their answers instead of you telling them.

So the pattern is that they don’t like to be told so you need to use them to help them solve their own problems because then they own it. It belongs to them. That’s very Māori.

Barriers

• All PTE Tutors instinctively realised that when dealing with Māori the concept of whakamā needs to be addressed, in order to gain a level of honesty and trust, a foundation from which to work.
• There was a sense of isolation and alienation to a education system that is clinical and aligned to measuring success via tools that are not geared to value the students’ identity, customs and language.
  

2.10: Class environment

Don’t single me out

This is my classroom so they like equal things. They are quite interested in learning in groups or with a friend. They don’t like to be isolated. So you try to keep them in that way except for the one-on-one stuff. So desks in rows is not them. They might want to sit next to someone to feel supported and just the same.

Yes, because they can support each other. They like working in groups because then no one is being singled out. Their Māori friends are that way. But, in saying that, they still need to be challenged because they can learn another way. They need to know that they can do more than they do.

Because when they go out into the workforce they may work in a group but they’re still doing their own little bit.

They need to know that they can do it and they are used to it. When you’re introducing new things you should use the group until they become confident, because when they do assessments they have to do it individually. You have to be flexible.

Yes. Group work. Never singling them out. It gets quite competitive but it’s a male competitiveness. Then we might be guessing the amount of or finding 10 prefixes and suffixes to a word. We might have about four groups of three or four and whoever gets 10 words gets a treat. That goes down well but if you try to single anyone out they retreat into their shell. Great art work. All one on one.

Maybe. Sometimes you can see that they see it but they’re not going to say it and that’s ok. So when you see something as wonderful as an artist, you acknowledge that, make them feel good. Then they see my drawing and I can’t even draw a stick figure and I say to them that I know how they feel because here’s my thing and I’m so embarrassed by this; do you feel like that? Don’t want to share your work? You know what, it happens to everybody no matter what colour.

We’re not all good at everything. I tell them that Pākehā think I should be able to sing; Māori think I should be able to speak Māori and I don’t. My kids call me a white Māori.

When I went to Wintec, people used to ask me all the time if I was Māori. So I can identify with that. I’ve been in a Māori class and felt very inadequate because I can’t speak Māori but because over the years of being in education and just because of my personality, I’m ok with it. I can say that I’m sorry, I can’t speak Māori. I wish I could but I’m here anyway so don’t exclude me.

What I predominantly do is to go into those particular skills that I mentioned to you. We are venturing out into workplace literacy too and. I will go there so that they feel a little bit more comfortable. At the end of the day it’s going to be their choice wherever they feel comfortable because if they don’t, as you know, they won’t come.

Attitude

According to the PTE 2 tutor, the issues confronting them in trying to optimise language and literacy for the students have very little to do with the course content. Rather, there is evidence to suggest that many of the students who are coming out of high school already lack discipline and motivation because of the high schools’ inability to engage them.

The difficulty is not so much after they’ve completed the programme, after they’ve completed the qualification; the difficulty is getting them to that stage. Trying to retain their interest, trying to get them in for more than two days a week. The self-discipline stuff, that’s the problem.

A lot of the teaching is dealing with their attitudes. I am beginning to develop a rather serious problem with high schools and the way they provide for their students. For me, to succeed at high school you have to be quite self-disciplined and quite self-motivated and if you’re not it’s going to be one hell of a hard ride for you.

Whakamā

Even when they do complete is that sufficient for them.to feel the confidence to go out and find a job or go into further education? Do they go out and try and get a job and get knock-backs because they haven’t got a tohu?

Yes. Not the ones who have passed the tohu. I haven’t seen any problems with them. Their motivation levels are reasonable so that they know they’ve got options; it’s just that the wharau just makes them feel like it’s powerful. Maybe NZCES is considered the poor relation after NCEA Level 1. The numbers are really quite minimal who pass qualifications to be honest. The problem is getting them to that stage. I tell them that they don’t have to stay here all year and pass the tohu with me. You can stay and get some literacy credits up and then we move you on to more a specialised course in an area that you might like to pursue as a career like hairdressing or mechanics because TEC have got all those courses on their books.

Sometimes you could say that. You could say that that had an effect maybe on when they actually left school in the first place. It’s nothing for some of these learners to be on court orders and CYFS involved and things like that. Some of their backgrounds are horrendous. In the last week we’ve had two learners leave the course because of court orders to go back to where they need to go back to. So maybe if that’s what you’re saying, that their societal background does influence where they are today.

Because I’m dumb

So it’s kind of indoctrinated into each generation that you’re dumb so to get that out of themselves and say “Hey you’re actually quite a clever person” can change the whole family around. Now that guy that used to lean over me, his kids and he are now at university. They’ve got it. They just need somebody to have a bit of faith in them that they’ve got it. That’s what we’re here for. We give that faith. We give that hope.

But it’s just that we’re working autonomously and I think we can work a bit better, and institutions like Wintec can support that idea for this gap in Māoridom, which I don’t think is a gap; I think we just need to change things around and run it how we know best to run it. We know how to run a marae. We know how to run the kitchen; well we’ll run our organisation and run it how we need to run it to make it effective for everybody.

Snobbery

One thing that I find mind-blowing is that they actually have that snobbery outlook to working at XXX [food outlet]. They won’t look at it. I say to them that my son saved...to go and work [overseas] by working at XXX and he has NCEA Level 3 and UE.

It goes on all the time, except for P, who has bought his own car. These little snobs are running around in his car last year saying “No, I’m not working at XXX [food outlet]”!

Societal pressures

There is pressure placed on many who come from a dysfunctional family to be out in the workforce and contribute to society without first recognising that these same people have little or no qualifications to draw on, as a result of prematurely leaving school because of pregnancy or expulsion.

So very poor skills, low qualifications, a few mums learning new skills so they can get a job because their kids are going to school now so they have to learn. The pressure of the benefit, that’s a real concern because they need to get a job in a year because they are going to lose their benefit. So you get mums with children who’ve never had a job before.

We have looked at how can we support mothers with children. There’s just not funding available. It’s not a consideration and so in the holidays they don’t come because they’ve got their children and so we have to support that and yet meet the criteria of TEC.

A mixed bag. Forty percent of them have got supportive, loving parents but 55 percent do have backgrounds that are not conducive to effective learning. It’s a big struggle. It always has been. They don’t get the support at home.

Observations

• A fundamental element recognised by the PTE Tutors was the implementation of honesty and rapport to ensure a successful learning experience for both.
• Teaching strategies such as experiential and group learning were advocated by all PTE Tutors to optimise networks both internally and externally.
• PTE tutors acknowledged the severe backgrounds that these students originated from, which in turn influenced their learning experiences and lack of basic life skills.
• PTE tutors identified common characteristics within students such as “whakamā”, and “dumb” as part of the rhetoric which impacted and/or affected Māori students’ psychological and spiritual well-being.
• PTE tutors also identified an emerging “snobbery” from students towards working in certain areas; this new phenomenon was part of the student culture.
• PTE tutors identified needing to provide support to those students who have become victims of the new DPB (sole parent benefit) culture to ensure successful and practical outcomes.
• PTE tutors advocated the concept of ‘ohu’, the ability to work within a group in either a learning or vocational experience.
  

2.11: Aspirations

Vocational opportunities

PTE 1 and 2 tutors were affirming about the opportunities that are available to students in both the vocational and tertiary sectors. However, they had questions about gaps they saw in communication between tertiary sectors and PTEs.

You often see people coming out and promoting their specific courses and such, but do you think that maybe there is that gap in terms of promoting that area there that they still need help with? When you know what a lot of these learners are like, in terms of the environment that they like, they like you to come to them.

Getting back to...; they offer a three-month paid trial in work that they find for learners. Isn’t that good? So they only get into places that have got potential employment. I think that what Wintec offer is wonderful.

There are other courses as well that are free that they can take advantage of. They do. Some students go to Skill NZ. Some are going over to the furniture department and then even ours, we’ve got a carpentry course but that’s only TOPS really, which is for older people like 18 year olds. Sometimes we can prepare for that as well. You certainly get to know what other courses are available and ideally when they leave G they will have some of those literacy skills to offer a potential employer or a course. Sometimes you can see where they’re at, what they want to do and where they want to go.

They do vocational so they do a portion of their courses where they have workplace experience but their main focus is gaining literacy and numeracy foundation skills so at least that’s going to help them to get ready to wherever they do branch out to.

Getting back to Job Finder; they offer a three-month paid trial in work that they find for learners. Isn’t that good. So they only get into places that have got potential employment.

Observations

• PTE tutors aimed to be more flexible in the delivery of learning and ensure students can gain a vocation.
• PTE tutors recommended that the marketing of our courses/institution be brought to the PTE itself by the polytechnic tutors, as the environment is more user-friendly to the students.
  

2.12: Conclusion

“Ahakoa he iti te matakahi, ka pakaru i a au te tōtara”
(I may be a small wedge, of a small army, when being taunted by a large force)

The tutors were asked how Wintec could improve their programmes for the benefit of students. What was reiterated was the need to provide tutors with tools and training that would ensure Māori adult student success within PTEs and institutes.

2.13: Significant chapter observations

• It is important to train tutors to implement tikanga Māori (karakia, whakawhānaungatanga, language).
• There is a need for more training and resourcing of quality specialised Māori tutors in literacy and language.
• Better support mechanisms are needed for adult students (childcare/kōhanga and funding) to assist in retention.
• Students come with their own inherent knowledge and skills, which need to be recognised and valued as unique – they are not homogeneous.
• Tutors multi-task to meet necessary contractual requirements and ensure the environment is conducive to good learning success and practice.
• PTE tutors revealed concerns over finishing students being able to “cope” and be “retained” in a new learning environment. This has implications for student follow-up and retention.
• There is a sense of isolation and alienation in an education system that is clinical and aligned to measuring success via tools that are not geared to value the students’ identity, customs and language.
• PTE tutors can be more flexible in the delivery of learning and aim to ensure students can gain a vocation.
  

Footnotes

10. Ngā Tongi a Tāwhiao.
    
11. Tuki Nepe, 1991
12. Williams (1999) Māori language and Knowledge and Education in the Politics and Research of Pakeha.
13. K. K. Williams (1999).