Hangaia te mātāpuna o te mōhio: learning foundations for Māori adults

2. Common findings across the research projects

2.1: Significance of prior experiences of Māori in education settings

In comparing those past experiences to current Māori-based learning contexts, the former were generally seen by the participants as part of a world dominated by the classroom and a formality that was both overwhelming and overbearing.

Participants in all three projects recalled a range of negative experiences from their years in compulsory schooling. These included educational failure, racism, being excluded, moving from Māori schooling (kohanga reo and/or kura) to Pākehā schooling, dropping out, expulsion and low attendance. Many felt that their teachers did not care, failed to support them, and assumed they did not want to learn. These experiences resulted in low feelings of self-worth, negative attitudes towards formal education, resistance to authority and ‘Pākehā ways’ of educating, fear of failure, and feelings of being ‘dumb’ and being unable to learn.

We were not allowed to look at the person next to us. We were not allowed to question… We had to wait until we were spoken to. That’s for my primary years and we were speaking Māori at home but not at school. (Student, White et al., 2009, p. 68)

Yes, typical Māori would get aggro as soon as he hears a Pākehā do a little snigger... I was just lost just like what these fellas were saying. Being in a different environment, it just put me off. I didn’t want to go to school. That’s when I got to high school, I only went there for a year and a couple of months and I dropped out…and I worked from then on… (Student, White et al., 2009, p. 43)

I reckon the Pākehā tutors really push their Pākehā students… Yes, and they don’t want to focus on the Māoris… I reckon, to them, they just think a waste of time because they’re going to see how long they last. That is what I used to think at school. See how long they’ll last here. (Student, White et al., 2009, pp. 43-44)

 

2.2: Social and economic background of students

Several learners acknowledged the stresses of trying to afford petrol to travel to the foundation learning site:

Cos petrol costs, half the time I’m on empty, I’m thinking am I going to make it the next day? (Student, McMurchy-Pilkington, 2009, p. 28)

Some courses had fees but even if their course was free, for many continuing on to further training, the cost was seen as a barrier:

No [I wouldn’t feel confident enough to go to polytech] you’re just looking at a big student loan. (Student, McMurchy-Pilkington, 2009, p. 29)

2.3: Diversity of adult students

The importance of acknowledging that Māori adult students are not a homogeneous group, but rather bring complex and diverse experiences, is a key finding of all three reports.

2.4: Support for students

Māori students do, however, often have much in common, including negative educational experiences such as those listed above.

I found that in a Pākehā environment [it] is hard… I noticed that they just must be so used to this sort of structure, this sort of way and everything they rattled off and the Pākehās could click on to it instantly, but I found for me listening to it, it just sounded lost. That information was just being said, but it was not going anywhere. For me it just didn’t make sense, but I think they just get so used to saying it, blurting it out like that, that it has no meaning behind it and I just think that whenever you’ve got a Pākehā/Māori sort of class and they’re used to teaching just Pākehā, just consider not everybody thinks Pākehā... I don’t quite know how to explain it. (Student, White et al., 2009, p. 73)

Several aspects of teaching, programmes and the learning environment are central to the success of learners. This includes a holistic approach to teaching and learning.

2.5: Holistic approach to learning

The holistic approach adopted in several programmes reinforces the interconnections between participants and their wider whānau. Although student needs and prior learning are central, the outcome of learning is never seen as being just for the individual student, but for other people around them, including their tupuna (ancestors) and kaumātua (elders).

2.6: Māori pedagogies and tikanga

A key feature of all three programmes is the centrality of Māori pedagogies and protocols (kawa), particularly the importance of working together as a group. Successful courses are infused with explicit tikanga and Māori pedagogies, such as whakawhanaungatanga and tuakana/teina.

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, when and if they are required.

Important to students’ sense of well-being as learners is the sense of belonging and of being valued. Cormack (1997, p. 165) states that “the aim [in the classroom] is to create an esprit de corps…to get the class to function as a whole…in Māori terms as a waka (canoe) or iwi unit”. Cormack’s aim is seen as a key strength of the programmes examined, especially for groups of students who have whānau/whakapapa connections, or where cohesiveness has already been established.

Tuakana/teina

Royal Tangaere (1997, p. 50) explains that “the concept of tuakana/teina is derived from two principles: whanaungatanga and ako”. Another way of looking at this is “where the notion of learning/teaching” is shared, and where the tutor is also learning in the programme” (Te Puni Kōkiri 2001, p. 66).

Kawa

Māori values and protocols such as those listed below are also highly valued by students and tutors and seen as central to the success of programmes:

• Te noho ā marae – marae kinship.
• Te hononga ā-iwi – shared iwi links.
• Te noho hei whānau – deliberate act of teamwork.
• Te noho rūmaki – protocols and customs.
• Kanohi ki te kanohi – face to face (implies frankness).
• Te manaakitanga – fostering relationships.
• Te tuwheratanga – openness.
• Te whakapono – trust.
  

2.7: Deliberate acts of teaching

Where deliberate acts of teaching and learning plus tracking of language acquisition take place in a supportive and safe learning environment, gains result. Adult Māori learners highly valued learning te reo Māori within the safe learning environment of the marae. The context and support that this setting provided saw participants in one programme move “from an average self-rating of 2/10 to 6/10 in spoken language proficiency after just one year on their programmes” (Mlcek et al., p. 32)

2.8: Role of the tutor

Consistent with Māori pedagogies and a holistic approach, relationships between students and between students and tutors greatly influence learning and development. Tutors in all the programmes sought to build trust and confidence between tutor and student, tutor and whānau, tutor and tutor, student and student to create successful outcomes for all. The tutors identified the need to focus on building self-esteem, self-confidence and success in students because of their often negative prior learning experiences.

It’s all about family and togetherness and right from the very beginning of the class she said this is what I want you to learn. We are a family. Basically that was it, that’s what she got us to learn first, that fact that we are family and that we’re here to help each other rather than just let us carry on as at school and be our own little silos. She made us interact... (Student, McMurchy-Pilkington, 2009, p. 16)

Quality teaching was seen by students and tutors as a complex mixture of elements, including:

• giving responsibility back to students during courses
• having high expectations
• balancing practical and theoretical course elements
• clear processes, assessments and expectations
• feedback
• using a mixture of teaching approaches, including kinaesthetic, visual and oral
• experiential and group learning processes
• tutors showing belief in the students
• tutors being caring, patient, approachable, passionate, firm, humorous and committed
• having a good balance between challenge and support (in teaching and learning)
• interpersonal teaching moments during and out of class
• students’ personal learning challenges being explicitly recognised and respected, and specific tuition occurring that addresses these needs
• individual support, where specific teaching strategies such as tutor-student dialogue assist their understanding and comfort to participate in lessons
• a culturally safe learning/teaching context where factors such as trust, personal identity and self-confidence are equally as important as the curriculum
• students’ prior knowledge/skills, interests and future aspirations being taken into account in curriculum design
• having culturally inherent processes and structures in place.
  

These elements are best achieved when student to tutor ratios are smaller and tutors are provided with enough time, resources and professional support to carry out these roles.

2.9: Learning environment

Students appreciate an environment that recognises their physical, spiritual and emotional needs.


The learning environment needs to be based on trust, a sense of belonging and safety.
It is about our intrinsic right to speak our language, practise our tikanga. Therefore we should be allowed to do whatever is necessary to achieve this. (Student, Mlcek et al., p. 23)

2.10: Support for tutors and quality teaching

The quality of delivery and knowledge base of the tutors is also seen as a defining factor for the success of all programmes and for developing confidence in the participants.



Overall, there is concern that there are too few knowledgeable, qualified tutors available for these programmes. Foundation learning and bridging programmes tend to be low status, with pay rates and support not reflecting the demanding and skilled nature of the work. Tutors are generally overworked and resources are stretched.

In general, there is also insufficient time allocation for professional development. Workshops for Māori tutors in such programmes, wanting to support their practice in teaching from a Māori pedagogical framework, and/or teaching te reo Māori me ōna tikanga, are virtually non-existent. There is a high risk of burnout for many tutors.