Goodward School (TLIF 5-016) - Place-based learning – begin where your feet are Publications
Publication Details
Project Reference: Goodward School (TLIF 5-016) - Goodward School was on a journey towards making authentic, inquiry-based learning part of a curriculum that fostered biculturalism and inclusion. However, its leaders felt challenged by Hoana Pearson’s statement: “The culture of the child cannot enter the classroom if it has not entered the consciousness of the teacher.”
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) led by Marsha Copping, along with Linda Alton, Raewyn Chapman and Kelsie Ross
Date Published: February 2019
Overview
They wanted Māori knowledge, perspectives, and language to be natural part of a curriculum that connected students to their place and gave them a sense of belonging.
My biggest realisation through this process is that I tailor my teaching very much around my comfort zones and what comes naturally to me. This is evident in my adoption of a Māori world view within the classroom. As I struggle to understand the concept, I have previously slipped into the practice of not doing anything. This process has taken me out of my comfort zone. There have been tears and frustration. Through this frustration, I have reflected on what I can do to move forward and that it takes baby steps. I have made conscious decisions to improve my knowledge by enrolling in the Te Rekamouroa Te Reo course, which exposed me to more Te Reo and Tikanga.
Teacher reflection
The leaders believed that to achieve what they wanted for students, they first had to ensure teachers themselves had access to te reo me ōna tikanga and that this required engagement with experts in these fields, including mana whenua. Knowing that there was a spread of capability among their staff, the leaders thought they should begin with a small group of teachers who shared their aspirations, moving to a whole school approach over time. The final outcome would be the co-construction and implementation of a unique place-based local curriculum. However, it soon became apparent that the whole school was ready for this approach, and it made sense to expand this project to involve all teachers. While the teachers are all at different stages of the journey, the school now has the tools and professional learning programme necessary to support them.
The school’s inquiry shows that teacher learning and experience is a critical component for building authentic culturally responsive pedagogy. When teachers have opportunities to consider Māori worldviews through authentic experiences and learning, they begin to have the confidence and desire to design and implement authentic place-based curricula.
The inquiry story
This inquiry was intended to involve teachers and students in years 3–4, with a specific focus on boys. As part of this, a target group of boys who would be placed in tuakana-teina relationships with peers in years 5–6. The intention was to scale the project out later, after initial learning had been shared. In practice, the project soon became a whole school inquiry. The project was also deliberate in partnering with whānau and iwi.
What was the focus?
This project grew from professional learning on inquiry and Māori history in the New Zealand Curriculum. Staff had explored Te Takanga o te Wā – Māori History Guidelines Years 1–8 and Te Tiriti o Waitangi and engaged with the community in hui about biculturalism. An expert had worked with staff on developing te reo and tikanga pathways around key themes intended to contribute to moving the schools’ ‘explorers’ (learners) to being Goodward graduates.
The school’s leaders were inspired by Hoana Pearson’s challenge to schools: “The culture of the child cannot enter the classroom if it has not entered the consciousness of the teacher”. ‘Doing’ topics such as Matariki and myths and legends and isolated links to biculturalism would not be enough if they were to answer Hoana’s challenge. They wanted to test the following hunches:
- If students know about where they live and have a strong sense of identity in their environment (“learning starts from where they stand”), they will have the resilience to take risks in their learning.
- This could be achieved through the development of an authentic place-based local curriculum that engages staff, students, and whānau.
- The critical first step would be to grow teacher capability by providing teachers with opportunities to learn about the local area and its history.
- The team would need to know how to monitor progress towards implementing the new curriculum through changes in teacher pedagogy.
The previous work had revealed a wide range of teacher capability around inquiry and the concept of tūrangawaewae. It made sense to begin the inquiry with a group of teachers in years 3 and 4 who shared the leaders’ interests and were keen to participate. Learning from this experience would inform the co-construction of the school’s place-based curriculum. This would be a curriculum in which teachers would be empowered to recognise the learning that could not be left to chance and needed to be explicit and the learning that is best grown naturally as an outcome of authentic and meaningful learning opportunities.
The project team developed the following innovation statement:
We would like to know whether teachers involving students and community in designing a place-based learning local curriculum will impact on students’ sense of belonging, leading to increased knowledge and competencies to be curious, critical, and creative thinkers. This is for all students, with a particular focus on our years 4 and 5 boys.
What did the teachers try?
The team used Rongohia te Hau, a tool developed by the Poutama Pounamu research whānau, to find out how teaching was being done across the school and how this was impacting on students. The tool uses observations and surveys of students, teachers, and community members to get this picture. There were also student interviews and data from NZCER’s Me and My School survey. Waikato-Tainui’s Education Matrix was used to monitor progress against the iwi’s dimensions of effective schooling. Staff hui provided opportunities for inquiry, challenge, and sharing.
The project’s local experts shared stories and insights into te ao Māori during their visits to the school, on teacher and class trips to significant local sites, and at noho marae. Teachers sought to weave these stories and insights into the classroom curriculum.
Several teachers attended classes in te reo Māori at a local marae. They challenged themselves to weave their growing kupu into day-to-day interactions, such as when giving instructions. This also happened across the school (for example, in the words used for timetabling, planning, setting learning intentions, and in newsletters to whānau).
Teachers carried out inquiries into their own practice and how they were incorporating te reo me ōna tikanga. The arts were a major focus. Students learned local stories and represented them in ‘iconology installations’ (symbolic words of art) around the school. For example, one class created a mural representing what they had learned about traditional Māori horticulture and sustainability. Mana whenua were invited to view the installations and hear the retellings. Students also learned waiata, and the school production was developed around the theme of kaitiakitanga. This provided an opportunity for exploring whakapapa pūrakau (creation stories) and Māori perspectives on the past, present, and future.
Some team members attended a presentation by Sir Mason Durie on the interface between indigenous knowledge and western science. This provided a valuable scaffold for discussion about where this happens and how to incorporate different perspectives in planning, such as different concepts about time. It also provoked thought about whakataukī and the wisdom they encapsulate.
Engagement with mana whenua was also a focus for the Kāhui Ako, and so the project connected with the learning there. This included the Board of Trustees taking part in a bus tour led by Waikato-Tainui.
What happened as a result of this innovation?
Teachers began at different points, and so they arrived at different points by the end of the inquiry. However, they had all joined with their community in beginning the process of co-constructing a rich and authentic place-based curriculum. While this task is just beginning, the degree of progress was unexpected – teachers across the school were far more ready and willing to participate than the leadership team had originally surmised.
Acknowledging the differences, the project team saw the following shifts in teacher knowledge and pedagogy:
- Teachers moved out of their comfort zone, from teaching about topics with which they felt familiar to being learners and explorers with their students. For example, one teacher led inquiry into a local dam. This began with quite a scientific slant, which was where the teacher felt safe. It wasn’t until the teacher let go and became an explorer alongside the students that the learning went deep and became more holistic, embracing local stories, history, and whakataukī. The students created an arts installation representing their learning that included a waterfall, plants, and rocks made of natural materials, a mural of a taniwha, and three videos explaining the meaning of local stories.
- The team developed and implemented systems and processes to ensure teachers deliberately plan, using the lens of ‘Māori Worldview’. Examples included setting parameters for student-led inquiries that were place-based, incorporated stories that were local or unique to Aotearoa, and were bi- or multi-cultural; processes for working with local kaumātua to explore questions and wonderings; and templates for developing ‘iconology installations. Some teachers and classes began to use Education Perfect Te Reo. Consequently, the school is seeing shifts of practice that are being transferred across learning areas, a growing pool of shared knowledge, and a change in culture to one in which leaders and teachers are more open to challenging and questioning their worldview.
- As teachers gained knowledge and understanding of their place and history, they became more confident in sharing this with students and in fostering self-directed learning that linked students’ learning at home to their learning at school. For example, one teacher shared that initially, she had to think hard about how to make te ao Māori, student voice, and whānau engagement a part of the learning programme. But she had seen significant improvement in student engagement as a result of the changes she made. For example, prompted by learning about pūkeko at school, one child brought in photos of a mosaic pūkeko she had at home. The class then decided to make mosaic birds for its iconology installations. Experiences such as these encouraged teachers to work to strengthen their practice so that te ao Māori would become an increasingly natural part of their deliberate acts of teaching.
- The Rongahia Te Hau Shadow Coaching Tool enabled teachers to get a clear overview of what culturally responsive practice looks like, self-review, and identifying next steps. Whānau voice collected using the Rongahia Te Hau tools indicates strong support for the school’s promotion of a diverse cultural environment in which children feel known and included. This is a shift from the initial whānau survey that revealed some resistance to the notion of incorporating a Māori world view.
What did they learn?
The project team identified the following lessons from their inquiry.
- Teachers need opportunities to learn about and experience their local history. This gives them the knowledge and confidence to implement an authentic learning programme for their students.
- Te ao Māori needs to be incorporated into deliberate acts of teaching. It is important to raise teacher consciousness so that they consider multiple perspectives.
- Teachers do not need to know all the answers. Their job is to promote a learning environment that encourages students to become actively engaged in their learning through critical inquiry.
- It is important to identify and use a trusted tool that enables the user to monitor shifts in teacher practice and their impact on students.
Inquiry team
The project was led by Marsha Copping, along with Linda Alton, Raewyn Chapman and Kelsie Ross.
Jo Wilson (Leading Learning) was the project’s critical friend.
External expertise was offered by:
- Mere Berryman and colleagues (Poutamu Pounamu)
- Harry Wilson (Tainui/Maungatautari)
- Vinnie Simmonds (Mana Hapori)
- Anahera McGregor (CORE Education).
For further information
If you would like to learn more about this project, please contact the project leader, Marsha Copping at marsha@goodwood.school.nz
Reference list
Te Takanga o te Wā – Māori History Guidelines Years 1–8: http://maorihistory.tki.org.nz/en/programme-design/te-takanga-o-te-wa-maori-history-guidelines-year-1-8/
Rongohia te Hau: https://poutamapounamu.org.nz/services
Education Perfect: Te Ao Māori: https://help.educationperfect.com/article/439-education-perfect-te-reo-maori
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