Week 31 - PRACTICE - Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness in my Practice
I will be using Rolfe’s model of reflection to look at my critical understanding of indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness.
Step 1 - What?
My education journey was a privileged one where high expectations were both explicitly and implicitly made known to me, where opportunities were available, financial boundaries didn’t exist and a family culture of academic success was the norm. It wasn’t until I entered tertiary education that my assumptions were challenged. When Dr Ann Milne CORE Education (2017) commented that we make assumptions of whose knowledge actually counts it resonated with my experience. I can’t change my experience but I can identify the areas I can educate myself. In Bucher’s (2008) nine megaskills for understanding one’s own cultural intelligence I identified with needing a lot of improvement. I will look at school-whānau communication (targeted surveys to see if their needs are being met) and learning activities (working with Te Aho Arataki Marau mō te Ako i Te Reo Māori - Curriculum Guidelines for Teaching and Learning Te Reo Māori)
Step 2 - So What?
I will use Milne’s presentation at ULearn17 as an evaluation framework to reflect on our school practice in terms of the culturally responsive pedagogy. Using this a guide Id put our school between the blue and the purple, which in reflection is not where we need to be if we want, as Prof. Russell Bishops suggests in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, (Edtalks, 2012), to create a learning context where Maori can bring themselves to the learning conversations and make sense of the world. At Orewa Primary our motto is ‘Where Everybody Is Somebody-He Tangata Ia Tangata’ and our mission - Orewa Primary School is committed to empowering students to achieve personal excellence in a learning culture which values all. But are we valuing all, and if not why not? We have a cultural group, we work within the NZ Maori curriculum and as educators we attempt a few key phrases but increasingly we are realising we need to commit more. How do we know this? Our latest survey to Maori parents suggested that they’d like to see a Kapa Haka group established in addition to the cultural group and more connection with our local marae. We need to acknowledge and make changes on what our Maori community want. I’ve also realised that in my Learning Activities I am according to Milne’s enlightening talk from uLearn 2017 just starting on the purple.
Step 3 - Now What?
Prof. Russell Bishops (Edtalks, 2012) suggests as a school we need to gather evidence of student performance to guide our priority learners. We need to create a school wrap around environment to assist and support our teachers and PD needs to be of a high quality. We need to keep moving forward with the development of Te Kotahitanga (Ministry of Education, 2011) where the learning process is reciprocal between teacher and student, where being connected and relationship based is desired and self determination is recognised. We need to create and keep going an open dialogue where conversations help create learning context and we keep in check as Dr Ann Milne (CORE Education, 2017) suggests is our racist backdrop where we make assumptions of whose knowledge actually counts. I think if we can do these things we really can create an environment where Everybody is Somebody.
References
Bucher, R. (2008). Building cultural intelligence (CQ): Nine Megaskills. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
CORE Education.(2017, 17 October). Dr Ann Milne, Colouring in the white spaces: Reclaiming cultural identity in whitestream schools.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=5cTvi5qxqp4&feature=em-subs_digest
Edtalks. (2012, September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. [video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49992994
Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001). Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Retrieved from https://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/content/download/7379/107778/.../NZC-update-7.pdf
Ministry of Education (April, 2011) NZ Curriculum Update
Milne's action continuum sets a clear guideline in reflecting on our own practices as well as our school's practice. It is clear that you have been honest in reflecting on your own practice as well as the schools, and this will help in knowing and understanding how to improve and move through this continuum to, as you say, create an environment where Everybody is Somebody. I agree that by having those open conversations within your school community and with parents and whanau you are able to create high quality learning contexts for all students. Acknowledging (and making changes, if necessary) the Maori communities needs, is a step forward in embedding and normalising cultural responsiveness into teaching and learning practices.
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