Who am I?
Mihi Mihi
Ko Oamaru te papatūwhenua.
Kei te noho au kei Ōtepoti ināianei i raro i te maru o Kai Tahu.
Ko English, ko German, ko Irish, ko Scottish, ko Norwegian kā iwi.
Ko Briggs rātou ko Kippenburger, ko Ford, ko Riddell kā whānau.
Ko Edna Briggs rāua ko Joan Winslade kā taua.
Ko Allen Briggs rātou ko Robort Ford, ko George Winslade kā taua.
Ko Joanne Briggs rāua ko Harry Briggs kā mātua.
Ko au tēnei.
Ko Hahna Briggs tōhoku ikoa.
Ko Gala Hesson tōhoku hoa rakatira.
Reflection of my own cultural identity:
As a queer person I value social justice, and view gender and sexuality as a spectrum as opposed to a binary. I also believe in the importance of acknowledging the privilege we have in our society, the benefits we experience as a result of this privilege and how this impacts on other people who do not experience the same kind of privilege.
I practice western contemporary dance which is one of the cultural dance forms from of my Western-European heritage. Western Contemporary dance is part of a dance theatre tradition in the same grouping as post-modern dance, modern dance, new dance, and the various ballet genres.
As a Pākehā, I value family as being important ongoing support networks in my life but acknowledge that I also highly value independence and being able to make my own decisions without having to consult family members. I place a high value on career and being able to purchase my own home.
In addition to the above I value honesty, friendship, community participation, and diversity.
Cultural Competence
Initial thoughts on cultural competence:
I think cultural competence is being aware of my own understandings and assumptions of culture and how this may impact on student learning. Having respect for diversity and exploring ways of utilising students culture to assist in their learning within the class room environment.
Explore the term cultural competence:
I found a definition of cultural competence below in Wikipedia, online encyclopedia.
"Cultural competence refers to an ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, particularly in the context of human resources, non-profit organizations, and government agencies whose employees work with persons from different cultural/ethnic backgrounds. Cultural competence comprises four components: (a) Awareness of one's own cultural worldview, (b) Attitude towards cultural differences, (c) Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, and (d) Cross-cultural skills." (Wikipedia, 2014).
My understanding of cultural competence aligns quite well with the four components above, however the definition above is broad, whereas my definition is specific to the learning context.
I conducted a Google search and found a lot of information related to cultural competence and health providers. In relation to teaching I found information on Tātaiako, which is New Zealand specific but outlines competencies for early childhood educators. However, I did find an article written by Irish & Scrubb (2012), " Five Competencies for Culturally Competent Teaching and Learning", which appears to be directed at people teaching in higher Education. The five competencies include:
- Culturally competent teaching and learning facilitates critical reflection. This involves developing the ability of teachers and students to critically analyse there own cultural assumptions and beliefs. Teachers and students will be able to disrupt misconceptions and stereotypes, and avoid misunderstandings.
- Culturally competent teaching and learning demands respect for others. All students come from diverse cultural backgrounds, therefore learning communities that value different ways of knowing and learning can benefit everyone. Inter-cultural learning respects the needs of all students and allows all voices to be heard.
- Culturally competent teaching and learning involves accommodating individual learners. Competent teachers posses qualities of compassion, fairness, integrity and respect for diversity. In addition, teachers with a learner centred approach will naturally involve allowing for individual accommodations. Providing appropriate accommodations for individual students can only be achieved if the teacher takes the time to learn from and about their students.
- Culturally competent teaching and learning requires the use of intercultural communication skills. Teachers must be willing to learn from their students and recognise the importance of intercultural communication as a means of enhancing learning. Effective communication in cultural diverse learning environments incorporates techniques such as active listening, elaboration, paraphrasing, and restatement.
- Culturally competent teaching and learning requires focused activities and intentionally structured environments. This competency relates to 'perspective-taking behaviour', which requires an understanding of the values, norms, and traditions of other's worldview and learning behaviour. Teachers may introduce class activities to assist with encouraging perspective-taking behaviours. This can be as simple as intentional groupings of students with others from diverse racial groups, which as shown to have a positive impact on students, 'white' students in particular.
The New Zealand Context
What do I know about Te Tiriti o Waitangi?
TTe Tiriti o Waitangi was between the Crown of England and Māori people of New Zealand. It came about because England wanted to colonise New Zealand, and as result people from England, UK and other European countries began to immigrant to New Zealand. This caused conflict between the Māori poeple and the immigrants. The treaty was drawn to try and resolve this conflict. However Māori people and the Crown signed the Treaty with two different understandings of what the treaty meant. For instance land ownership means very different things between the two cultures. In addition, the Crown imposed their own socio-political systems onto Māori people and expected them to assimilate. For instance, Māori children were not allowed to speak te reo in school.
Today the crown is slowly attempting to resolve the different interpretations of the treaty and ensure that Māori people receive their entitlements as guardians of the land of Aotearoa, as well as celebrate Māori culture instead of suppress it. The treaty can be viewed as an important document that has the ability to support a growing multi-cultural society.
The treaty is important in my work because it is a mandate that I work within the guidelines of the treaty and treat my Māori students with dignity and respect. In addition, it is important that my students understand the treaty as soon as they enter the work force.
I would like to find out more about Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I participated in bi-cultural training some years ago and would benefit from refreshing my learning in this area to assist with retention of knowledge in relation to this area. As part of my obligations as employee at Polytechnic I will receive training in the Te Tiriti o Waitangi through the certificate in Mata o Māori.
"In 1988 a report was published from the Royal Commission on Social Policy, this popularised the three P’s: Participation, Partnership and Protection in relation to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi"
How do I enact the principles of Partnership, Participation and Protection in relation to Māori learners and learners that I interact with?
Partnership
The New Zealand curriculum states, in relation to partnership that "… young people who will work to create an Aotearoa New Zealand in which Māori and Pākehā recognise each other as full Treaty partners, and in which all cultures are valued for the contributions they bring" (The Ministry of Education, 2012).
In the curriculum that I teach,that is disability support theory and integrated practice, I have incorporated Māori knowledge, experience and perceptions of disability, including Māori models of health and wellbeing. I like to include discussions of how students can work with people with disabilities from different cultures with dignity and respect. For instance I recently created a Moodle book titled 'Working with Different Cultures' which includes discussion on Māori experience and perceptions of disability, as well as the Te Whare Tapa Whā model. I go on to discuss working with Pacific peoples and people who are Muslim. To view the Moodle book click here.
Participation
The NZ curriculum states, it is the "...young people who will work to create an Aotearoa New Zealand in which Māori and Pākehā recognise each other as full Treaty partners, and in which all cultures are valued for the contributions they bring" (The Ministry of Education, 2012).
In my classes I aim to value the knowledge that all learners bring with them. Rather than stand at the front at talk at people I incorporate discussion where learners can express ideas and experiences. This is particularly important in my paper, Integrated Practice: Disability Support. During this paper learners go on placement within disability support organisations. At the beginning of each class I allow time for students to talk and reflect on their experiences of placement. This is a rich opportunity for shared learning, including myself.
In addition to this I periodically ask guest speakers to come into class and share their knowledge with students. Creating partnerships with the wider community is important so that students hear from a variety of people. I would like to make networks with Māori leaders working in disability support to create a more inclusive and diverse range of guest speakers.
Protection
"The principle of protection is about actively protecting Māori knowledge, interests, values, and other taonga. Identity, language, and culture are important expressions of what it means to be a culturally located learner." (The Ministry of Education, 2012).
I have personally completed level 4 certificate in Te Ara Reo Māori at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. This course focused on developing intermediate level conversational skills in te reo and increasing knowledge of tikanga Māori within traditional and modern contexts (Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, n.d.). In addition, I have began to receive training in Māori culture and Te Tiriti o Waitangi as required by the Polytechnic employment agreement. I have attended the first workshop of this training with Ron Bull (Senior Lecturer Treaty Education), in which I learnt my mihi mihi. I had already learnt a mihi mihi but my new one is specific to Ngai Tahu beliefs about the appropriate format for a Pākehā. Learning Māori language, culture and history is important as this understanding can be utilised in my teaching practice and class room discussion with students.
Applying Te Reo and Tikaka in Practice
My current knowledge of Te Reo and Tikaka has come from a variety of sources. This year I participated in the University of Otago, Caroline Plummer Fellowship in Community Dance. The fellow, Louise Potiki Bryant taught contemporary Māori dance. Through this project I continued to learn Te Reo through waiata and through Louise's incorporation of Te Reo in her teaching practice. For information about the Caroline Plummer Fellowship click here.
I have also continued to learn about Māori tikaka through marae stays. As previously mentioned I have completed a level 4 certificate in Te Ara Reo Māori. However, I participated in a Marae preparation workshop as part of the Bachelor of Social Services planning week and discovered that I had learnt a North Island dialect and Tikanga practices as opposed to the local Ngai Tahu dialect and Tikaka. Therefore, I have more learning than previously thought to be culturally competent within
Otago Polytechnic.
One difference that was very obvious to me during the planning day workshop was my mihi mihi. The polytechnic in partnership with Ngai Tahu have drawn up a mihi mihi template for Pākehā to use during pōwhiri and whakatau. The structure of the mihi mihi is quite different from what I learnt just earlier this year through another institution. For instance, at Te Wanaga o Aotearoa Pākehā were able to include awa (river) and maunga (mountain) as part of our mihi mihi, if we wanted to. However the Ngai Tahu/Polytechnic mihi mihi does not allow for pakeha to include these elements. The reason being that awa and maunga are often named after ancestors therefore identifying a maunga in my mihi mihi is like saying that I am related to that particular ancestor the maunga is named after.
In order to continue to learn about Tikaka in the Otago region I will need to complete the Mata o Māori paper through Polytechnic. The learning for this paper will largely take place on a Marea stay with many of my colleagues and will be based on experiential learning.
I do not currently utilise Tikaka within my classroom, for instance I do not mind when students eat while we are working. In fact, I believe I have done this before. I think this is because I am a new staff member and practising tikaka is not yet ingrained in my everyday work life. I do practise tikaka during meetings because it is enforced and we are often reminded of appropriate behaviour. So far this has not transferred into my own classroom.
Thinking back to when I was a te reo student at Te Wananga o Aotearoa the structure of the class followed tikaka protocols. We always began and ended class with waiata and karakia. We did not eat while we worked but we did stop for at least one food break. We all contributed to the food and we all said karakia before eating. In addition to this after waiata and karakia at the beginning of class we did some relaxation exercises and some warm up exercises to get the mind and body ready for learning. Whanau were more than welcome to join class and were always invited to join our Marae stays that were part of the course. Therefore, the class followed the Māori holistic model of health and well being, Te Whare Tapa Whā. The structure of the class was constructed to help us maintain the balance between our taha Wairua (spirit), taha tinana (body), taha hinengaro (thoughts and feelings) and taha whanau (family). For more information on te Whare Tapa Whā refer to Morice (2006).
Reflecting on the above experience I could try and incorporate Te Whare Tapa Whā principles into my own teaching practice to help encourage the well being of students and ensure they are able to effectively engage in the learning material. This will also role model for my disability speciality students how Te Whare Tapa Whā can be utilised in various contexts.
Te Tauākī: Our Ako Framework
The areas of the Ako Framework I most strongly connect with are Akoranga & whakaakoranga (learning and teaching) and Te Reo. The former involves being learner focused; understanding learner needs; and identifying, encouraging and promoting excellence/emancipatory praxis in teaching (Ako Aotearoa, 2011). The latter involves having respect for te reo, promoting and using te reo, and excellence in the teaching of te reo (Ako Aotearoa, 2011).
As a teacher I aim to be learner focused and strive to understand learner needs. I often ask for student feedback and investigate how to incorporate this feedback into my teaching practice. In addition to this I engage in reflective practice by evaluating most of my lessons, and continuing to develop my plans and resources based on reflections and student feedback.
Incorporating Te Reo in my classes will contribute to a learning environment that celebrates and promotes our bi-cultural heritage. Although I have completed a course in te reo I still get nervous speaking te reo in front of people. This year I have focused on incorporating te reo in my email correspondence and I am now feeling more comfortable with this. The next step is to begin to speak more te reo, beginning with a greeting perhaps and then building on this as my confidence develops.
The area of the framework I feel most unsure about are Whakapapa, which appears to relate to understanding the history or genealogy of the organisation. Origins of the wider organisation and the individuals within it, the organisations place in the sector; but also involves understanding and valuing the whakapapa of knowledge and history, beliefs, values and perceptions of Māori in New Zealand (Ako Aotearoa, 2011). I feel like I have some knowledge of the latter point, but I do not yet have a good grasp of the whakapapa of the organisation (Otago Polytechnic) as a new teacher. I believe this knowledge will grow through participation as a employee, such as, attending staff meetings and planning days.
Applying the framework in my own work environment would result in enhanced inclusiveness of Māori learners, and the acknowledgement and celebration of our bi-cultural heritage. This in turn would create positive role modelling for students to carry with them into their own careers. This framework can become an integral part of my teaching practice and inform how I work with all learners.
Plan for More Learning
In the future I would like to complete the diploma level Te Ara Reo Māori and I am also interested in completing a Māori performing arts course. These are both long term goals as they both require a big commitment. I would like to take advantage of Māori television more as there a couple of Te Reo programmes televised, such as 'Ako' and 'Tōku Reo'.
As I have already stated I have attending an introductory workshop for the certificate in Te Mata o Māori where I learnt my mihi mihi and prepared for a Marae stay. In addition, I have made the commitment to continue my learning of the whakapapa of Otago Polytechnic by participating in staff meetings and planning days.
My own learning will develop as I practice cultural competence in the classroom, where my students and myself can learn from and about each other.
"Mai i te kōpae ki te Urupa, tātou ako tonu ai"
"From the cradle to the grave we are forever learning"
(Mader, 2012)
References:
Ako Aotearoa (2011). Te Tauākī Ako: Our Ako Framework. Our work with Māori educators and learners. Accessed 23 October 2014, retrieved from URL: https://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/ako-hub/our-work-m%C4%81ori-educators-and-learners/resources/pages/te-tau%C4%81k%C4%AB-ako-our-ako-framework
Irish, C. & Scrubb, M. (2012). Five Competencies for Culturally Competent Teaching and Learning. Faculty Focus: Higher Ed Teaching Strategies, Magna Publications. Accessed 15 October 2014. Retreived from URL: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/five-competencies-for-culturally-competent-teaching-and-learning/
Mader, R. (2012). Māori Proverbs [slideshare page]. Accessed 24 October 2014. Retrieved from URL: http://www.slideshare.net/planeta/maoriproverbs.
Morice, M.P. (2006). Te Whare Tapa Wha [Presentation]. MindBody Conference: Trusting the Language of the Body. NZ MindBody Network. Accessed 5 October 2014. Retrieved from URL: http://www.mindbody.org.nz/conference_archives/2006/keynote_speakers.html
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (n.d.). Te Ara Reo Māori: Certificate in Te Ara Reo Māori: Level 4 [website]. Accessed 24 October, 2014. Retrieved from URL: http://www.twoa.ac.nz/Nga-Akoranga-Our-Programmes/Te-Reo-Maori-Maori-Language/Te-Ara-Reo-Maori-Certificate-in-Te-Ara-Reo-Maori.aspx.
Wikipedia (2014). Cultural Competence [online encyclopedia]. Accessed 15 October 2014. Retrieved from URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_competence
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