Week 31 - Indigenous Knowledge and cultural responsiveness in my practice

A reflective entry using Rolfe's self reflection model 2001

Culturally responsive pedagogy is defined by Gay (2001, p.106) as “using the cultural characteristics, experiences and perspectives as conduits for effective teaching”. In thinking about being culturally responsive it is important to remember that knowledge is passed on from generation to generation and is unique to its context. Therefore we have a Maori culture and a cultural knowledge that is unique to New Zealand and should be cherished by all people.

What?

In New Zealand we operate out of a Eurocentric view, it is a lens that many of us are unaware of and struggle to see how this informs our thoughts and actions in regards to Maori people. This viewpoint translates into how we teach and what we value in teaching. The resources we have created and the assumptions we make all have an impact on our learners. I have found in my own journey that it wasn't until I learnt our history that I had clear understanding of how my cultural lens had impacted my view of Maori and their ability to achieve. When we know our history it is clear that systematically we have disadvantaged Maori and continue to do so. Milne (2013) reminds us that just as we may not think much about the dominant white background and assume it as blank, perhaps more often than we should, we make assumptions about those whose cultural backgrounds differ from our own. We need to be agentic teachers as Bishop (2012) suggest, believing that Maori are educable, have skills and knowledge that can help all of their students achieved. It is clear from Russell Bishop's research in Te Kohitahitanga that our relationships and our view of Maori students is key to their success in education, our relationships with Whanau are important for their child's learning.

When looking at Milne's graph on Action continuum it is clear that my school sits between the purple and the green.

So What?

                                Figure 1. Action continuum - eliminating white spaces (Milne 2017)

When reflecting on communication and school wide activities it is clear that we have a long way to go in reflecting a culturally responsive pedagogy. 

As a school we have made attempts to include te reo Maori more, signs around the school are bilingual, we include whakatauki as a part of our Virtues assembly, we sing waiata and use karakia. However we still adhere to Maori lessons throughout the week and teachers within our school have limited knowledge of the language and even more so around tikanga.

As a school we often celebrate with events, using kapahaka performances only in assembly or for hangi's we have at school. Milne (2017) argues that cultural identity is not a thing that needs to be celebrated on certain occasions such as cultural weeks, rather teachers and school should embrace student cultural identity at every opportunity throughout curriculum and learning activities, school policies and events.  I believe the way we communicate in school wide newsletters, classroom letters, or letters home to the whanau group that we need to work on incorporating Maori language and culture more naturally. We have yet to incorporate Maori into every aspect of school life, we are not showing solidarity with the community and this is reflected in our inability to have a successful whanau group.

What next?


At my school I have just been given the role of creating the cultural responsiveness plan. I see it as important to this to create as Milne says a "culturally sustaining pedagogy" (CORE Education, 2017) in my school. This require intensive professional development and to really evaluate what is happening in our school, identifying deficit thinking and helping staff to become more agentic. I need to lead the way in my school and think about how I provide a space where Maori can bring their experiences, understanding and culture to the learning that happens in the classroom. I need to show genuine care for my tamariki and their whanau, build positive relationships and have high expectations for my learners.
I need to allow students to draw on their experiences and knowledge and ensure that Maori are not only valued but that their knowledge is legitimate and incorporated into the classroom as much as possible. I need to ensure that I am a part of the Whanau group and ensure their voice is strong within our school.



References

Gay,G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2),106-116.

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

Milne, B.A. (2013). Colouring in the white spaces: Reclaiming cultural identity in whitestream schools. (Doctoral Thesis, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10289/7868