Activity 4 : Indigenous knowledge and cultural responsiveness in my practice
Something that stood out for me this week, was from the class notes on Mindlab (Week 28) where it says “Culture is not exclusive to race and/or ethnicity. It also refers the the unique features of a community; its demographic makeup, including location, age, gender, language/s spoken, local history, industry and economics.” For me, this is such a valuable statement. In Education, we frequently focus on ethnicity or race as being a determinate of culture and being culturally responsive, yet culture is not just about what race or ethnic group we belong to. It is about how we relate in different situations and how we modify what we do in order to best meet the needs of the students in front of us. It is also knowing that just because a child identifies as a particular race or ethnic group, it does not mean that they carry all aspects of this culture with them, such as the language or customs. Having said this, I feel that it is critical that we have a thorough understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the implications for within our schools and classroom practice. We must acknowledge and respect the Tangata Whenua of our land, while endeavouring to incorporate this knowledge and understanding in to our classroom programmes and schools.
Within my classroom teaching, I often use the ‘iceberg’ model to look at culture and the aspects we can and can’t see. I have found this a valuable exercise for helping my students understand each other and their different cultures, as well as for myself. The iceberg looks at the visible (above water) aspects of a culture, for example clothing and language versus the non-visible (below the surface) feautres such as values and beliefs. When completing the Self-Review in Cultural Competence Survey on Toi Te Tupu, I found that this highlighted the two aspects of Cultural Intelligence as identified in the Cultural Iceberg, namely:
- I have knowledge and understanding of the significance of observable and visible artefacts and practices of different ethnic cultures.
- I have knowledge and understanding of the significance of the less visible hidden psychological features of culture. This includes values, beliefs, perspectives,world views, and frames of reference pertaining to an ethnic culture.
When my students create their icebergs, it requires deep thinking and also helps them identify and examine their own cultures and what is unique about them. Something interesting that often results from this is the students often identifying how they modify their culture depending on their involvement. From my own children’s experience growing up in two different ethnic cultures (NZ and Tongan) I can also see how they switch when the environment changes. They have learnt ‘cultural norms’ for their cultures and switch between these to suit. Bishop, Berryman, Cavanagh and Teddy (2009) emphasise the importance of student-teacher relationships in culturally responsive teaching. This is also something I am continuosly working on. I want relationships with my students where they know they are valued and that they are important. By developing a greater understanding of their culture, I hope to do this.
Something that my school continues to work on and develop is our use of Te Kawa o Te Ako to help guide our philosophy and strategic plan. Te Kawa o Te Ako have been developed in conjunction with our local iwi and Te Wananga o Raukawa as a set of core values that under pin everything we do. Te Kawa o Te Ako are guided by 10 principles:
Kotahitanga: The development and maintenance of a unity of purpose and direction
Pūkengatanga: The preservation, teaching and creation of mātauranga Māori
Kaitiakitanga: The obligation to foster and protect all living things
Manaakitanga: The expression of mana-enhancing behaviour towards one another
Whanaungatanga: The reciprocal rights and responsibilities that flow from the interrelationships of all living things
Te Reo: The responsibility to ensure the transmission of te reo to future generations
Whakapapa: The inter-relationships of all living things
Ūkaipōtanga: The importance of tūrangawaewae, a place where one belongs, feels valued and is able to contribute
Wairuatanga: The recognition of the intimate spiritual connections that link atua, humankind and nature
Rangatiratanga: The expression of the attributes of a Rangatira, including humility, leadership by example, generosity and diplomacy
Our use of these is growing over time as our understanding of their importance and links to our wider community is developed. While I do not believe we are there yet, it is definitely on the way. While they follow a Kaupapa Maori understanding, these principles can be applied for all students and staff in order to have a greater connection to our learning and our diverse range of cultural backgrounds within our school and community. They are the values and understandings we want all of our community to have and also recognise the importance of Tikanga Maori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our school.
References
Bishop. R., Berryman, M., Cavanagh, T. & Teddy, L. (2009).Te Kotahitanga: Addressing educational disparities facing Māori students in New Zealand. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5),734–742.
Mindlab (2016) Week 28 Class Notes
Te Toi Tupu. (n.d.). Pasifika: Participation, Engagement, Achievement tool. Retrieved from http://www.tetoitupu.org/pasifika-participation-engagement-achievement-tool
Megan, I agree and thank you for bringing it back to mind, the iceberg model has so many layers of consideration when used to explore the cultural identity of people. I have not used it lately but remember doing so in my Year 7 & 8 class, I must revisit next year. It also explains why we can make mistakes through ignorance during interactions and building relationships within the classroom. By getting to know your students using the iceberg it is a valuable first step for the whole class to be more aware, to appreciate differences and begin to imprint this knowledge in their own minds in readiness to be accepting and respectful of others.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts Megan. I specially liked the iceberg model of culture. My sons live in two worlds as well and I love to watch how they seamlessly transition between them.
ReplyDeleteIt is always interesting when you have children who live in two worlds. I always look at mine with wonder. In New Zealand, they are very much able to navigate their way in their schools etc. When we take them home to Tonga, they transition and recognise the different ways in which their behaviour may need to change based on the situations they find themselves in. I can still remember a teacher almost falling through the floor when I showed them a picture of my children in their traditional Tongan dress for a family celebration and the pride they showed in wearing this. It gave them a completely different perspective of how children can live in two or more different cultures and how this can influence them.
DeleteI really like the actions you take to develop cultural responsiveness in your classroom Megan. Do you think that this significantly helps your learners interactions with each other in the classroom? Or more just your own interactions with each individual student?
ReplyDeleteI think it influences both other students in the class as well as my own understandings and interactions. I find that when we get further knowledge of our student's 'back stories' we are far more likely to be able to engage. I also think it helps my students develop a greater level of empathy towards others when they have a greater understanding of where that person is from and what has helped shape them.
DeleteMegan your post really hit home, and it changed my thought process about cultural responsiveness. We tend to have a prejudice when we talk about cultural responsiveness and we are quick to talk about Maori underachievement, but this is bigger than just one specific culture. I do something similar to the iceberg model with my students and I concur with your findings. What age group do you teach?
ReplyDeleteHi, Andre. I teacher years 7 & 8 as well as Year 10. I am also a Dean in charge of Pastoral Care for Years 9 and 10 within my school. I love the iceberg as it helps remind us that there is so much more to a person than what you see on the outside. It can help hugely when dealing with some of the challenging situations I have to deal with as it enables me to unpack a little bit more of the student's 'back story' to look at and consider how their cultural influences might be impacting on the way they are engaging with others or behaving.
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