Resources in my teaching environment which help me

I have created several resources to have in my teaching environment to support me on my quest to use more te reo māori. These rauemi (resources) are mainly posters with kupu and phrases that we use often in class. Some are questions, some are instructions and some are lists of common everyday kupu to incorporate more. I have found it very handy as a quick reference when my memory fails me, but also the students in my class refer to them as well. 

The importance of building relationships with tamariki and whanau

According to Te ako i te reo Māori - Teaching and learning te reo Māori the characteristics of effective teaching and learning
"Effective teachers of te reo Māori actively build strong relationships with students’ whānau and communities. They manage the classroom environment well and develop relevant and carefully sequenced learning tasks that provide multiple opportunities for learning and enable students to make links between their new learning of te reo Māori and their prior knowledge and experiences" (https://tereomaori.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-guidelines/Teaching-and-learning-te-reo-Maori).

This article also mentions that many of the tasks undertaken within the class are social. This has been a focus for me within my teaching practice, and specifically in my learning journey for incorporating more te reo Maori. What we are learning for te reo Maori we do in a social manner. There are a lot of conversations, role-play, and banter. I believe this has helped to engage students and to embed the learning that is taking place, not just for them, but for myself too. It has been instrumental in helping develop my confidence and understanding.

 

September reflection

My goal is to build a culturally responsive classroom based on respect and connection. I am finding the best way for me to do this is to initiate more korero and establish classroom communication practices that include te reo Māori. One example of this is our morning routine. We do daily taumata. After taumata we do the role and each child is asked how they are feeling and then respond and ask another student the same question (in te reo māori). When we first started this routine it took a while. Students stumbled with the asking and answering. They were also clearly nervous. Now it has become second nature to them. They are starting to experiment by responding with new kupu, instead of the standard e pai ana ahau. This routing has been beneficial for me most of all. It has helped build my confidence and I can also see that the children appreciate my efforts as well.

Here is a list of things I have noticed when I use more te reo māori within the classroom. 

• Our confidence has grown.
• Our pronunciation has improved.
• We are more willing to give things a go.
• We are supportive of each other.

Hattie's 8 Mind Frames

 

These are the 2 mind frames that resonated with me the most.

I teach through dialogue not monologue.

It's my role to develop a positive relationship in the class and the staff room.

July, 2023 reflection

This term I have been very focused on introducing and using more kupu and instructional te reo Maori on a regular basis. I have found the delivery is coming across more naturally for me. The bonus is, the students are following suit and using and understanding more instructional phrases. We regularly use greetings and topic-specific vocabulary.

I will try to get some video evidence for my next post, to show my progression.

Term 2, 2023 Reflection

This term for my week of running assembly I had to run a Powhiri. I ensured I was organised by having notes so I would remember what needed to be said. I feel my pronunciation and phrasing went well despite internal nervousness. I met with Raechel who guided me on some corrections that I needed to make beforehand. 

In the weeks leading up to it, I had practiced daily in class, so it flowed quite well. I didn't feel lost at all and was able to look up and make eye contact with students, etc without losing where I was at. I think this shows my developing understanding of what the protocols and tikanga are. Therefore displaying growth in my capabilities and comfort in speaking te reo māori (Standard 4: Learning Focused Culture).

How things are going so far...

So far I have included more reo into my planning. I have mainly done this by altering my planning to have common classroom phrases and questions as part of our daily routine. It has become more habitual for both me and the students which in turn has created a more natural delivery of these 'mini-lessons'. My confidence has grown quite a bit due to this (Standard Building Relationships: 

The main area I have changed thus far is the Classroom Screen which is on display most of the day. I have incorporated greetings, asking the day of the week, and asking about the weather. When the students answer the question I type it in the text boxes and/or drag the corresponding images to the correct places.

Another area I am utilising is our behaviour rewards system Class Dojo. There is an award value for students using te reo in normal classroom situations. They are awarded 5 points for 'korero'.

Professional Growth Cycle 2023

The focus for my Professional Growth Cycle for 2023 is to integrate more te reo Māori and tikanga Māori into my classroom programme (Standard 1: Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership. Practice and develop the use of te reo and tikanga Māori). The reasoning behind this is for implementing the strategy ‘Building an inclusive, culturally responsive classroom environment’. (Standard 4: Learning Focused CultureCreating an environment where learners can be confident in their identities, languages, cultures and abilities).

I feel that incorporating, for example, classroom communication practices that include te reo Māori, will help to include and engage all students, and build mutual respect and connection with my students and their whanau (Standard 3: Professional Relationships. Engage in reciprocal, collaborative learning-focused relationships with learners, family and whānau).

So far this year, as a syndicate we decided to have our daily taumata together. This was in part a way to grow and bond as a team but also as a way to build relationships across the classes. The students and teachers who have a stronger understanding of culture and protocols can share what they know and support others.

My question at the moment is how do I measure whether this will be successful or not? I can collect assessment data from Te Reo lessons to see if there is an improvement in students' ability to use the instructions, etc. I can use IRIS to video myself to show any growing confidence in the delivery of lessons. I will post regular reflections to share how things are going.

https://inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/supporting-akonga-maori/consider-ways-to-integrate-te-reo-maori-and-tikanga-maori-into-your-classroom-programme/