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/
