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.
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).
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.
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/
I created a Google Form to get feedback from the students involved about how they felt about extended discussions and how it impacted their learning.
Here are the responses from some of the students involved.
