What
is the organisational culture (collective values/principles) that underpins
your practice? How would you contribute to fostering a positive professional
environment in your community of practice?
Our
kura is proud of the implementation of a behaviour incentive programme that is
based on our core values of PUMAU, (Harmer, 2010). This acronym stands for P:
Pai Rawa Atu - Trying our absolute best. This is evident in the key competency
of Managing Self where every child takes ownership of the quality of their work
and behaviour. U: Whakaute - Respect, which is to be reciprocated, and can be
seen in the key competency of Relating to Others. M: Mana - Maintaining and
Upholding your Wellbeing, an obvious component of the key competency of
Participating and Contributing. A: Aheia - To show resilience and
determination, which is an expectation of the key competency Understanding
Language, Symbols and Texts. U: Ngakau Manawa Reka - To enjoy the learning
journey, which can be achieved when you are engaging in the key competency of
Thinking.
What
are the current issues in your community of practice? How would your community
of practice address them?
“Te Reo
Maori enables the student to access the depth of matauranga Maori in order to
conceptualise and understand fully the implications of the knowledge at hand.
Te Reo Maori and Kaupapa Maori knowledge are inextricably bound (Nepe 1991).” There
have been issues on which language we are promoting in our school setting. Kura
Kaupapa Māori “have placed Maori in a position where not only the definitions
of what is Kaupapa Maori have been important but the richness of the language
is also considered.” (Smith, 1990) There are a number of staff members and
board of trustee members that will often speak English in our māori medium
school. The issue was, how are we promoting that only te reo māori is to be
spoken on school grounds where there are several staff members that no little
māori. It is argued that the language proficiency of teachers affects the language proficiency of students. At
the same time, no universal definition of te reo Māori ‘proficiency’ for teaching through the language
has been agreed upon (Skerrett, 2011). In Kane’s (2005) study of a sample of ITE providers of Māoricentred
or Māori medium teacher qualifications, all the programmes had “some expectation of
bilingualism” and expected “a level of competency in te reo Māori for staff and students” (p. 202). As
noted by Skerrett (2011, p. 133), however, the terms ‘competency’ and ‘bilingual’/‘bilingualism’ are
difficult to define and are highly controversial in pedagogical terms. We have requested and engaged in
programs which focus on language strengthening and how to best implement within
our class or school grounds. We meet with a school specialist with Te Reo o te
Kaiako every fortnight to learn new language structures and dynamics. We meet
with other means to develop language and are taught how best to stimulate students
with language and technology features.
Nepe, T. M. (1991). Te Toi Huarewa Tipuna: Kaupapa Maori, an Educational Intervention System. Department of Education. The University of Auckland, Auckland
Pere, Rangimarie, (1991) Te Wheke: A Celebration of Infinite Wisdom, Ao Ako Global Learning New Zealand, Gisborne
Smith, G. H. (1997). The Development of Kaupapa Maori: Theory and Praxis. Department of Education. The University of Auckland, Auckland.
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