Indigenous knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness                      Mindlab - Week 28

We all grow up with a set of assumptions, beliefs and values which are informed through our closest relationships, initially those of our Whanau, and then our wider communities. These cultural settings are what make us who we are, providing us with a sense of self and belonging. It seems to me that it is when our cultural identifiers are challenged and questioned, when we are expected to reinvent ourselves to fit in with the “norm” that problems arise. Unfortunately the lingering effects of British colonisation have helped to create an educational disparity within our New Zealand educational system. The achievement gap between our indigenous population, Maori, and Pakeha is a problem shared by other indigenous populations around the world. Listening to Russell Bishop discuss the “fiscal deficit” we have created within the educational context in this country was a wake up call for me.

 I have travelled extensively and lived abroad for a number of years and for me, looking at other countries where communities of indigenous populations and colonisers have blended always reinforced how much better we were in New Zealand, more united, more integrated, more aware. It wasn’t until I returned to New Zealand and began working within the education system that I realised how much more we need to do to address the disparity between Pakeha and Maori achievement. Yes we are better at some of the more tangible cultural identifiers. We run Kapahaka groups and hold Powhiris. In some cases we offer Te Reo Maori classes to those interested, but in many instances we aren’t really invested in trying to understand our students and create relationships in which we acknowledge the intangible part of a student’s culture, those of their values, beliefs, opinions, perceptions and assumptions. 

Perhaps this is an issue which is more problematic in the school in which I work. Although New Zealand is becoming a multi-cultural society with a diverse range of ethnicities and cultures, I thought it appeared to impact other areas of our country more than my sleepy, semi-rural community which is predominantly Anglo-Saxon, with less than 10% of the students coming from Maori or other ethnicities. On the surface very little seems to have changed here but when I had cause to dig a bit deeper, trying to encourage connections between our students and the wider world I discovered a large number of different cultural links. As part of book week we encouraged students and their Whanau to share a folk story, myth or legend with which they had a cultural connection. Students and Whanau were excited to share this part of their culture with the wider school community. This however was an example of a tangible aspect of their culture. In retrospect I did create a learning context where both students and whanau could bring their own knowledge to the classroom, but I feel I could have done more to provide learning opportunities which would acknowledge all my student’s experiences as real and legitimate.

I do believe that at my school we recognise that relationships with our students are important to educational performance. This is apparent in our school vision which is “to sustain and enrich a culture that promotes human dignity and continuous improvement based upon mutual respect and genuine partnerships among students, staff and the community”. We do try to develop caring, learning relationship with all our students and our Maori students are engaged in learning and are achieving educational success as Maori, with pride in their unique identity, language and culture. What we could do better is to be more aware of, and sensitive to all our students, whatever their ethnic and cultural groups. We need to be culturally responsive, allowing students to be proud of who and what they are and what they have to offer our class, school and the wider world.

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.

Edtalks. (2012, September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. [Video file].Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49992994

Potahu, T. W. (2011). Mauri - Rethinking Human Wellbeing. MAI Review, 3, 1-12. Retrieved from http://www.review.mai.ac.nz/index.php/MR/article/v...