Culturally responsive teaching and learning

Rolleston College is committed to bicultural awareness and inclusive learning approaches, and our kaiako/teachers embrace the Hikairo Schema model.

The schema invites our kaiako to rethink approaches to engaging ākonga, re-envisage the teacher/learner dynamic, revise old habits, and reconfigure learning environments to acknowledge and embrace cultural differences.

It is composed of six co-existing components that, when employed in practice, foster teaching and learning strategies which are inclusive, reciprocal, and collaborative in nature. These dimensions work together to provide insights to incorporate te reo and te ao Māori into teaching, and to develop culturally responsive paradigms both for guiding learning and supporting teacher development.

He Poutama: cultural competency

Our kaiako seek opportunities to provide cultural leadership and mentorship at all levels.

Providing cultural leadership can look like:

• providing cultural mentorship to others (advice, guidance and supervision, mana whenua connections)
• modelling the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (partnership, protection, participation) in bicultural decision making
• supporting and guiding others in their knowledge and use of te reo Māori (history, placenames, local dialects)
• providing oversight of, and insight into, kaupapa Māori approaches, frameworks, models, and programmes that are adopted in pedagogical practice.

Embedding and applying new learning and knowledge can include:

• accessing ongoing culutral mentorship (advice, guidance and supervision) to ensure cultural safety and cultural understanding
• applying the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in professional practice
• incorporating and pronouncing te reo Māori with integrity and authenticity
• demonstrating the application and integration of kaupapa Māori approaches, frameworks, models, and programmes in pedagogical practice.

Exploring and enhancing new learning and knowledge can look like:

• addressing one's own knowledge gaps by engaging in targeted professional learning and development specific to te ao Māori
• understanding the impact of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi on professional practice
• addressing one's own learning needs specific to the use and pronunciation of te reo Māori
• exploring and learning about kaupapa Māori approaches, frameworks, models, and programmes (for example, Te Whare Tapa Whā, Te Pau Māhutonga, the Meihana Model, Te Wheke, Pūmanawatanga, Te Pikinga ki Runga, the Educulture Wheel) to inform pedagogical practice.

Having a desire to encounter new learning and knowledge includes identifying the learning gaps:

• identifying one's own knowledge gaps, and seeking opportunities to undertake professional learning and development specific to te ao Māori
• understanding the unique place of Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand
• recognising and identifying one's own learning needs specific to the respectful use and pronunciation of te reo Māori
• accepting cultural diversity: acknowledging and reflecting on cultural differences and similarities with an awareness that one's own cultural realities, perspectives, approaches and frameworks may be different from others'.

Finally, reflecting on the need to embark on a new learning haerenga/journey by:

• having an awareness of one's own cultural identity, cultural practices, values, beliefs, behaviours, and assumptions
• thinking about why and how Te Tiriti o Waitangi retains a unique status for both treaty partners in Aotearoa New Zealand
• reflecting on the unique place of te reo Māori as the first official language of Aotearoa New Zealand
• considering how cultural diversity within education settings highlights an opportunity, and an obligation, to reflect on one's own pedagogical approaches and preferred practice frameworks, and to consider their cultural "fit".

He rauemi aromatawai