Leading News & Analysis Will Teacher 'Cultural Competence' Equal Higher Maori Child Achievement in ECE
Will Teacher 'Cultural Competence' Equal Higher Maori Child Achievement in ECE
A question hangs over the newly published 'Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Maori Learners' and that is whether in early childhood education, for which this document is stated to apply, it will make a positive difference to the educational outcomes of Maori children.
Published by the Ministry of Education, it is a guide and not legally required standards or criteria. The document shows how the competencies can be linked to the Teachers' Council 'Graduating Teacher Standards' and 'Registered Teacher Criteria '.
For teacher education course providers the guide provides a very useful and easy way to identify and check the 'cultural competence' of students before graduating.
Once students are employed in a childcare or kindergarten service, factors that affect whether a provisionally registered teacher moves onto the next step of cultural competence include the cultural competence of their mentor and the support of their employer and workplace colleagues.
For people entering initial teacher education, and for graduating teachers, the focus is märama: developing an understanding of one’s own identity, language and culture; developing an understanding of the relevance of culture in New Zealand education; and developing an understanding of and openness to Mäori knowledge and expertise. For registered teachers, the focus is möhio: knowing how to validate and affirm Mäori and iwi culture, and applying that knowledge. For school and ECE service leaders, the focus is mätau: being able to lead and engage others in validating and affirming Mäori and iwi culture (Ministry of Education, 2011)
It is not clear how managers and operators of ECE services as leaders will be encouraged or compelled to consider the guidelines that are stated to be for them. However, in services that employ staff specifically to be professional learning managers the cultural competencies guideline could be usefully linked to performance reviews.
Diversity within the early childhood sector is not accounted for in the document which is oriented to mainstream schools and teacher-led ECE services. Many children are taught by people in early childhood services who are not registered teachers and all children are taught by their families and whanau at home and in other community settings as well.
Playcentre, a service run by parents, has a long history of striving for biculturalism and support for Maori.
Nga Kohanga Reo a service provided by Maori and classified by government as early childhood education have grown tied of being dictated to and are seeking separation from mainstream early childhood education.
And the people providing the education and care of children in homes for licensed home-based education agencies are not eligible for teacher registration.
The cultural competencies guideline backs-up what research in the past has shown and what is generally known in early childhood care and education to be important for the support and development of every child. As explained by the Associate Minister of Education it is about:
- the teacher having knowledge of children's history, tikanga, and worldview – and reflecting this in the curriculum and environment
- finding out and knowing the aspirations that whänau and iwi have for children
- actively including and involving whänau and iwi in the teaching and learning culture of the early childhood education service
An ECE service that does not do all of the above for each child, Maori and non-Maori, can not provide a quality of learning and teaching that is high for the child.
The Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Maori Learners'
Wänanga: participating with learners and communities in robust dialogue for the benefit of Mäori learners’ achievement.
Whanaungatanga: actively engaging in respectful working relationships with Mäori learners, parents and whänau, hapü, iwi and the Mäori community.
Manaakitanga: showing integrity, sincerity and respect towards Mäori beliefs, language and culture.
Tangata Whenuatanga: affirming Mäori learners as Mäori. Providing contexts for learning where the language, identity and culture of Mäori learners and their whänau is affirmed.
Ako: taking responsibility for their own learning and that of Mäori learners.
Comments
Anything else is illogical, and is setting up the majority of teachers' to fail.
I love working with teachers' to identify their cultural strengths rather then their percieved deficencies.
Mana motuhake!
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