Bursts & Bubbles 2021

 Hi All,

Here's my Bursts & Bubbles presentation from this year. Enjoy my CoL inquiry summarised in 3minutes.

Malo

Blogpost #10 - Restate your inquiry question...

 Restate your inquiry question and your theory of action/chain of events

Inquiry Question: 

Can we make accelerated shifts in literacy through teaching Identity & Cultural Competencies?

Chain of events:

1. Planned our project (The PASHISKA WAY - A cultural experience to remember)
2. Unpack what learning will take place (Boys tasks: Write a proposal to Mr Herlihy explaining the project and asking for financial support, create invitations for whanau and Senior Syndicate teachers, create a menu featuring cultural dishes from each members ethnic background and write out the recipe/identify ingredients, create mash-up performance to perform on the day
3. Meet 3-4 times a week with the boys to follow-up on progress of the project
4. Launch/Host project in Week 9 of Term 3

Unfortunately, due to covid-19 and the nationwide lockdown, The PASHISHKA way project was put on hold.

Describe how you will collect information about the implementation of your changed practices/intervention

• When meeting with the boys, plan what the following week would look like. Often I would make reflections and anecdotal notes in my planning that specified what we worked on and what our next steps were
• Student Voice - a powerful tool that kept the 'fire' or 'mana' of this project going. The boys were so engaged, they would remind me of meeting times. There was one day the boys really wanted to go to the library to find a Pacific recipes book to help them with decide on which dish was the easiest to make. This came up during maths learning and I didn't want to 'downplay' or 'ruin the moment'. So I took the class to the library (luckily, it was free) and continued with our learning in there while the boys tracked down their recipe book.
• Blogging & Teacher reflections

Identify informal and formal ways you are monitoring the effects of your changed practices/intervention on learner outcomes. 

Explain the reflections and tweaks you are making along the way

The biggest struggle for me right now is lockdown and getting hold of my PASHISKA boys. For the last couple of weeks of online learning, none of my target students have attended the calls. I have sent parents text messages and composed emails to my students, but still no response.

I am trying to stay positive, in hopes that I will get hold of the boys soon so we can plan a google meet call to check in on everyone and talanoa about a plan B for our project. Everything was slowly falling into place pre-lockdown. 

I have been in talanoa with Poto Faalili and Dorothy Apelu about their inquiries and the progress of it all. It seems we are all in a similar waka with our intervention coming to a stand still. We have  discussing ways on how we could try keep the 'engagement' and 'momemtum' going from our students.

One things for sure, we are not giving up! We are trying to reach out to our tamariki!

Lockdown Learning and the difficulties that come with it...

After our CoL PLG meeting last week, I couldn't help but think about my next steps for my CoL inquiry.

We're back to online learning and we as teachers know the impacts of how this can be difficult for some of our learners.

My target group a.k.a THE PASHISKA BOYS were so amped, so passionate and enthusiastic about our PASHISKA WAY project. So, to break it down, my intervention design was project based. This idea was initiated by myself, due to it being effective last year. The only difference is, my boys were planning everything this year.

The intervention was to launch the project in Week 9 where the boys would host their whanau, our classroom and our principals to what they call "THE PASHISKA WAY". The boys planned to use the last block of a Thursday afternoon (23rd September) to prepare an island feast for the guests and perform for them as a form of entertaining the guests while they enjoy their food. The performance was going to be a mash-up of cultural dances from the Cook Islands, Tonga and Aotearoa - where the boys were from.

Planning the intervention involved:

-the boys writing a proposal of their project to Mr Herlihy

-a letter asking for funding to Mr Herlihy (again)

-brainstorming what the day would look like

-researching recipes of what food to make

-writing a letter to parents/caregivers

-dance practices during lunch break

-meeting with myself x3 a week to share what they had come up with and discuss our next-steps.

Come Week 4 of this term, NZ goes into a nation-wide lockdown. The intervention was put on hold.

To keep the energy and motivation - I endeavoured to meet with the 6 boys online, separate to our class sessions. First meeting was meant to be yesterday via google meets. Only one student responded. It's disheartening because I know it's out of our control.

My goal is to try and meet with the boys online. Talanoa about ideas and ways we could continue the project. Could it still work? Is there a next step?

This intervention is driven by the learners, it's authentic and it allows the teacher to step aside and let the learners show their full potential and what they're capable of. These boys are not at the curriculum level they should be working on, but this project provided opportunities for the students to WRITE, BRAINSTORM, TALANOA, RESEARCH & PLAN something that was meaningful and valued by them.

A couple of years ago, I had real success with my group of boys I worked with for my CoL inquiry. The first time I met with the Pashiska boys last term, it only felt right to share my 2018 success story with them. I shared my presentation with them, showed them pieces of writing produced by those boys in the beginning of 2018 and at the end of 2018. I wish I had a camera to snap the reaction from the PASHISKA boys. This was how I hooked my target group in to my 2021 CoL inquiry.

Lockdown Reading Reflection...

 Title of Book/Reading/Study Programme

Finding your voice in a digital world

Author/s or Lecturer/s or Speaker/s

Core Education Blog post - Kit Haines - Head of English at Kelston Boy's High School

Synopsis

The mana behind Talanoa. A powerful tool that ALL teachers could implement into their classroom/google meet sessions.

I am an avid advocate for Talanoa. I use this framework in my classroom on a daily basis because I know how significant it is. It provides an opportunity to share stories and personal experiences with each other (Teacher-student). Talanoa in Room 11 (in the classroom and on google meets) is a philosophy that my students and I live by.

The word 'talanoa' is a daily occurrence in my household. Growing up I was oblivious to why my grandparents house was always a 'meeting spot' for the extended family. There was a never a day my grandparents 4 bedroom statehouse in Massey was vacant. I would wake up to the sound of laughter and the polyphonic tone of voices coming from the living area. I remember the daily feeds, non-stop requests for a 'hot cup of tea' and the late night singing. 

Decades later, as a postgraduate tertiary student, I'd hear my lecturers talking about the notion of 'Talanoa'. It became a word I'd hear in most of my classes. We even role played what talanoa would look like and guess what? I used it as a methodology for my Masters paper. 

It finally dawned on me why my grandparents house was a place of gathering. Why I'm so close with my huge Tongan extended family. Why it's important to be hospitable and that it shouldn't be a burden to serve others. Because it's part of TALANOA. As Kit pointed out in his post "...talanoa is as much about journeying through conversation together as it is the destination".

Haines (2021) identified 4 attributes that make 'talanoa' meaningful and rich: 'Ofa, Mālie, Mafana & Faka'apa'apa. All 4 attributes indigenous to the Tongan way of living, written and researched by my aunty Dr.Linita Manu'atu in 2002. A respected academic who contributed to developing the Talanoa Model. The literal translations of these words are as follows: 'Ofa = Love, Mālie = Enjoyable/Humourous, Mafana = Warming & Faka'apa'apa = Respectful. Talanoa is not talanoa if one of these 4 traits are missing. 

I can relate to Haines findings because similar occurrences happen in my own classroom setting. 

OFA

When we talanoa, we talanoa about whatever comes to my learners minds. It's an opportunity for all to speak and listen to each other. They absolutely love this. The students are comfortable to open up and talk and it's an unexplainable atmosphere. It took some time to develop this vā and it made me realise the importance of teachers giving the learner space and time to find that 'moment' to share their stories. Yes, there were moments where I had the same students speak and some did not speak at all. But at this very moment, I can say that every learner of R11 has spoken in our talanoa sessions.

MĀLIE

I think I'm funny. My students are funny. We're like a happy family lol. I can guarantee you that every recording I have includes moments of laughter. It brings comfort and emphasises the realisation that we can be who we are without the 'cover-up'. The humour allows us to enjoy the talanoa and also each others' company. Humour breaks the awkward silent moments, whether instigated by myself or the students', it's good to know that we can take silly digs at each other and have a laugh about it. 

MAFANA

Talanoa has to 'hit the fatu'. Ofa and Mālie creates the warmth needed to bring mana to the talanoa. Mafana is unthreatening, it's an open forum where silence is ok and confrontational moments are not offensive. Mafana can either come from the deliverance of the speaker or felt through listening. It's about connection and familiarity with what's being said or heard. I believe Mafana comes to me when I share some of my personal stories with my students. They love hearing about High School because for most of them, they'll be in High School next year. I've shared some of my highs and lows of high school, the choices I made, the consequences I faced but most importantly, the lessons learnt and the accomplishments created. Being able to share things so dear to my heart was a mafana moment for me but also for my students, to hear that their teacher is 'human' after all.

FAKA'APA'APA

Respect is mutal in talanoa. Teachers give the same respect to the learners as they would expect from them. It involves listening, trust and open-ness. It's central to talanoa and is an expectation from the parties involved. Faka'apa'apa is given when I step back and share the stage with my learners and at the end of it, we can all stand together and take a bow because we did this, together!

However, I contradicted my own belief. Haines pointed out that teachers would usually begin their sessions by saying "Mute your mics" and I held my breath for a milli-second because I am guilty of this. I don't say it daily, but I have mentioned it to my kids a couple of times before. Where's the respect? Where's the trust that my learners can sit and listen and have their mics on? Haines reminded me that I should be providing opportunities for rich 'un-muted' conversations to take place.

So what next?

I could go on but, reflections become boring when they're too long to read. I enjoyed writing this reflection because the thought of my students and talanoa sessions in Room 11 would replay itself in my mind. What I need to do though, is continue to record our talanoa sessions. I use to stop recording, at my students request, I think they somehow had an understanding that recording our sessions meant we were being watched. Luckily Johanna came on, to remind them that the purpose of the recordings were for teachers to reflect on better their practice, not for management. I think the learners breathed a sigh of relief.

All in all, Let's continue to talanoa. It's a powerful tool, especially for our Maori/Pasifika and ethnic minority kids.

Blogpost #9 - My Journey so far...

My inquiry is FINALLY beginning to make sense. It's like someone trying to see their reflection in murky waters.

My inquiry this year focuses on something internal, raw, real, truthful. Yes, my focus is on Identity & Cultural competencies and my inquiry questions about "Accelerated Shift" in literacy through teaching in a more culturally responsive way...BUT, it still doesn't quite hit the nail on the head with what I really want to share.

I've been a CoL teacher for Glen Taylor since Term 3, 2018. Now, in 2021, the processes are beginning to make more sense to me. You create an inquiry question, plan and hypothesise how to achieve the question, begin your investigation/study, research it and present your findings at the end of the year. Then you repeat it the following year. But I think it's more than that. It takes more than testing and data collecting to change data results of students from Pacific backgrounds. I say this, because I was one.

If I think back to my primary years, testing was based on answering questions about something I was unfamiliar with. At times, I remember I had to write about 'skiing', and I had no idea what to write because I'd never touched snow before. 

But it was in Year 8, I remember when my South African teacher organised an 'international food day' and we all had to bring a cultural dish from home to share with our Syndicates. I remember standing at the front of the hall in my cultural attire, sharing, smiling and dancing away when the Tongan flag appeared on the screen and a Tongan song was playing in the background. The next day, we were told to write about the experience. I remember getting an 'excellent' for that piece of writing. I had a smile that painted my face that whole day.

That one experience had lived with me till now. This is what I do in my class with my kids. Restoring the faith in them that they are good 'writers' or 'readers'....but through a cultural approach.

I believe the teacher holds the key. If the teacher does not change their practice, then how can we expect a change/shift in student achievement? To teach our dominantly Pasifika & Maori students, you HAVE TO make a connection, and that comes from within.

Dr Rae Si'ilata stated at our Term 1 Teacher only Day, "English can never translate the depth of our Reo & Talanoa". 

We need to encourage our learners to come into the room with the voices that have raised and taught them. Privilege the native speaker, recognise the language and cultural resources. Teach through the medium of their languages.

This is why I decided my inquiry will focus on IDENTITY & CULTURAL COMPETENCIES. Rather than focusing on 1 particular learning area, I apply this practice in all learning areas in my class but because the criteria for CoL achievement challenges expects us to choose a learning area, I decided on literacy. Literacy provides the space for expression and story telling. It enables the learner to speak from the fatu or write to 'hit the fatu'. This is why I chose literacy as my subject of focus.

As teachers, it's important you understand your own distinctiveness, identity and culture in deep and meaningful ways in order to genuinely engage and respond to the distinctiveness, identity and culture of others. For young Maori and Pacific people in NZ, research shows that the stronger our cultural identity, the stronger our wellbeing is (Hawk et al, 2002). If we embrace and strengthen cultural identity, we strengthen our wellbeing. The more we teachers understand ourselves, the better we can understand our learners.

Documents being used & how: TAPASA & TATAIAKO 

• TURU 1: Identities, Languages and Culture - 
  
  • Use experts in the class all the time - use them as experts
  • Learn to pronounce my name correctly
  • Don’t be scared to ask the kids the questions.  
  • Learn greetings in our home language
  • Watch them before school or in the playground play and interact (especially Pasifika)- how to take it into learning programme.
  • Ask what they’d be doing at church time especially celebrations
  • Pg 7: number 2, not be frightened to get pronunciation wrong and show i’ve given it a go but follow up with the question of ‘have i pronounced that right’, can you help me.
  • Be out in the carpark and talking to families in the carpark, supermarkets.

• TURU 2: Collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviour

• Build relationships with Pasifika communities and cultural leaders.

• TURU 3:Effective Pacific pedagogies

• Observe, listen carefully and waited longer - don’t interrupt children’s thinking.