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Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Connecting New Zealand Teachers of Science with their Māori Students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2015

Ted Glynn ,
Bronwen Cowie ,
Kathrin Otrel-Cass  and
Angus Macfarlane
Ted Glynn
Affiliation:
Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, The University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
Bronwen Cowie
Affiliation:
Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, The University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
Kathrin Otrel-Cass
Affiliation:
Centre for Science and Technology Education Research, The University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand
Angus Macfarlane
Affiliation:
University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand
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Abstract

This paper illustrates how important changes can occur in science learning and teaching if teachers take the trouble to understand and respect the cultural worlds of Indigenous students, and incorporate something of this understanding within their teaching practice. Ten teachers participated in a specially-designed one-year university postgraduate course, which encouraged them to incorporate into their classroom learning two Māori pedagogical principles, ako and whakawhanaungatanga. Ako is a responsive and reciprocal process, through which both teaching and learning roles are shared. Whakawhanaungatanga is the process of constructing relationships in the classroom between people, between students' cultural knowledge and domain knowledge. This paper draws on co-constructed narratives from four of the teachers, two Māori and two Pākehā (New Zealanders of European descent). The teachers built trusting and respectful relationships with their Māori students by facilitating connections between Western and Māori worldviews of science. They shared their teaching role with Māori elders (kaumātua) and members of the extended family of their students (whānau). The teachers learned a great deal from their Māori students who became highly engaged and agentic in their science learning. Students took collaborative responsibility for asking learning questions, and sought information on science topics from both Western and Māori worldviews.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 39 , Issue 1 , 2010 , pp. 118 - 127
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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