Te P\u016btahi-a-Toi School of M\u0101ori Knowledge<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kura kaupapa M\u0101ori are M\u0101ori language immersion schools, where the philosophy and practice reflect M\u0101ori cultural values with the aim of revitalising M\u0101ori language, knowledge and culture. Massey\u2019s Te Aho T\u0101tairangi: Bachelor of Teaching and Learning Kura Kaupapa M\u0101ori and the postgraduate programme Te Aho Paerewa prepare teachers for teaching in kura kaupapa M\u0101ori, as Professor Huia Jahnke from Te Putahi-a- Toi School of M\u0101ori Knowledge explained. \u2018We\u2019ve developed a relationship with Te R\u016bnanga Nui o Ng\u0101 Kura Kaupapa M\u0101ori o Aotearoa, the national governing body for kura kaupapa M\u0101ori, who work with the government and other agencies to increase resources and help set policy for their sector. We entered into a partnership with Te R\u016bnanga, co-constructed the programmes with their members and they now co-teach with us.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The programmes are based on research that has provided insight into what leads to success for M\u0101ori learners and their wh\u0101nau (family). \u2018Mainstream teacher education doesn\u2019t work in preparing teachers for kura kaupapa, as the philosophy is different,\u2019 said Professor Jahnke. For example, the curriculum for kura kaupapa is based on Te Marautanga o Te Aho Matua, the New Zealand curriculum, and is taught through the medium of the M\u0101ori language. An important aspect of the curriculum is its place- based orientation. \u2018This means children will begin their schooling first through kohanga reo, learning their identity as M\u0101ori and how they are genealogically connected to their whenua, their land, mountain and rivers. This gives them a secure and confident sense of who they are.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kura kaupapa has its own legislated philosophy, Te Aho Matua; a unique philosophy of education to come out of New Zealand. \u2018In the preparation of teachers in mainstream schools, education theory and practice tend to reference philosophers from elsewhere. By contrast Te Aho Matua is grounded in Aotearoa and embedded in kura kaupapa M\u0101ori. What is central to kura kaupapa is that M\u0101ori language, values and culture are norms and therefore children don\u2019t fail. Wh\u0101nau are deeply engaged in the kura and involved in the governance.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research has shown that M\u0101ori children located in mainstream schools are most often alienated from their culture and identity, which can impact negatively on their level of success. M\u0101ori graduates of kura kaupapa are more likely to go on to higher education than their contemporaries coming out of mainstream schooling. \u2018The high levels of truancy, absenteeism, low attendance and stand-down rates in mainstream schools are not there in kura kaupapa; a clear indication of what works for M\u0101ori. Furthermore, kura kaupapa M\u0101ori students tend to achieve higher NCEA results than students from decile 9 and 10 schools. Unfortunately, most M\u0101ori children are located in mainstream schools, where they are most at risk. There aren\u2019t enough kura kaupapa and the sector still has a problem with teacher supply, which is one of the reasons why our two programmes were set up.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Professor Jahnke, a member of the prestigious American Education Research Association\u2019s Executive Committee for Special Interest Groups, has also looked at what it means to be a M\u0101ori academic within a university. \u2018Massey promotes itself as Treaty-led, and I\u2019m interested in what this means for M\u0101ori. The research has helped to uncover the multiple sites of struggle for M\u0101ori within the context of Eurocentric institutions and critiques the nature of such institutions. In Aotearoa we have to consider the impact of government policy on M\u0101ori staff and ultimately on M\u0101ori student success. An important aspect of my work is mentoring and fostering the leadership abilities of our younger M\u0101ori academics, who are already making important contributions to M\u0101ori development.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another area of focus is M\u0101ori access to higher education. Professor Jahnke emphasises the importance of understanding that there is not a level playing field for M\u0101ori students. \u2018The violence and detrimental impacts of the colonisation process has had an intergenerational effect on M\u0101ori, and we are still dealing with the ramifications,\u2019 she explained. \u2018These include intergenerational trauma and negativity towards schooling. My mother\u2019s generation was beaten for not speaking English; it was her first ever experience of violence. Such experiences were traumatic, and this led to a generation of native speakers not necessarily passing on the language to their children, which is so important to our identity. Now we have a different generation of young people who are entering university. Some are secure in their identity and fluent in te reo, while others know they\u2019re M\u0101ori but don\u2019t know where they\u2019re from \u2014 their whakapapa \u2014 which can present a whole different set of issues. It cannot be assumed that academic staff know the history of M\u0101ori struggle for self-determination, and therefore they don\u2019t know the historical, political or social context of the few M\u0101ori students who are enrolled at university. The fact that M\u0101ori students are at university is a testament to wh\u0101nau resilience, and possibly explains why many students tend to be older than mainstream students, and why most tend to study at a distance.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recently, Professor Jahnke co-edited a book by indigenous scholars from North America, New Zealand and Hawai\u2018i that explores indigenous education within contested spaces of the academy. \u2018The book looks at some of the ways in which indigenous scholars have strategised to develop new directions and approaches to what counts as education for indigenous peoples within the academy. It\u2019s a book of hope.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PROFESSOR HUIA JAHNKE Ng\u0101ti Kahungunu, Ng\u0101ti Toa Rang\u0101tira, Ng\u0101i Tahu, Ng\u0101ti Hine Te P\u016btahi-a-Toi School of M\u0101ori Knowledge Kura kaupapa M\u0101ori are M\u0101ori language immersion schools, where the philosophy and practice reflect M\u0101ori cultural values with the aim of revitalising M\u0101ori language, knowledge and culture. Massey\u2019s Te Aho T\u0101tairangi: Bachelor of Teaching and Learning Kura … Continue reading M\u0101ori education that works<\/span>