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Tapasā

Cultural competencies framework for teachers of Pacific learners

Tamaki College Pasifika Langa Ako Initiative

Your Voyage starts here

Link to Teacher Workbook for today:

https://bit.ly/Tapasa01

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Welcome & Introduction

Dorothy Apelu

Tamaki College Pasifika Langa Ako Initiative

Link to Teacher Workbook for today:

https://bit.ly/Tapasa01

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Le Atua e, Ia fa'amanuia mai lenei Kolisi.

Faamanuia ma puipui atu tama ma teine tuai ole aoga.

Ia faamanuia ma puipui i tama ma teine oe ua omai e su'esu'e ma saili le poto.

Faafetai faafofoga mai.

Matou te tatalo atu i lou suafa Paia.

Amene

Tamaki College Pasifika Langa Ako Initiative

Our School Prayer

(Lotu in Samoan)

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Presentation

Mele Suipi Fakatava Lātū

Tamaki College Pasifika Langa Ako Initiative

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Outcome for Today

To navigate the Tapasā from a Pasifika lens.

Objectives:

1) Background information

2) Perspectives of Pasifika learners

3) Teachers to navigate Tapasā from knowing their learners

Tamaki College Pasifika Langa Ako Initiative

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5 Main Shifts

Work reciprocally with diverse

Pacific communities to respond

to unmet needs, with an initial

focus on needs arising from the

COVID-19 pandemic.

“Diverse Pacific learners and their families are safe, valued, and equipped to achieve their education aspirations”

(2)

Confront systemic racism

and discrimination in education

Action Plan for Pacific Education 2020-2030

(4)

Partner with families to design education

opportunities together with teachers,

leaders and educational professionals so that

aspirations for learning and employment can

be met

(3)

Enable every teacher, leader

and educational professional

to take coordinated action

to become culturally

competent with diverse

Pacific learners

(5)

Grow, retain and value highly competent teachers,

leaders and educational professionals of diverse

Pacific heritages

Vision

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Tapasā is a Samoan term - translated ‘Navigation Compass’.

The tapasā serves as a guide or pathway in a journey

Guide for teachers to navigate their own journey of becoming more culturally competent

A symbol of the learning pathway that Pacific learners can undertake.

Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.

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“Tapasā is a tool that can be used to build the capability of all teachers of Pacific learners across all education sectors.”

(Tapasā, p.1)

Tapasā is a resource that provides a Pacific learner lens to Our Code, Our Standards.

It is aligned with the Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards for the Teaching profession.

Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Tapasā brings Pacific perspectives to effective and quality teaching practice at different stages of a teachers’ journey in key areas and transition points for Pacific learners in early learning, primary and secondary education.

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Why the Pasifika Learners?

Pacific peoples are one of the larger ethnic groups in New Zealand, with the highest proportion of children aged 0-14 years.

It is estimated that the number of Pacific learners will increase from 10 to 20 percent of the total school population by 2050

Pasifika Education Monitoring Report. Ministry of Education. 2017).

The New Zealand education system is world leading, and many learners do very well and achieve outstanding success. However, the system can do more to ensure excellent and equitable outcomes for all learners because we know there are challenges within the system for some, and Pacific learners constitute a significant proportion.

. . . but the system is failing many Pacific learners

.......overall gains over the last decade, Māori and Pacific learners are still experiencing significant disparities in achievement.

......The inequities are most marked at NCEA Level 3 and University Entrance (UE). In 2018, 28 percent of Pacific 18 year olds had not yet achieved NCEA Level 2 (the minimum level considered suitable for readiness for life outside school). Less than a third of Pacific learners attained UE while over half of European/Pākehā did.

Foreword, Tapasā, p1

Best Practice for teaching Pacific learners, Pacific Evidence Brief, 2019, p2)

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Demographic Information: 2022 Pasifika Learners at Tamaki College

Maori	Tongan	Samoan	Cook Island	Niuean	Filipino	Other
32%	28%	12%	14%	6%	2%	4%

Pasifika Learners	60+%

1x Chinese student; 1x Indian student; 3x Fijian students; 1x Palestian student; 2x Afghani students; 5x Tuvaluan students; 5x Burmese students; 1x Malaysian student; 1x Tokelaun student; 7x Palangi students

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Action Research Inquiry

Perspectives

of

Tamaki College Pasifika Learners about education

Alvina Pau’uvale

Dorothy Apelu

Albert Tu'uga Stevenson

Mele Suipi Lātū

2021

Analysis (to be completed)

Some data from this research are used in this presentation.

Questionnaire

Why the inquiry?

-Use of evidence-based data/information are valid, reliable & credible.

-Use of Tamaki College Students’ (context-based) data/information are authentic & Pragmatic.

-Use of qualitative & quantitative data/information are practical and informative for use.

Data/Information collected from Inquiry.

Section 1: About success

Section 2: About my education

Section 3: About my Wellbeing - Identity, Culture & Beliefs

Section 4: Polyfest - A cultural platform

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Demographic Information: Year Levels

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Demographic Information: Ethnicities

Table 1: Percentages of Ethnicities
Ethnicity	%	Ethnicity	%
Tongans	38	Tongan/Samoan	3
Samoans	30	Tongan/Maori	2
Niueans	3	Tongan/Niuean	1
Cook Islands	7	Tongan/English	2
Tuvaluans	1	Samoan/Cook Island	3
Tongan/Cook Island	7	Samoan/Maori	3
Cook Island/Maori	1	Samoan/European	1
Samoan/Solomon Is	1

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What is success?

Tamaki College Pasifika Students’ Perspectives

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2) What do think Pasifika learners would say success

look like for them?

What do you think success for Pasifika learners look like?

Write some ideas down and discuss with some around you.

Activity 1: Write your ideas on the two questions given below. (To access the activity link)

What is Success in Education? (Slide 4)

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100 participants.
97 gave responses
Altogether 108 responses given.

(Sometimes more than 2 or more participants gave the same answer. Every answer was counted)

8 main categories

- Achieve NCEA

- achieve school & future goals;

- attend school everyday;

- University/awards

- RISE & qualities

- Proud of culture

- Proud of schools

- others.

Figure 1: What success looks like for a Tamaki student

Questionnaire

Section 1: About Success

Question 1: What does success look like for:

a) Tamaki student?

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100 participants in the inquiry.

Altogether 108 responses.

Then....

8 categories were grouped under two main categories

- Academic achievement

- School & Cultural values

2 main areas that students seem to reflect from their perspectives as what success is for them as Tamaki students.

Questionnaire

Section 1: About Success

Question 1: What does success look like for:

a) Tamaki student?

Figure 2: Academic Achievement & School/cultural Values

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100 participants.
88 gave responses.
93 responses.

Under 8 main categories -

- Make parents proud

- Good job to give back to family

- Good representation of culture

- Practice cultural values;

- Learn culture more

- Break cultural stereotypes

- Graduating & better education

- Others.

Figure 3: What success looks like as a Pasifika Youth?

Questionnaire

Section 1: About Success

Question 1: What does success look like for:

b) Pasifika Youth?

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100 participants.
88 gave responses.
93 responses

Then....

The 8 categories were grouped under two main categories - -Academic achievement

- Culture & Qualities

Questionnaire

Section 1: About Success

Question 1: What does success look like for:

b) Pasifika Youth?

Figure 4: Academic Achievement & Culture/Qualities

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Other Evidence....

Māori and Pacific students value educational achievement as a communal good as well as a personal benefit and are often motivated by their desire to use their education to contribute to their communities

(Macfarlane, Webber, Cookson-Cox, & McRae, 2014).

In the MPEI theory of change, success as Māori and Pacific people was framed around: pride, sense of identity and wellbeing; engagement in wider whānau, community, and church life; leadership and service; and educational and economic success.

(Kinnect Group & Foundation North, 2016c, p. 7)

Prime Minister’s Award is a family achievement

Janah Iulia Aut

“I have said this before, but if I could, I would have had my grandparents, aunties, uncles and parents’ names on this award, as I learnt to serve my community through them.”

Janah Iulia Autagavaia, a proud New Zealand-born Samoan, receiving a Prime Minister’s Pacific Youth Award.Conjoint degree - Law & Art, University of Auckland.

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Pasifika Success

Pasifika Success as being “characterised by demanding, vibrant, dynamic, successful Pasifika learners, secure and confident in their identities, languages and cultures, navigating through all curriculum areas such as the arts, sciences, technology, social sciences and mathematics.”

(The Pasifika Education Plan 2013–2017 (PEP)

Within early learning, success is characterised by competent and confident tamariki who are happy, thriving, enjoying good health and wellbeing, engaging and interacting with others in positive ways, and growing confidently and secure in their identities, languages and cultures, sense of belonging and knowledge that affirms their valued contribution to family, community and wider society

(Te Whāriki, 2017)

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How would you navigate this worldview of Pasifika success in Tapasā to build your competency as a teacher/leader of Pasifika learners?

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What are the barriers for the learning of Pasifika learners?

Tamaki College Pasifika Student Perspectives

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Questionnaire

Section 1: About Success

Question 2: What are barriers /things stopping you from being successful?

100 participants

93 responded

162 reponses

16 Categories

1) Poor habits

2) Lazy

3) Self-doubt

4)Lack of purpose/motivation

5) Mental wellbeing

6) Multi-tasking

7) Surroundings

8) Lack of discipline

9) Financial issues

10) Family Demands

11) Put-downs

12) Distractions

13) Wrong Crowd

14) Devices

15) Time Management

16) Corona/Lockdown

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Section 1: About Success

Question 2: What are barriers /things stopping you from being successful?

1) Poor habits	To be honest is just myself; Making excuses; not wanting to learn; decisions making; Not doing the right thing; Not listening to teachers; Missing and coming late to class; Not giving full attention to people.	5) Mental Wellbeing	My mind never functioning properly; Mentally & emotionally drained; Nerves; Anxiety - forced; State of wellbeing; Tired; Fearing failure.
2) Lazy	Not studying; Being lazy or too busy with casual Being lazy all the time; Not wanting to do anything.	6) Surrounding	Surroundings; Being a student in an environment that hardly displays our culture.
3)Self-doubt	Bad thoughts & feeling like giving up when things get hard; Myself/my self doubt; I self-doubt myself a lot and I don’t believe I can do certain things; Lack of self-belief & depending on people too much; Not believing in myself; My own mindset.	7) Too many expectations/multitasking	Too many expectations; Being pressured with a lot of work; As a young teen I struggle with my timetable knowing that I have other things I need to do such as netball, school, and now ball (doing multi-task; Multitasking.
4) Lack of purpose & motivation	Unmotivated; No motivation; Lack of self-motivation; Not having the courage to finish off work to high standards; Being not passionate; Myself (not knowing what to do in the future; Lack of purpose for life; Ignorance & Lack of purpose.	8) Lack of discipline	Not much discipline; Lack of discipline; Teachers don’t discipline enough so I do what I want.

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Section 1: About Success

Question 2: What are barriers /things stopping you from being successful?

9)Distractions	Negative distractions from peers; Talking to friends & not focus & doing other things; I get distracted easily, for example from friends, social media, and phone (a big distraction); Distractions - social media, netflix; Getting distracted too much from learning; Not focusing during class time; Social media is a huge distraction; Distraction - internet; Distractions - too busy watching TV, Tech, games, going shops, talking	10) Being put down/opinions of others	Comparing me to other people; People’s opinions; People judging because I’m getting myself out there & going out of my comfort zone; People saying you can’t do this or you can’t do that; Put downs making me feel useless; Negative energy; Haters; Judgement; Discouraging people; Underestimated; Getting put down
11) Wrong Crowd	Type of people I hang around with; By hanging around with wrong group of friends; Wrong crowd of people; Following bad people; Friends; Influences of friends, not following the right ones; Having friends that smoke and drink and go out a lot (99)	12) Family	Family outings, celebrations, occasions; Family problems (sometimes); Upbringing; Doing things out of school; Commitment outside of school; Not enough time to study due to doing chores straight after school.
13) Devices	Equipment; No device; Not bringing the right gears to school; Not having the right equipment.	14) Financial Issues	Financial issues; Not having stuff for what I need to do.
15) Time Management	Time management.	16) Corona Virus/Lockdown	Corona virus & lock down

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Raising Student Achievement: Barriers to Learning (Dept Portfolio)

1) Irregular or poor attendance.

2) Poor literacy and language skills.

3) Lack of resources, e.g. broken device.

4) Lack of general knowledge, limited world view.

5) Inconsistent home support, e.g. in relation to homework etc.

1) Distractions

2) Poor habits

3) Put-downs

4) Lack of purpose/motivation

5) Lazy

6) Self-doubt

7) Mental wellbeing

8) Wrong Crowd

9) Multi-tasking

10) Family Demands

11) Time Management

12) Devices

13) Surroundings

14) Lack of discipline

15) Financial issues

16) Corona/Lockdown

Barriers to Learning (MoE)

Barriers to Learning: TC Pasifika Learners

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How would you navigate these barriers to learning in Tapasā to build your competencies as a teacher/leader of Pasifika learners?

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What is a good teacher for Pasifika learners?

Tamaki College Pasifika Student Perspectives

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Teachers of Pasifika learners

Working with Tapasā

Tapasā is a resource for all teachers of Pacific learners

To support teachers to become more culturally aware, confident and competent when engaging with Pacific learners and their parents, families and communities.

It aims to contextualise quality teaching and learning within a Pacific learner setting by providing a Pacific lens to the Standards for the Teaching Profession and the Code of Professional Responsibility.

It can be used as a foundation document to develop further resources to support governance, strategic and programme planning; developing local curriculum; induction, mentoring and appraisals; and professional learning and development.

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Characteristics of a good teacher (Slide 9)

(Based on feedback from Pacific learners (Years 7-13) and Pacific parents received during the sector consultation on the Tapasā draft framework June-July 2017, Tapasa p.7)

Activity 2: Focus on yourself (and evaluate) as you go through these 12 characteristics of a good teacher of Pacific learners. Then put a tick (✔) beside each which you think you have it and already practise that characteristic.

✔	Characteristics	✔	Characteristics
	understands that my identity, language and culture is important to me		communicates well and isn’t afraid to ask me and my parents questions
	pronounces my name and words in my language properly		does research to know more about me, my family and my culture and island nation(s) that we come from
	recognises that English might not be my and/ or my parents’ first language and communicates with us in a way that we can understand		incorporates stories, legends and myths, events, activities and symbols that I understand and are relevant to me when they are teaching
	does not make fun of my and/or my parents’ limited English language skills if we don’t speak it fluently		understands the values that are important to me such as faith, spirituality (church) and family
	makes an effort to learn and use simple words like saying ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ in my language		is a strong, kind, honest, passionate, open-minded, understanding, flexible and compassionate leader who cares about me
	knows that I want my parents to be part of my learning journey and that my parents value being part of that journey		knows that I want to learn but in a way and at a pace that is suitable for me
Below, write down 3 - 5 characteristics which you might want to develop in your professional character this year.

A good teacher of Pacific learners....

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Questionnaire

Section 1: About Success

Question 4: What can your teachers do to help you successful?

100 participants in the inquiry.
Only 87 participants gave answers. Every answer was counted.
93 responses.

under 6 main categories - Teaching practice; Know your learners; A Relationship with learners; Help & support learners; Give encouragement; Discipline

Then....

6 categories were grouped under 2 main categories - Effective Teaching Practice and Relationship/Quality/Discipline - which are the 2 main areas that students seem to say that teachers can do to help them be successful.

Figure 5: What can your teachers do to help you be successful?

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Questionnaire

Section 1: About Success

Question 4: What can your teachers do to help you successful?

100 participants in the inquiry.

Only 87 participants gave responses.

93 responses.

6 main categories - Teaching practice; Know your learners; A Relationship with learners; Help & support learners; Give encouragement; Discipline

Then....

6 categories into 2 main categories
Effective Teaching Practice and Relationship/Quality/Discipline - which are the 2 main areas that students seem to say that teachers can do to help them be successful.

Figure 6: Effective Teaching Practice & Relationships/Qualities/Discipline

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Table 4: What teachers can do to help students be successful

1) Effective teaching practice (49%). Shown below is the break-down of what participants perceive as effective practice.
Techniques	100%	Some specific responses
i) Check their work & give feedback	7%	Go over my work with me (feedback feed forward). Leaving comments on my work; Checking my work.
ii) Ask me questions.	5%	Ask questions; Ask questions
iii) Clarity of lesson delivery for understanding.	30%	Taking lessons step by step; Explaining their tasks to us more clearly; Using diagrams and give examples to what they are explaining because talking about it quite confuse me; Double checking if we understand or not.
iv) Give extra work.	7%	Giving homework; Give extra homework; Hold study class and provide more help.
v) One on one approach.	16%	More individual conversations with students; Sitting with me and explaining until I get it; Help one on one.
vi) Waiting time.	12%	Waiting for everyone to attempt; Waiting for each person; Give more time to finish work.
vii) Use repetition.	2%	If I don’t understand something, they could repeat it; Help me understand things I don’t understand.
viii) Help with the English or words not understood.	5%	Help me with my English; Help me with words I don’t even know.
ix) Selection of topics (content) to teach.	5%	Learn about topics that will benefit myself; Stay on topic.
x) Fun & engaging	9%	Be more engaged with me rather than focusing on people who are just distracting the class; Engaged with us in our learning; Engage with students more.
xi) Being more strict with due dates.	2%	Being more strict with due dates.

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Table 4: What teachers can do to help students be successful

2) Knowing them as learners - 5%
Know me or my name. Appreciate my culture. Knowing the student as an individual. Knowing me better.
3) Having a relationship with them - 16%
Having a good relationship with your students. I want my teachers to be more friendly & professional in their teaching. Have genuine care for your students. Show 100% commitment to the students in class. Be more mindful towards the students. Trust me. Having good communication with your students. Stop turning everything about them. Stop over-pushing me. Let me figure it out myself instead of doing it for me. Let me be. Checking on your students’ mental health. Taking time to hear your students out. Listen to students.

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Table 4: What teachers can do to help students be successful

4) Helping & give them support - 13%
Support me if I fail or succeed. Support us in all possible ways. Support my career choice and back me up if my parents don’t. Support us with whatever we choose to do in the future. Reach out to us outside of class. Support us with whatever educational activities we need. Talk. Help me learn more about what I need for my future. Helping when in need. Always here to help us with whatever. Be helpful in knowing that your teachers are actually there for you.
5) Be encouraging - 9%
Be more encouraging about the things the student want (such as their career) Encouraging me to focus my work Encourage me to ask questions in class Motivation & words of encouragement Encourage us to do better Share their experiences back in high school
6) Discipline - 8%
Taking away distractions asap Want them to check if I am doing work and not playing games or messaging anyone Push me because I slack and get distracted easily Always check on me and making sure I’m focused at all times Push me out of my comfort zone Push me to do better

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How would you navigate these barriers to learning in Tapasā to build your competencies as a teacher/leader of Pasifika learners?

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Research evidence-based Data/Information to build competence using Tapasā Framework

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Tapasā Framework

- Teachers’ knowing and understanding that the shared and ethnic-specific identities, languages and cultures of Pacific learners underpin the way they think and learn, which is fundamental to their well-being and success.

- Pacific learners, together with their parents and families, bring some of their own knowledge and awareness of identities, languages and cultures, and strengths that teachers will need to use as a foundation to build on.

- Teachers to appreciate the distinctive and ethnic-specific identities, qualities and contexts of each of their Pacific learners and will reflect this in their planning, teaching practice and relational endeavours.

- Turu 1 is about relational and united approaches in building a future for learners that is respectful of their past and background.

- Importance of strong, reciprocal, responsive and collaborative relationships, partnerships and engagement between the teacher, and the learner, their parents, families and communities.

- Effective and meaningful engagement is essential for Pacific learner success, needs to be established and maintained throughout their learning journey in schools and tertiary institutions to ensure success later in life.

- In practice, the teacher needs to utilise Pacific constructs to engage and collaborate in different and meaningful ways that empower Pacific learners, parents, families and communities.

- Turu 2 the reciprocal notion of collaborative power sharing and relationships where schools critically examine whose knowledge is being taught and valued, recognising that the existing system often privilege majority ‘culture’ and knowledge.

- The journey undertaken and the outcomes desired by Pacific learners and their families / ‘aiga to achieve success at an early learning setting, groups such as parent groups or school.

- Turu 3 brings Pacific strengths and understanding to existing teaching standards and competencies, as well as code of ethics and effective pedagogy in the classroom so that teaching practice is relevant and personalised to the learner.

- Teachers need to understand that Pacific learners inhabit different realities, learn and engage in multiple ways and come into early learning settings and classrooms with unique skills, talents and knowledge.

Ngā Turu - The Competencies

Turu 1: Identities, languages and cultures

Turu 2: Collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviours

Turu 3: Effective pedagogies for Pacific learners

Demonstrate awareness of the diverse and ethnic-specific identities, languages and cultures of Pacific learners

Establishes and maintains collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviours that enhance learning and wellbeing for Pacific learners.

Implements pedagogical approaches that are effective for Pacific learners.