Kia ora
Ko te Arawa te waka
Ko Tarawera te maunga
Ko Tangiwao o Te Atua te moana
Ko Tuhourangi te iwi
Ko Ngāti Wahiao te hapū
Ko Te Pakira te Marae
No Rotorua ahau
Ko Ally Gibbons tōku ingoa
No reira tēnā koutou katoa.
Kia ora koutou katoa
Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa.
What is the place of Future Focused Learning in a setting that is purposeful in its creation of a full treaty partnership?
In the last couple of weeks I had the pleasure of visiting several schools in both Rotorua and Hamilton. It has been a year with many challenges, setbacks and changes, significantly disrupted by COVID-19. They all agreed that 2020 will be remembered as the year that they had to change, adapt, and modify and that some ākonga /students had thrived in a home-based learning environment, while others struggled. COVID highlighted for many Principals the huge inequities in our country and the ongoing need to keep the wellbeing of students, teachers and their families at the heart of what they do.
While there is uncertainty about a new norm, sadly the greatest issue still facing schools in Aotearoa is achieving equitable outcomes for all students in the education system, especially for Māori. COVID also exposed the inequity in the distribution of resources as the access to technology varied greatly. Also highlighted was that many homes were not geared towards being flipped to classrooms.
Culturally responsive leaders are leaders who have a clear sense of purpose which is driven from a strong evidence-base which they use to build their team so that they consistently strive to keep investigating ways to give their rangatahi Māori students and indeed all students, the best possible education that ensures that they achieve equity and excellence and they can go on to achieve their
aspirations.
The New Zealand Curriculum statement (2007) is clear in its intention and enunciated through the vision which is, that young people are “confident, connected, actively involved lifelong learners” who seize “opportunities offered by new knowledge and technologies” which will in essence, ensure a “sustainable social, cultural, economic and environmental future” for New Zealand. There is also a moral responsibility heralded that calls for our young people to “work to create an Aotearoa New Zealand in which Māori and Pākehā recognise each other as full Treaty partners, and in which all cultures are valued for the contributions they bring.” (page 8).
Literature also suggests that we need to be future-oriented and
adaptable, adopting a more complex view of knowledge, that incorporates knowing, doing, and being. The future-focused principle is likewise made clear in the curriculum, “The curriculum encourages students to look to the future by exploring such significant future-focused issues as sustainability, citizenship, enterprise, and globalisation.”
The New Zealand Curriculum
The question posed is what is the place of Future Focused Learning in a setting that is purposeful in its creation of a full treaty partnership?
There is a plethora of literature relating to the impact of colonisation on indigenous people across the world,
however the research initiated by Bishop (2007) and then Kia Eke Panuku Professional Learning group (2013) provide the tenets of Culturally Responsive and Relational Pedagogy which can be used as a framework to explore the Future Focused Learning Approach.
The edict to use the Treaty of Waitangi as a foundation document is not new. In fact, it is seeded in the NZ Curriculum and in numerous educational strategies, particularly, The Maori Education Strategy “managing for Success Ka Hikitia 2008-2012” (2009) and then “Ka Hikitia- Accelerating Success 2013-2017” (2009).
Consequently the core principle of partnership cannot be overlooked, as it is the one that is the most challenging in our learning environments and as such is reflected in the lack of achievement of
students - the mismatch must be genuinely addressed to allow for the opportunity that ‘new knowledge and new technologies will bring. The concept of power sharing at all levels - from governance to a classroom base is most often misunderstood.
An examination of the literature that relates to the 21st Century Learner highlights the connections that are evident between culturally responsive and relational contexts and a Future Focused Learning Approach which can ultimately address student needs.
A future focused, personalised approach in the classroom allows akonga/students to take control of their own learning. Each akonga is unique and learns in different ways. The two concepts married together can create powerful partnerships.
The literature contends:
- The focus on learning for the 21st Century learner is undeniable, however the research used for this opinion piece does not identify any clear links to indigenous learning or knowledge.
- The need to keep true to culturally responsive and relational pedagogy while integrating a future focused learning approach
- The nature of the type of integration that will give primacy to kaupapa Māori to ensure true partnership.
It is evident that pedagogy that is culturally responsive and relational can effectively support the 21st Century learner to create new opportunities, however, the focus on culturally responsive and relational contexts must be deliberate in order to create a 21st Century learner who is a full treaty partner.
This means leadership will need to be brave, be prepared to think differently and be prepared to take the hard knocks going into an unknown future.
E tū ki te kei o te waka, kia pakia koe e ngā ngaru o te wā.
Stand at the stern of the canoe, and feel the spray of the future biting at your face. - Dr Apirana Mahuika
Written by: Ally Gibbons, Facilitator, Centre for Educational Leadership