The key message from this module was the action that needs to take place through
culturally responsive and relational practices, deliberate professional acts applied with
adaptive expertise and powerful home-school collaboration. All of these cannot be in
isolation but happen simultaneously for the greatest change to occur. We have to use
the resources available such as provided by Poutama Pounamu to support our ongoing
pedagogical awareness and change.
The following is my reflection from Module 5:
Why did I give this answer:
Engaging as a group provides us with the time and opportunity to focus on how
important it is to communicate, collaborate and think critically about cultural
responsive and relational practices and the impact of these in our learning
environments. Having the opportunity to discuss, probe and come up with a common
understanding is important as we are a teaching team.
What are two key ideas you are taking from this activity?
My first idea is…
That there are three key messages:
Culturally responsive and relational practices - the idea that we lead and model
but do not come across as the expert! The importance of working together
collectively is powerful when it is actioned with the right mindset.
Deliberate professional acts applied with adaptive expertise - we choose
and use strategies in order to improve outcomes but are also aware that
what might work for one whānau might not necessarily work for another.
Flexibility and being able to adapt to meet those differing needs.
Powerful home-school collaboration, grabbing those opportunities to
work on building relationships (with students and with whānau) so that
we can connect. We have to balance our professional self with our personal
self, connecting at a personal level, committing fully with no boundaries and
understanding the power of the collective partnership.
My second idea is…
Use the available resources to support changes in pedagogy, especially when
there are areas we struggle with where to start and how to sustain the changes
being made. There is no magic wand! Deep transformational change takes
time and can be very uncomfortable. By experiencing this discomfort we might
be getting a bit of a sense of what it is like for our Māori learners.
What actions do I and others intend to undertake as a result?
I need to keep ‘knocking’ until I get in! By this I mean to keep conversations
about culturally responsive and relational practices happening, provoke
thinking and self-reflection. When our strategic planning meeting comes
up I will be strongly recommending that this is our whole school focus/inquiry.
This will need to be unpacked by the Leadership team.
