Year 13 Climate Change Trip: Making the learning authentic

One of the most difficult achievement standards that my year 13’s find challenging is ‘Conduct a critical social inquiry’.  It is a huge undertaking worth 6 credits and usually takes a whole term to complete.  I discussed with my colleague who helps to teach the course reshaping it so that it will be more meaningful to the students and hopefully enable their interest to grow.  A colleague of mine at a similar school to ours recommended a unit called ‘Climate Refugees’ which looked at how people were forced to move because of the rising waters in their lands.  Pacific Islands  like Kiribati and Tuvalu were already facing these challenges and in the next 20 years, the bigger islands would not doubt be facing the same issues.

I decided to use ‘Climate refugees’ as a focus for our context and set about researching resources to build the unit.  I didn’t know too much about the topic so I made contact with Olivia Yates who is a PHD student with the Centre for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies who agreed to meet with our students and talk about what they do and the importance of knowing about the impact of Climate on the people of the islands. 

We initially planned to meet in early March but with an unexpected lockdown, the day was moved to the end of March.  

Our students travelled to the Auckland University Fale Pasifika and for most students, it was the first time they’d set foot at the University.  We were then guided through a two hour workshop which allowed students to understand the difficulties faced by those in the Pacific who would potentially lose their homes.  We used the fonofale model of health which ‘encompasses a system of wellbeing that acknowledges and embraces Pacific perspectives’.  Students were provided the space to share their knowledge and ideas which we hoped would be used at a time where their voices were needed.

Our students outside the Fale Pasifika

Students found the experience interesting and useful in understanding the impacts of Climate change on all the Islands of the Pacific.

Some of the ideas our students came up with

I met one of my students Cathy from 2020 studying Law and Samoan - great combo!

In relation to which turn this learning experience relates to, it may be as an Experienced teacher, turu 2.11 Extensively uses Pacific resources, tools, references and conceptual models to enhance communication and relationship building in planning, teaching and assessments and turu 3.11 Uses data and evidence including the different Pacific conceptual models and frameworks as a reference and guide for planning, teaching and assessment. 

Unpacking the Tapasa to relate to my Inquiry #1: Planning draft

There are 3 Turu that align with what teachers and leaders could relate to.

For my inquiry, I will try to align my inquiry in different steps to the Tapasa, so I could plan to use the Turu in my inquiry.

I  have started to document initial comments and thoughts around ways to address what the Turu suggest.

Resetting my inquiry take #1: Taking up the Year 13 Challenge

Here were the two drafts of my inquiry:

Draft #1:  Can I develop the capabilities of my staff to accelerate learning through understanding and applying the Tapasā in a year 10 Social Studies class?

Draft #2:  How does taking teachers on a journey of growth in Tapasā affect their pedagogical implementation?

Review of the inquiry points:

I originally started my inquiry basing it on supporting non-Pasifika staff in my department to implement strategies from the Tapasa as I found there were times when they struggled to connect with their Pasifika students in the classroom and these struggles led to disengagement and sometimes misbehaviour.

Reasons for the change:

I did discuss the opportunity to be part of my inquiry to members of my team and although they were happy to take part, finding the time became too much of a barrier.  This was bad planning on my part as a number of classes that I wanted to observe, I was teaching.

Another reason was right in front of me.  I have a huge year 13 class who I could potentially see were going to be a struggle to engage and motivate.  Having taught year 13’s for a number of years, our department has always struggled to find ways to motivate them to the end and it has become a pattern of failure over the years.  I have been reluctant to inquire into knowing the real why and how to address it into what could work with this group as my own biases have been a barrier and I have in the past put it into the too hard basket.  I feel I have to take up the challenge and I felt that I was doing a disservice by trying to help my non-Pasifika staff apply the strategies of the Tapasa to raise achievement when my own class was failing.

The majority of my class are Pasifika students and I want to be able to be inclusive of their identities in my teaching and their learning as I can be without leaving out our Tagata whenua and other cultures.  So I am thinking about applying the strategies that I have not used or tried to use with my year 13 class in an attempt to keep them focused and motivated and to raise achievement.

Final Inquiry #3  Can I raise student achievement in my year 13 Social Studies class by applying holistic approaches found of the Tapasa?

In my next blog, I will look at how I will approach this inquiry change.

Making Sense of Tapasā PLD

An awesome opportunity was offered by CORE education to take part in a PLD called Making Sense of Tapasā.  It was a two-hour online session that provided support for teachers to engage with their Pasifika learners.  It was a really good P.D that connected me with lots of other teachers in different sectors who wanted to understand the document better.

Some of my key takeouts are below:

It’s mandated by our MOE.  We do have professional obligations to these documents.  Being culturally responsive is to interact with families.  Different ways of knowing, being and doing.  Important to unpack what different beliefs are eg. Tongan ways.

Mindful of what our practices do in how we engage with students to ensure that they have learning environments where they are positive and they feel safe and has successful outcomes.

Tapasa (p12)

Teachers and professional leaders will work together to integrate, contextualise, and refine their own understandings of what each standard looks like and what quality practice in their place. 

The Pasifika learners, parents, families and communities at the centre where it all begins and are surrounded by the 9 Pacific values.

Biggest key of having an understanding of the 9 values will help non pacific teachers who didnt have an understanding of knowing, being and doing - as soon as you understand them, it will open up incredible learning opportunities to see what they mean within the pacific lens.  

Examples of what I do:

• Greeting students at the door with eye contact and welcoming.
  
• Seniors - sitting at the table and i purposefully say hello to students who i haven’t seen 
  

It’s important that you understand your own distinctiveness, identity and culture in deep and meaningful ways in order to genuinely engage and respond to the distinctiveness, identity and culture of others.

For young Maori and Pacific people in nz, research shows that the stronger our cultural identity, the stronger our wellbeing is.  If we embrace and strengthen cultural identity, we strengthen our wellbeing.

The more we teachers, understand ourselves, the better we can understand our learners.  Students want teachers to learn to pronounce my name correctly

• Use experts in the class all the time - use them as experts
• Don’t be scared to ask the kids the questions.  
• Learn greetings in our home language
• Watch them before school or in the playground play and interact (especially Pasifika)- how to take it into learning programme.
• Ask what they’d be doing at church time especially celebrations
• Pg 7: number 2, do not be frightened if you get the pronounciation wrong and show i’ve given it a go but follow up with the question of ‘have i pronounced that right’, can you help me.
• Be out in the carpark and talking to families in the carpark, supermarkets.
  

• Observe, listen carefully and waited longer - don’t interrupt children’s thinking.

Being Tapasā Visible at Tamaki College

At our last COL meeting at Point England Primary, I noticed on the wall a display that had photo’s of staff holding the document of the Tapasa up.  To me, this display helped to show staff how valuable it is when supporting Pasifika students.  I then wanted to replicate the display and set off to take photos of our Heads of Departments.  I enjoyed the task and allowed me to explain to the HOD’s my purpose.

The display board at PES

The display board BEFORE

1st example of HOD photos

2nd example of HOD photos

The finished display board

COL meeting #2: 18th March, 2021

COL#2: 18th March, 2021

Today we had our second COL meeting at Pt England Primary school.  It was lovely to see the team for the first time in person this year.  Below are some of the notes I took from my meeting. 

Think about a size that is manageable and measurable.

What causes our kids to have a reading problem.  Not enough vocab?  So what?  What's the inquiry?

Teacher feedback or impact makes the most impact on a student.

Has to be something that we are in charge of.

How would we hone down things like engagement?

Kotahitanga - Dr Russell Bishop said 'kids do well if they get on with the teacher'.

“Something in the deliberate acts of teaching that could make a big difference”. Teachers might be doing it the wrong way or not doing it enough.

How do you know whose getting what and the right amount?  

We can measure the lunch programme - if they get the same stuff, how come boys are lower.

Control groups not always fair. Not compulsory.

Agree around some commonality but see the difference

Collaborative Inquiry is a “can do”

A group could agree to use a common tool 

They may end up using a different approach or could combine and try the same approach (may be a benefit in more numbers)

Still needs to be based on the evidence from various classes i.e. variations in content in response to learners.

In order to develop an intervention it’s important to know why is that happening?

Discussion time - find others who are doing similar inquiries.

https://christinetupou.blogspot.com/

https://potofaalili.blogspot.com/

I had an awesome discussions with Poto and Christine and how they want to focus on empowering the learners through the teachers that teach them.

Key takeouts:

• We share the fact that our Pasifika kids respond to their Pasifika teachers better
  
• Identity is a key factor that allows our learners to feel valued.

I had always felt that sometimes my inquiry is too focused on the how what I could do would change literacy and numeracy when the reality is, what needs addressing is teacher practice.  My passion is our empowering our Pasifika learners and after talking to Poto and Christine, I feel committed to continue my line of inquiry.

Inquiry Question #2: Inquiry Focus

Inquiry Question2 : From what you know already about your classes and your school’s profile and leadership goals for the year, share a possible inquiry focus.

My initial inquiry draft#2 is:

How does taking teachers on a journey of growth in Tapasā affect their pedagogical implementation?

Our school is made up of at least 68% Pasifika students.  We have strategies that we think we know and use around how to be culturally responsive to the needs of our students but there hasn't really been an inquiry to show how we can better adapt best evidence practice when engaging our Pasifika learners.

Part way through 2020, after reading a document containing student voice from our school, I decided that I wanted to turn that voice into action.  From this has came the Tamaki College Pasifika Initiative.  There are multiple levels of the initiative and one key aspect has been to implement the Tapasā into our teaching and learning.

I have been thinking about how to support those staff who are not Pasifika in implementing the Tapasā.  In saying that, there is an assumption that Pasifika teachers know how to teach Pasifika kids and although this may be true, relying on Pasifika staff to 'deal' with our Pasifika students.  So I'm am broadly thinking about who I would want to work with.

My inquiries in the past have focussed on a class and how I would implement interventions to accelerate achievement.  And these have usually been positive.  From my experience, I have noticed that as a Pasifika teacher myself, the students can relate to my teaching style and therefore respond positively.  I feel I am 'good' at teaching Pasifika students and therefore doing another inquiry whereby I teach the students I am inquirying into isn't condusive to the bigger picture.  We know that students engage with people who look like them and can connect with them.  My wonderings are: how can staff who don't look like me (ie. Pasifika) teach kids who look like me (ie. Pasifika).

I feel as a HOD and a passionate advocate of Pasifika education at Tamaki College, I would like to support non-Pasifika staff to connect with our Pasifika students better using the well documented and value added strategies shared in the Tapasā.  

My style of teacher support is to understand my teachers underlying assumptions and beliefs and to collaborate on a ‘framework’ that will allow them to look at their perceptions of our Pasifika students differently and build a repertoire of skills to support the learners in front of them.

Although our specific blogpost is supposed to frame our focus as a desired change in student learning and NOT a change in teaching, I am still working out how supporting our teachers will enhance and/or accelerate student learning and whether this needs to be a focus.

Initial Plan

My initial Planning will be to:

• Invite staff to join my inquiry
• Share with them the purpose of my inquiry and how it could support them
• Make a plan to regularly catch up with them
• Capture learnings through voice recordings and/or video observations.
• Pick out and align learnings from the Tapasā. 
• Document carefully our meetings
• Look at the different models that we could apply such as the growth mindset and the iceberg model.
• Identify trends and patterns from our meetings and share with my team.

Inquiry Question #1: Collaborate

My task was to collaborate with my school's leadership team and colleagues to identify areas where my inquiry will make a powerful contribution to the wider school and cluster goals.

Goal number 4 of our school goals for 2021 is: 

All teachers at Tamaki College will be well supported so that their practice meets the needs of their students. 

We have aligned our department goals to this school goal:

By the end of the year, we will have developed relatable practical teaching and learning resources to support the varying teaching needs of our team to meet the learning needs of the students in our Social Science classrooms.  There is a focus on our Maori and Pasifika learners.  We will construct a Social Sciences framework with which we will apply the learnings from the Standards for Profession teaching using the Tapasā as a lense, to enable all Social Sciences teachers  to have a kete/bank of strategies to support our learners across each year level.

My draft #1 Inquiry focus that I discussed with my school’s leadership team and colleagues was:

Can I develop the capabilities of my staff to accelerate learning through understanding and applying the Tapasā in a year 10 Social Studies class?

At this stage, ‘develop the capabilities’ relates to:

• Me understanding in depth the Tapasā
• Understanding where my team are and know about culturally responsive pedagogy
• Understanding where my team are and know about the Tapasā
• Wondering if kids can learn in an environment where the strategies from the Tapasā is prevalent and at the forefront of the teaching and learning/

Specific Outcomes:

• A ‘collaborative framework’ for staff in my department to develop with my guidance and support
• A ‘framework’ for success in collaboration with students
• A positive shift in achievement data related to PAT or asttle writing (possibility)

Wider school goals: 

• School goal:  Focus on school goal #4, on teacher wellbeing

Cluster wide goals: 

• Manaiakalani Achievement Challenges
• Challenges identified by Woolf Fisher at our cluster wide meeting specifically reading 

Through formal and informal discussions, I have talked to the following people:

My school’s leadership team: 

• Our School Principal (Senior Leadership team).  
• It is an inquiry that is paramount and embedded in your practice
• This is part of core business and will help staff develop cultural awareness 
• It will be useful to the growth of the department meaning that it will shift achievement in some way.
• You won’t be reinventing the wheel and should not be more work then what you are currently doing.
• Heads of Department (related to curriculum).
• How can what you learn apply to other subject areas.
• Positive in the way it can support our students.

Colleagues:  

• HOD in another department
• The more strategies the better especially around managing behaviour.
• It would be good to support staff in having restorative and meaningful conversations
• Teachers in my department
• How much more work is required?
• Can it work in my classroom? Strategies and tasks that you can see works.
• We would like support in how to scaffold collaborative groups because we don’t do it enough.
• Teachers from other curriculum areas
• I can see the value in working across curriculum areas.  How would assessments and reporting on the class look?
• Sharing ‘knowing the learner’ in a consistent centralised place important

Professional Colleague with Language and Inquiry Experience:  Dr Jannie Van Hees

• This is in two parts and maybe too big to do.  For the meantime, don’t worry about affecting learning and achievement as yet. 
• Uptake of the journey to somehow be evident in the pedagogy and then we make a projection (after analysing blogging, logging, student voice and discussions) to see what are some trends.
• Think about how you can collect evidence and measure this. 
• I think It will be interesting to see how they (not giving them do this do that) but saying from that piece of learning, I might try this and I might try that, alright go for it.  With regular checkpoints, the support will be there.

After discussing with the SLT and a number of colleagues and experts my draft#1 inquiry, I have decided to reframe my inquiry to focus on the capabilities of members of my department.  My Draft#2 of my Inquiry is along the lines of: 

How does taking teachers on a journey of growth in Tapasā affect their pedagogical implementation?. 

I will attempt to discuss this further in my next blog.