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.