Reconnaissance - student inquiry foci #1

1. Collaborate with your school’s leadership team and colleagues to identify areas where your inquiry will make a powerful contribution to wider school and cluster goals.

For my initial inquiry around utilising the Tātaiako as my platform for teaching, I had talked to my principal Soana Pamaka about her thoughts on my inquiry focus.  She was happy with the focus and asked to ensure I discussed my inquiry with our Māori department who could offer me further support.  I made clear links to our school goal number 1, that discusses raising the cultural visibility and achievement of our Māori students.

I discussed my inquiry with Dr Jannie who shared the following:

• Everyone’s has their own pepeha and this is important.
• It would help support the kaupapa Maori to take leadership.
• Everyone has a map of who we are and it’s important to be ethnic specific as well as inclusive.
• Kids need to know themselves and the teacher needs to know the kids.
• This will be helpful in helping teachers understand the Tataiako and the need to nurture our students.

I have been having ongoing discussions with our Māori department staff Whaea Ruiha and Matua Harley.  They have been encouraging me to ask questions and to share any queries that I have with them.  They have invited me to work alongside them as I build my inquiry.

I am planning to share my inquiry with my senior students as I would like to collaborate with them strategies that will support their learning.  

After some discussion with my COL colleagues, I can see a need to focus on an aspect of student learning that needs to be front and centre and for me, writing is a challenge in my level 2 classroom.  This is something that has long been an issue in Social Studies and I hope that combined with my teaching as inquiry intention, it will be addressed.