Through Mindlab I have been reflecting on how I can improve my practices when working with Maori students. I found that at the school I am at now, half the students are Maori which puts me in a prime position to see what I can do to improve how I build relationships and teach students. The first thing I noticed was that I had to earn the students trust, fairness was important, and pronouncing Maori words was important to the students.
I read Russell Bishop's work around cultural responsiveness and the student voice was very clear. I am trying to make connections with Maori culture through texts, and also by asking questions and listening to the students when they share their whanau heritage.
It is early days, but I am going to plan using real contexts for students, and also to link this to their own backgrounds. In Term 2, WWII is the focus and I think that I will also focus on the Maori battalion in order to make real links for students.
