Practising Teacher Criteria #10

Work effectively within the bicultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand 

Key Indicators:

The teacher:

1. practises and develops the relevant use of te reo Māori me ngā tikanga-a-iwi in context
2. specifically and effectively addresses the educational aspirations of ākonga Māori, displaying high
   expectations for their learning 

Reflective question: 

In my teaching, how do I take into account the bicultural context of teaching and learning in Aotearoa New Zealand? 

In my day to day teaching, I use Te Reo Maori for simple actions around the classroom. Each week we have been lucky to have expert Maori teachers come into our school to teach us about local waiata and tikunga. I have involved myself in these sessions and follow the tikunga routines alongside the students. 

Where to Next?
Next year I will be going a new school. I will need to quickly need to learn the unique cultural heritage and tikunga of the school. Quickly learning and engrossing myself in the culture of the school is something that will help me to establish and maintain strong working relationships with students, teachers and whanau alike.