Te Reo Maori in the New Zealand Curriculum

Focus Questions
Te Reo Māori in the New Zealand Curriculum
How might the information on P8 - 9 support or challenge your te reo
Māori programme?

Support:
• Reasons why te reo / benefits from teaching te reo / justifying (very
necessary in some cases)
• Benefits of studying another language
• Supporting me (in role as AP) to justify other colleagues –
evidence / ammunition as such; employment opportunities, fuller
understanding of TOW
• An alternative / hard evidence
• Statistical backing

Challenge:
• Negative attitudes and closed minds
• Lack of knowledge / ignorance
• Convincing of benefits
• Dated? Quality? Damage control? Quality assurance, quality
teaching and learning / historically
• USE the evidence in our conversations / don’t resort to
generalising
• Caution – demeaning inferences
• Appraisal as a tool
• Support from Senior Management / Leadership
• Futuristic implications
• Parents / whānau / hapū / iwi – demand on kaumātua / kuia / key
persons in Māori communities / “experts” / specialists
• VALUE in terms of social ramifications
• STRONG networks / professional learning communities
• SOLE charge teachers

Look at pages 11 - 13 of Te Reo Māori in the New Zealand Curriculum

and discuss the following questions:

What does meaningful communication in the target language:

Look Like? Sound Like? - kupu re: tools and objects in everyday reo
(instructions etc). The importance of ‘knowing where your students are’.
Tikanga rich environments, lore, formal and informal use of reo, manner
etc). Promoting te reo as a way of life rather than a subject.
Contextually correct and a pathway for engagement, routines / drills /
kupu

What does communicating real information for authentic reasons?

Look Like? Sound Like? – Keep it real (be authentic) – relative /
relevant (quality not quantity) – real information for some may be
PEOPLE / FEELINGS, law vs lore – notion of ownership. Hearing reo
OUTSIDE of the classroom.

Look at pages 14 - 15 ofTe Reo Māori in the New Zealand

Curriculum and discuss the following:

How clear is the expectation that tikanga Maori and te reo Maori will
both be taught?
• VERY clear

What are the implications for schools teaching te reo Māori?

• Similarities are greater than the differences
• Sensitivity
• Reasonable knowledge base of local area / protocols etc
 • Opportunities for teachers to become involved
• SUPPORT from the community
• Bear in mind the reality aspects – percentages etc – in comparison
• JUST DO IT

Te Reo Māori in the New Zealand Curriculum

The importance of teachers working to students’ needs and interests;
and
The importance of whānau, hapū and iwi having their say in schools’
reo Māori programmes.
• Ability? Are schools are allowing it to happen? Range from very
poorin ability to very effective.
• Willingness to consult with local Māori communities
• Whānau support
• Valuing informal opportunities to kōrero
• Community hui – opportunities for questions, surveys
• IWI education plans – access? Knowledge? Awareness? Whānau
and BOT liaison

Te Reo Māori in the New Zealand Curriculum

These key words with their descriptors and the example on your table.

Te Reo Māori in the New Zealand Curriculum

Is the document easy to follow?
Yes

Are the graphic overviews useful (pages 35-36, 38-39, 41-42, 44-45
and the pull-out chart)?
• Yes – and similar format as NZ Draft Curriculum Document
• User friendly with suggestions for learning (contexts, text types etc)
• Ease of use for planning (photocopy and highlight)
• Is the Appendix 2 glossary helpful for breaking down the different
English terms (pages 67-71)?
• Nice to have a commonality across the curriculum documents
• User Friendly / more accessible
• Kīwaha??? Dictionaries?
Does the Appendix 3 glossary of Māori words help (pages 72-73)?
• Yes
• References? Recommendations?
• GENERALLY – very user friendly with LANGUAGE used
• Compliment – practical hands-on documents
ONE thing I like and why:
• Layout of AOs and the way they are linked with contexts and
modes
• The layout because it is easy to use and understand
• Very user friendly – it’s going to make planning a lot easier and
gives heaps of ideas
• Monitoring achievement – full of ideas and useful information to
implement into programmes
• Design of curriculum level pages e.g. Level 1 – has all the strands
{modes} for that level on ONE page; AO written so that they are
able to be accessed; suggested learning contexts are practical
• Level 1-8 (Learning objectives pp. 35-45) – can put these pages to
practical use in my classroom programme
• It’s finally REAL – trying to use other / old resources was
challenging
• The mention of AUTHENTIC SETTINGS etc for teaching te reo
• A3 chart combining all AOs etc – you can easily see the
progression of learning that will take place

ONE thing I would like to change and why:

• That supporting resources be included in the AO pull-out page
• A more extensive glossary of MĀORI words because it is the target
language
• More Māori words used in document / bi-lingual
• Add a reference section to support where resources can be found to
assist the chart / Learning objectives pp.33-45
• A resource database – a place to find resources that will support
your teaching
• For the levels to correspond with the levels from other curriculum
documents (i.e. level 1 for year 1 of learning)
• Document to be divided into sections with dividers for ease of use
• Internet sites etc for resources to enable quick access to planning
information
• Should be compulsory / not just an official curriculum