Guest blog entry Helen Panayiodou

Helen was one of the colleagues I travelled to Samoa with on our professional development leave. Here she writes of her experiences in a different culture.

Helen Panayiodou School Facilitator at Auckland University Team Solutions

Fa’a Samoa – alofa, service and respect

Living gives you a better understanding of life. How true this is. For many years I have attended workshops and conferences centred around Pacific Island students – how they learn and about their cultural background. In July this year I was able to take my professional development to a new level. I ate, breathed, spoke and lived the Samoan life. I worked with teachers in secondary and primary schools and was personally challenged.

Background

About 75% of New Zealand’s Pasifika students are in Auckland and Samoan students make up over half of the group. Pasifika students are also disproportionately represented among students who have not yet reached standard educational goals by the time they leave school. The Pasifika Education Plan (PEP) 2009-2012 (the governments priorities for Pasifika education) sets out the following goals for the Compulsory Education Sector:

GOAL 4: Ensure Pasifika children and young people demonstrate improved progress and achievement in literacy and numeracy in relation to the National Standards (years 1-8), and improved achievement in NCEA levels 1, 2 and 3 and University Entrance.

GOAL 5: Increase the quality of teaching and school leadership by increasing responsiveness to Pasifika learners and families.

GOAL 6: Increase effective engagement between Pasifika parents, families and teachers and schools focused on learning.

The compelling question is – HOW? Where does a Greek English teacher begin? Yes I can empathise with cultural issues, but how can I truly meet these goals? The answer is start by observing. Live the life in order to understand. Through my PD I gained an understanding of the socio-cultural background of Samoan students by living in the authentic context of a traditional village environment, observing Samoan students and teachers and working alongside Samoan teachers to understand teacher practice and pedagogy. My learning was on a professional and on a personal level.

The   Professional Development

Initially one would think that PD in Samoa would focus on sun, sand and Pina Coladas. Yes there were the fantastic sunsets but we did have a specific objective. This involved some in-depth and authentic professional development which gave me a better understanding of the ecological contexts for Samoan teachers and learners in Samoa. It is based upon the theory that there are “clear links between teaching and learning and/or student – teacher relationships” BES 2007. The term Ako is applied well here,  (where the teacher is also the learner and the learner is also the teacher). The intention was that learning and practice are underpinned by inquiry and research evidence. It is developed through collaborative relationships and influenced by and responsive to context and culture. These are based upon the principles of In Service Teacher Education, ISTE (Ki Te Aoturoa, MOE, 2008).

The purpose of the proposed professional learning was focussed on the key idea of ‘Know the learner’, an important principle of effective practice. For me I wanted to know who my New Zealand Samoan students are, their academic, cultural, social background. We all make assumptions about our students, sometimes these are correct yet sometimes these assumptions are far from the truth and they stand in the way of effective teaching and learning. The New Zealand curriculum talks about diversity, respect, inclusion, participating and contributing. During this experience I had opportunities to live these terms and not just read about them. I reflected and critiqued my own methods of teaching and learning through the lens of cultural responsiveness and cultural understanding.

Schools

Lalomanu Primary school Lalomanu was affected by the tsunami in 2009. Rangitoto College and Team Solutions (University of Auckland) donated 30 red ukuleles to great excitement from the students. There was some evidence of rebuilding in the area but more evident was the great spirit of endurance shown by the children. At Nofoali’i School, after a formal welcome, we were assigned classes (Y1-8) where we firstly observed then modelled teaching. During the afternoon we ran a workshop for the staff on support in reading, questioning and testing for understanding.

At Pope Paul VI College and Nu’uausala College observation and modelling of teaching strategies focused on engaging students using a discursive style. The conversations with teachers were about the challenges of change management within a traditional and under-resourced environment.

Initial observations

The classes were large from between 32 to 52 students in each class. From the few classes we observed there seemed to be little evidence of collaborative learning. Students were not given many opportunities for group work. The curriculum seemed to be exam driven and because of this it generated a competitive climate. There was a lot of rote learning, chanting and copying from the board. The focus for the teachers was to get through a syllabus, deliver content. Classes were under resourced and schools were under funded. (It was very interesting to learn that the average salary of a teacher was NZ$6,500 per year.) Apart from all this students were keen to learn, they were curious, receptive and wanted to increase their knowledge. Even though classes were big, students were well behaved and respectful.

What I learnt

• It is important to know the learner – culturally and academically. My assumptions about these students were challenged. I did not realise the importance and influence the church has on the students. It influences their whole life.
• As teachers we need to identify the Pacific Island students both NZ born and Samoan born. Working with ESOL teachers in schools I tend to focus on Asian students as they are more easily identifiable. In Auckland, schools have large numbers of Pacific Island students but we do not necessarily target them as English language learners.
• Students who come into NZ classrooms may have limited English literacy. They should be assessed for ESOL and provided with language support to fill in gaps they may have from a different learning system.
• The strength of the first language needs to be emphasised even to Samoan parents. It has been documented that some Samoan parents value English over the home language, Samoan. In Samoa there is an increasing focus for students to use English. The value of the mother tongue should be valued and promoted.
• We need to recognise what the students bring to the classroom in their life experiences and knowledge. Samoan students have such a lot to contribute. Their generosity, enthusiasm and life experiences are great models for other students.

Where to from here

• New Zealand schools could strengthen the links between church and families. The church is such an important influence and it can assist the school in supporting students.
• Schools could use the Pasifika Education Plan, LEAP and other resources to initiate learning conversations across curriculum areas where students’ needs are analysed through various school lenses.
• School leaders can increase their knowledge of Samoan students and encourage a culturally responsive pedagogy.
• Identification and support for Samoan teachers in New Zealand schools will help in building strong cultural links across the schools.

I fully recommend this type of PD. Walking in the shoes of your students enable you to know more about them and so teach them more effectively.

If you are interested in organising a group of teachers or students to Samoa contact Siliva Gaugatao s.gaugatao@auckland.ac.nz

Acknowledgements Camilla Highfield, Siliva Gaugatao, Cheryl Harvey and Margaret Harris

Bibliography

Ministry of Education Talanoa Ako Pacific Education Talk

Ministry of Education Pasifika Education Plan 2009-2012

Ministry of Education (2007) Language Enhancing the Achievement of Pasifika (LEAP)

University of Auckland Timperley et al (2007) Teacher Professional Learning and Development Best Evidence Synthesis

Ministry of Education (2008) Ki Te Aoturoa

        

 

Samoa trip July 2010

In the July school holidays, a group of us from Team Solutions, visited Samoa on a professional development trip ie our own professional development. The proposal we had put forward for approval talked of learning in an authentic context, of experiencing the Samoan culture as a lived experience and of teaching alongside teachers in schools in order to understand the ways of working that Samoan students experience. We had all taught Samoan students in NZ and knew that there was a big gap between what students experienced in Samoa and what they experienced in NZ. We wanted to experience this for ourselves.

Apart from our tour leader, whose family we were staying with, none of us had been to Samoa and were not quite sure what to expect. I had heard that Samoan people sleep on the floor. I didn't think I would survive 10 days on the floor so bought a blow-up mat just in case. I needn't have worried. The fale we were sleeping in was an open fale, very colourful, very cool and with 4 beds curtained off from the main fale room.
There was a bathroom close by with cold running water, a welcome respite from the 30 degree heat.
We also had our own separate dressing room and were shamed to find we were having much difficulty adjusting to NO MIRROR! Living in another culture like this really makes you look critically at values, beliefs, assumptions and expectations.

Julie cooking

outside cooking

   















School Visits 
 

The first school that we visited was at Lalomanu. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalomanu    
This was where the tsunami hit in September 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Samoa_earthquake. Many lives were lost and the country was devastated. Rangitoto College and some Team Solutions facilitators had raised money to buy 35 ukeleles for the school so we presented them to the Principal. The children were in assembly and when she told them, they were very happy, singing and dancing for us and the principal played a song on the ukelele for the children.

A lot or rebuilding had gone on including the rebuilding of beach fales which are a major tourist attraction and which were all washed away in the tsunami. Some families left their homes and refused to come back preferring to live further inland away from the water's edge.

Principal playing a donated ukelele

Children at Lalomanu primary school, dancing

Nafoili Primary - start of day drum

Nafoili Primary - assembly

Beach fales being rebuilt for tourists, Lolamanu

After spending time with Ministry and other officials, gaining an understanding of schools and the education system in Samoa, we had a day observing and working in Nafaoi'li Primary School. We were each given a level - I had Year 6 - we spent some time observing the teacher with the class and then we taught the class ourselves. Observing the teacher was interesting. The children spent a lot of time chanting. The class I was observing were learning the possessive pronoun and so they all chanted what was written on the board. The teacher then set the task, asked did they all understand to which they chorused loudly "Yes we understand", then they were asked whether there were any questions, to which they replied "No questions, thank you" and then they got to work. The teacher moved around the room but always kept a distance from the students sitting in their desks, while she was standing. The students were highly disciplined and respectful at all times - never any behaviour problems!

Then it was my turn to take the lesson. I had photocopied and laminated some pages from "Animalia" so that we could do some language work. We had brought pens, pencils, post-its for the students to use (which were a great novelty) . The first task was to name as many objects as possible in the picture, then add adjectives, then write sentences. I have never taught in a primary school before, let alone one where English is the second language. So it was a learning curve for everyone but the teacher translated my directions into Samoan. The teacher had the children sitting on mats on the floor for this exercise an so I found myself also sitting on the floor to get down to the level of the students. I had forgotten that the students had to keep their heads lower than mine so it was quite an exercise. Once I started giving praise, the children responded really well and all wanted me to comment on their work. Crawling around the floor in 30 degree heat was actually very tiring.

The final school we visited was the Roman Catholic secondary school, John Paul VI. Both this school and Nafaoi'li are village schools rather than big city schools. There was a young nun from NZ there as Deputy Principal who was highly energetic, very efficient and determined to make changes. Although the village boasts a huge Roman Catholic Basilica, the school received little money from the church and it was reliant on communities in NZ to fund it. The school had housing for volunteers to stay in while they worked in the school and they had just had a group of teachers from Villa Maria College in NZ working in the school in the NZ school holidays. The school was poorly resourced as was Nafoili Primary. We had taken as many boxes of school journals and other resources as we could take between us without paying exorbitant amounts for excess baggage. The teachers of the junior classes were untrained and there was a lot of teaching by rote and chalk and talk. As with the primary school, the students were well-disciplined.

We found that the discipline was a common factor through all of Samoan life. In the village we were staying in, a bell was rung at 6pm for everybody to go home for prayers and we would see people streaming back to their houses at that time. Another bell was rung at 10pm to announce the night curfew. Anyone caught outside after the bell would be heavily fined and punished. On Saturday we would see whole families out tidying the lawns and garden for Sunday. Again there were fines imposed by village matai or chiefs for untidy gardens. It made me realise why some students get into strife when they come to NZ - too much freedom, too many distractions, not enough discipline. No discussion went on in the classrooms yet students in NZ are expected to discuss and question. The Samoan cultural traditions teach one way, NZ culture is quite different.

We learned a lot from out trip. We learned things about ourselves and our own culture that we would never have learned from a textbook or conference paper. Our own values became apparent in contrast to the fa'aa Samoa way of life. It is difficult to take a critical view of one's own beliefs and values until  immersed in another culture. There were things that made us uncomfortable such as we, the visitors, always eating first and the rest of the family eating what was left. Even though the Samoans are a poor people, they are very generous. In a session with the treasurer of the Congregational church schools, he told us of how his family would treat the palagi like gods when they came to visit, give them lots to eat, and make sure they are always comfortable. When he won a scholarship to go to school in NZ he thought to himself "Now it is my turn to be treated like we treated the palagi". To his disappointment, he found he was largely ignored with no special treatment forthcoming. That story was very embarrassing for us.

Inquiry As A Disposition

Following on from the last post, this talk from Sharon Friesen (Canada) is useful because she talks about the deep learning aspect of Teaching as Inquiry. I explain to new teachers that the reason they are engaging in reflection and recording it as evidence is to build reflection as an automatic behaviour. We all know that teachers who reflect are empowered and no longer feel that they are at the mercy of the students or that they can do nothing to change the situation. So they become agentic (an agent for change). But building inquiry into the psyche as a disposition is even more empowering as you are keeping alive the spirit of inquiry, the mark of a lifelong learner. Sharon talks of challenging and provoking yourself to effect transformative shift in your thinking, your belief systems and assumptions and so have greater influence on student outcomes. If you want the students to become inquirers, you need to model this in your behaviours.
The following image taken from Literacy Online - elearning as inquiry http://elearningasinquiry.tki.org.nz/
is clearer than the one from the curriculum and is using the same process

Modelling eportfolios

My main work for the last 2 years has been with provisionally registered teachers and their mentors. I run workshops, cluster meetings, write resources and provide in-school support for both PRTs and their mentors. I am the only secondary adviser covering Auckland and Northland.
This year has seen a change in the criteria that teachers are measured against for full registration. Since about 1992 we have used The Satisfactory Teacher Dimensions. These have now been replaced by The Registered Teacher Criteria http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/rtc/rtc.stm These are more overtly bicultural in nature, the previous criteria making a brief mention only of The Treaty of Waitangi.







One of the requirements for registration for Year 1 and year 2 teachers is that they must keep a reflective journal as evidence that they have met the criteria. In my experience, this has become a model of compliance where some teachers are keeping fileboxes of stuff without fully reflecting on what the stuff means in relation to their learning journey.
The solution to this, as I see it, is to encourage teachers to use digital formats or eportfolios and the only way for me to explore the use of eportfolios is to have one myself. I have already set one up at edublogs called "Reflective Teacher" http://cherylchristineharvey.edublogs.org/ and am continuing with this one as an alternative so that I have 2 different examples with 2 different purposes.
I have been able to incorporate all of my digital identities into my edublogs blog and so My Delicious (online reading), Twitter (professional learning network), blogroll (blogs I follow) my wikisite http://prtteamsolutions.wikispaces.com/ and Flickr (photographic artefacts) are all integrated into that blog. How I saw this working for beginning teachers was that the blog would be their reflection, using the Teaching as Inquiry NZ curriculum model (see above) and that their artefacts would be found in Flickr, Twitter, My Delicious, Facebook etc. Towards the end of the 2 years, these would be brought together into a final presentation document as in Dr Helen Barrett's 2-sided portfolio ie process and presentation http://blog.helenbarrett.org/p/my-presentation-portfolio.html
I am going to use something of the same process with this blog but this blog will run alongside my wiki. My wiki has become a repository for all of the elearning links, curriculum links, resources etc that I think will be useful for PRTs and their mentors but there is not really a lot of room for discussing the background and thinking for each entry so that will happen in this blog and the 2 will run parallel.
The Teaching As Inquiry Model can be found here http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum/Effective-pedagogy

elearning

I started this blog over a year ago in an elearning workshop but got no further with it. It wasn't because I went no further with elearning, but rather that it is such a big field that I couldn't do everything at once. It was a steep learning curve for me and there is still a lot to learn.
I began with a wiki on wikispaces. http://prtteamsolutions.wikispaces.com. My intention was to provide a space where resources could be built up and shared over time.
The first and second year teachers were too busy trying to survive their first years and so I have developed the wikispace myself.
I have enjoyed the learning that has ensued for me but now feel that I need an accompanying blog so that I can explain some of the resources that I put on the wiki and add more depth to the wiki.