Tapasā

In September 2018 the Ministry distributed Tapasā: cultural competencies framework for teachers of Pacific learners. The aim of Tapasā is to build a confident, culturally competent education work force which is able to engage successfully with Pacific learners.

Last night I attended a workshop which aimed to assist us to:
 • Understand Tapasā’s background and its relevance for you as a teacher
 • Develop a quality and empowering learning environment for Pacific learners
 • Have a strong understanding of both your own and your learners’ identities, languages and cultures   • Improve learning outcomes for Pacific learners, their parents, families and communities
 • Apply the lens of Tapasā to the Standards of the Teaching Profession and the Code of Professional Responsibility

 Some takeaways for me:

The importance of relationships and of all our students feeling safe, happy and connected.  Talanoa (quality talking - which Jacinta talked with us about) is dependent on:

•  'Ofa - love, which can be sharing yourself and who you are, connecting to others.
• Māfana - warmth
• Mālie - humour
• Faka'apa'apa - respect

'Tapasā is designed to support non-Pacific teachers, leaders and Boards to engage with  Pacific learners in culturally responsive ways.' (Hon Jenny Salesa, Assoc Minister of Education - workshop notes)  Who are these learners?  We must check our assumptions.  For example, you may have a blond haired, blued eyed student of Tongan heritage, a student who recently arrived in NZ from Tonga, a fourth generation student of Tongan decent who has never been to Tonga and does not speak Tongan etc.  We need to know our learners. 

Reviews of ECEs, primary and secondary schools show a lack of responsiveness to Pacific learners in many centres. (workshop notes)

We compared Adrienne Alton-Lee's Quality Teaching Practice List with the characteristics of a good teacher as noted by Pacific learners and their communities.

Ngā Turu - Tapasā framework has three competencies: 

Turu 1 - Identities, languages and Cultures, 

Turu 2: Collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviours, 

Turu 3: Effective Pedagogies for Pacific learners. 

 Each Turu has indicators for a student teacher, a beginning teacher, an experienced teacher and a leader.  Moving from recognising, to using, to deepening knowledge and to advocating.  We looked at Turu 1 and considered where we might place ourselves, being aware that though we might be in a leadership role, in terms of this framework there might be aspects of our practice that sit within the beginning teacher indicators. 

Our facilitator, Dagmar Dyck, shared an inspiring video showcasing a school wide inquiry into dance.  We discussed the importance of localising curriculum so we are being responsive to what is happening and current in our communities, connecting to others and relating to others in a meaningful way.  Dagmar said her school welcomed visitors and it would be best to visit during a planning stage of one of their inquiries.

We used Tapasā as a lens to create or refine a quality practice (standards of the teaching profession).  Some of the chat at our table was around what is visible in our classrooms, what resources are we selecting, how are our Pacific learners visible in our planning, how are we connecting with our Pacific community - beyond Pacific Language Weeks!

We ended with a quote from Barbara Ala'alatoa - principal at Sylvia Park School and Inaugural Chair of the Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ:

There's no mystery about what creates success for Pasifika learners - it's what creates success for all learners.  It's about teachers who are connected to and know the students deeply, who they are and what they are - their life experiences, their interests, dreams, aspirations, fears.  It's about teachers with a deep knowledge of their craft that authentically build their teaching practice around the student.  They make no assumptions about the learners in front of them and they are committed to learning about their craft and their learners!