Date
22 March 2024

Integrate te reo Māori and tikanga Māori into your classroom programme

Suggestion for implementing the strategy ‘Building an inclusive, culturally responsive classroom environment’

Value tikanga Māori in the classroom

Value tikanga Māori in the classroom

Teachers explain the need to incorporate te ao Māori, tikanga, and te reo Māori into learning contexts to include and engage all students.

Design for engagement

Design for engagement

Wayne Robinson shares how he builds a culturally responsive classroom based on respect and connection. Spaces for making kai, reflecting on ancestors, and opportunities for karakia support his students sense of belonging.

Support students to enjoy and express their cultural identity

Support students to enjoy and express their cultural identity

Article three guarantees Māori oritetanga (equality). Where Pākehā symbols of status in uniform are expected (e.g., a tie), Māori students should be able wear Māori symbols of status instead (e.g., taonga).

The Human Rights Commission

Design culturally responsive learning contexts

Design culturally responsive learning contexts

Creating culturally responsive learning contexts and co-constructing learning enables every student to bring their experiences into the classroom context.

  • Provide opportunities for ākonga Māori who speak te reo Māori to teach the class some basic vocabulary.
  • Include holidays and festivals that are important to your ākonga Māori in learning activities.
  • Establish classroom communication practices that include te reo Māori.
  • Support ākonga Māori to understand new vocabulary or unfamiliar instructions by providing visual cues and translating key words into te reo Māori.
  • Identify how you can specifically include a Māori component into curriculum topics.
  • Engage with the Māori school community and whānau to bring their knowledge and expertise into the school.
  • Take the time to learn how to pronounce your students’ names correctly. Ask students to say their name, listen carefully, and repeat it until you know it. Model the correct pronunciation of students’ names to the class so that all students use the correct pronunciation.

Co-construct learning

Co-construct learning

Encourage students to bring their own experiences into the classroom context and co-construct learning. Their experiences have validity when they become part of the learning process. 

Useful resources

Useful resources

Culture speaks2

Culture speaks: Cultural relationships and classroom learning

This book focuses on what it is like to be a young Mâori person in a New Zealand secondary school classroom today. It presents and discusses narratives drawn from the voices of secondary-level ākonga Māori, their whânau, tumuaki, and kaiako.

Publisher: Huia Publishers

Price: One off charge $42.21

Visit website

Next steps

More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Co-design a culturally sustaining environment”:

Return to the guide “Supporting ākonga Māori”

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