363 research outputs found
Sort by
Mātauranga Māori, inquiry and creative music-making in the primary music classroom: A Pākehā teacher’s journey
No full textThis article draws on a master’s study into programme decisions and processes of a Pākehā primary music teacher who sought to include mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), tikanga Māori (Māori practices) and te ao Māori (a Māori way of seeing the world) in their teaching practice. The study investigated how children are enabled to experience mātauranga Māori within an inquiry approach to teaching and learning, through engagement with taonga pūoro (singing treasures) and the whakataukī (proverb) of the whakapapa (genealogy) of Māori music as stimuli for creative music-making. Drawing on action research and self-study, I conducted an intervention of eight music lessons with 28 children from Years 3 and 4. Findings emerged from an analysis of student questionnaires, my teacher journal, student reflections, and scores and audio recordings of students’ creative music-making.In this article I focus specifically on two aspects of my findings:1. The way that the teacher-as-learner position within inquiry pedagogy complements the ethos of ako (reciprocal learning), and the way a holistic, integrated learning approach is supported by the centrality of interconnection within te ao Māori.2. The process by which a teacher might use the whakapapa of Māori music as a conceptual framework for inspiring a sound palette of the natural world in children and for scaffolding creative music-making.As a teacher I found that I could establish whanaungatanga (a family-like connection) in the primary music classroom through a relational pedagogy and valuing the children’s individuality through collaborative processes. This small study reinforced my belief that teachers need to take responsibility for their bicultural practices in the classroom, that a complementary ethos of inquiry and Māori approaches to teaching and learning can be fostered, that inquiry pedagogy can be effective in music education, and that practical approaches for experiencing Māori knowledge, inspired by Māori music, can flourish in the primary music classroom
Manakitia a Papatuanuku: Eco-literate pedagogy and music education
No full textAs we enter the third decade of the 21st century, the much-heralded threat of climate change has become a reality whose effects we not only read and hear about daily but also experience in a raft of seen and unseen ways in our local communities. Morton (2012) called unequivocally for a broader vision of music education that includes and embraces a cross-curricular emphasis on ecological and social justice. In particular, she challenges music education (and the arts in general) to participate in the provision of eco-aesthetic experiences and activities, which foster participation in and reflection upon human inter-dependency. In this article, I will reflect on my experience as a music teacher in a West Auckland enviroschool and the lessons I learned from the children that influenced and supported the development of music-making activities connected with their environmental concerns. Then, taking into account the work of relevant contemporary musicians/composers and music educators, I will offer some suggestions for eco-literate pedagogical practices (Shevock, 2018) for music teachers in 21st century Aotearoa New Zealand
The intellectual whakapapa informing the New Zealand Drama Curriculum
No full textUnderpinning drama education in New Zealand is the desire to improve the lives of individuals, communities and societies by catalysing embodied learning in and through the art form of theatre. Learning in drama is intended to foster well-being, social cohesion and active citizenship. Put another way, drama education in New Zealand has always been about more than training actors for the theatre stage. It has been about fostering the development of actors who engage in, on and with the world. This determination has led to the particular pedagogical and curricular response that frames how drama is taught in New Zealand.
In drama education in New Zealand we have focused for a generation on working practically to explore the nature of drama as a meaning making tool. Students not only study theatre by passively watching, they actively partake in framed fictional worlds and reflect on these embodied experiences. By engaging students in dramatic encounters, we argue drama education bears the potential to engage in critical and creative engagement with pivotal social issues in the real world (Anderson & O’Connor, 2015). The nature of the meaning making has seen a deliberate privileging of non-naturalistic forms of drama presentation and representation. Progression is understood in the curriculum as moving from exploration of narrative through imagined and social play at junior primary to understanding how to use conventions as dramatic structuring devices (Ministry of Education, 2007). This can be understood as a conventions approach (CA) to drama education. In this article we consider the pedagogical and theatre traditions that informed the New Zealand curriculum to contextualise the planned curriculum refresh in 2023
Upholding indigenous difference in Arts education: Noho Marae Wānanga as akin to a "mana of economy" in education
No full textIn this paper we consider how recent taonga puoro noho marae wānanga, in the Far North district of Aotearoa New Zealand, have much to offer the growth and development of bicultural relational engagement in arts education. The ngā toi Māori authors highlight their aspirations, as leaders of recent hui wānanga initiatives in Te Hiku o Te Ika (the region of the “tail of the fish” at the top of the North Island). This includes aspirations to recognise noho marae wānanga as important self-determining spaces that support the evolution of indigenous paradigms and the growth of music education from a distinctly Māori ontological foundation. Together we advocate for what Moana Jackson calls an “ethic of restoration” and argue that when priority is given to the recognition and support of Māori led educational initiatives, such as noho marae wānanga, generative and mutually beneficial bicultural relationships are better enabled. The authors revisit Te Mauri Pakeaka, an arts education marae wānanga initiative which ran through the 1980s, and consider hui wānanga for their potential to support new forms of bicultural relational engagement in arts education in the future
Playing in the liminal space: Literacy learning through drama in the adult language classroom
No full textPlay is a universal human experience. Often regarded as the unique purview of children, an emerging body of research points to the importance of playfulness in adulthood. This article reports on the research and observations of two teaching artists working in Connected, a Sydney Theatre Company adult-literacy-through-drama programme. This article conceptualises the drama room as a liminal space. Through improvisational responses participants engage in a learning style that promotes playfulness, which subsequently generates a sense of pleasure and joy and, in doing so, has an intrinsic value beyond the specific language learning outcomes. In this article we build on Guitard et al.’s (2005) components of playfulness in adults: creativity, curiosity, pleasure, sense of humour and spontaneity, in order to posit our own ideas about the conditions necessary for encouraging the freedom to play in adult language learning contexts
Puppets and inclusive practice: Engaging all learners through drama and puppetry in preschool contexts
No full textInclusive practice in education is supported by a compelling body of research (Cologon, 2019; Graham, 2020; Raphael et al., 2019) policy recommendations (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR], 2009; Te Tāhuhu o Te Mātauranga–Ministry of Education, 2017(Commonwealth of Australia. (2003)) and mandated by legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act of 1992 (DDA) (Commonwealth of Australia, 2003). It is also reflected in the Australian and New Zealand Professional Teaching Standards (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2014; Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, 2017). Early Childhood Australia [ECA] (2016) states that “inclusion means that every child has access to, participates meaningfully in, and experiences positive outcomes from early childhood education and care programs” (p. 2). This paper explores what this means for early childhood educators and examines the concept of inclusion through the stories of two children and two puppets. A story that outlines how the perspectives of teachers shifted to create places of learning that were welcoming and more inclusive to every child
Powerful partnership: An exploration of the benefits of school and industry partnerships for STEM Education
No full textThis article is based on the findings from a Master of Education dissertation, which explored the partnership between a junior school (Year 7–10) in New Zealand and VineLife Limited—a technology company based in Auckland. In this partnership, the students completed a design sprint, including a series of activities that required them to apply design thinking to a specific problem: investigating how to best use a sensor to scan trees within a forest for diseases. This article explores the benefits of such school–industry partnerships and shares insights gained from the research, including the benefits of exploring authentic problems, engaging with external audiences and encouraging student agency and critical thinking. Assertions are made about the need for a person to liaise between the school and industry to best enable Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based learning in schools
Using emerging technology to draw learning across the curriculum
No full textTo drive the wider adoption of STEM in schools, researchers have promoted the benefits of teaching STEM subjects integrated across the curriculum. This integration can support more authentic learning where learning is framed in real-world application or driven through problem/project-based learning. The integration of digital technologies (DT), where the learning moves away from consumption to creation, provides for further application of learning where the development of artefacts can situated within other subjects. This integration, however, raises new challenges for effective teaching and learning, and while new technologies and approaches can support this practice, this is still evolving. In this study we explore how one high school has integrated the creation of digital artefacts situated, in the DT class, with learning in the Māori Performing Arts class. The study explores how mixed reality (MR) combined with design thinking approaches, provide new opportunities to integrate learning and support engagement in STEM. Drawing on a participatory action research methodology, this article explores the experiences and perceptions of three teachers as they adopt MR to engage and teach students drawing on critical DT skills
Varied experiences of science education in Auckland primary schools: Siloed, integrated, or somewhere in between?
No full textThe way science education is positioned and practised in New Zealand primary schools varies widely. In this qualitative case study, participants in senior management from five Auckland primary schools were asked how they perceived science, how it was taught and reasons for the pedagogical approaches chosen. It was clear all schools were different in terms of population and the pedagogical approaches used to teach science. Science was taught in a range of configurations—from siloed to transdisciplinary integrative approaches and by classroom teachers, specialists and outside providers. The schools in this study who saw ‘science as everywhere’ and practised collaborative teaching were more likely to teach science through integration