I have been reading Hei tauira (Greenwood & Lynne-Hairata, 2009), Clayton, Rata-Skudder & Barai (2004) and Wakatipuranga Arapiki (National Institute of Maori Education, 2010) today to gain some knowledge of how I can best support Maori and Pacific students -what I can personally incorporate into my teaching. While many of the concepts are familiar to me, I have found it useful to have something concrete to read in order to aid my reflection on what I do currently that is or is not helpful. The videos (The Tertiary Education Commission, 2011) also give good insight into the perceptions Maori learners entering my educational institution may have and what contribution I can make to foster their comfort and learning, to make it a positive experience. I am heartened that having students meeting regularly with a lecturer in small groups as we do in our programme utilizing Student Practice Facilitator (SPF) groups, is acknowledged as being important, as meeting up in small groups in this way ensures lecturers become aware of the whole person –about students’ families and their lives as well as any academic problems that may present (Greenwood & Lynne-Hairata, 2009). This enables students and lecturers to work together collaboratively (The Tertiary Education Commission, 2011).
1. How can I include examples of NZs indigenous culture in the design of my learning courses? It is important to engage the community as the course is not just about the student –she comes from a family and community who will need to support her to enable her to succeed in her studies. Having titles of courses written in both English and Maori, holding a Powhiri welcome to the degree course, having the option to present assessments in Te Reo (I personally need to gain confidence in using basic Te Reo phrases –my fear of mispronouncing stops me from doing this), are easily instigated. It is all about people making some sort of effort (The Tertiary Education Commission, 2011).
2. What approaches can I utilise to meet the needs of indigenous learners? Being welcoming in any interaction they have with me, attempting to pronounce names correctly, acknowledging that we all come with our own knowledge and this knowledge is important, recognizing where people have come from –their family circumstances, making an effort to greet In Maori, using both the English and Maori title for Otago Polytechnic at the end of my emails, asking what I can do to help. This is all about working in partnership which is also a basic tenant of the model of midwifery practice we use in working with women in NZ (Guilliland & Pairman, 1995).
3. Outline any experience I have had working with indigenous learners. I currently have four students in my SPF groups who identify as Maori and one who is Pacific. Maori and Pacific students are represented in a higher proportion in my groups compared to other SPF groups within our degree programme, probably because of the geographical area my students come from.
4. What were some of the challenges that I and the learners faced? The biggest challenge I see is the difficulties some have in meeting the academic requirements of the course coupled with their living and social environments which directly impact on their ability to study and attend practice placements. These difficulties are centered on the relative poverty the students and their families often live in. This is well documented in the literature (The Children’s Social Health Monitor, 2010). Maori and Pacific people are also over represented in the statistics of school leavers with minimal qualifications (Clayton, Rata-Skudder & Barai, 2004) and in poor health statistics (The Children’s Social Health Monitor, 2010). ‘With very few exceptions the financially worst off experience the highest rates of illness and premature death’ (National Health Committee, 1998, p.8).
Challenges like no petrol to attend placements or follow through women, no money for books, no money to fix the car when it breaks down, no car WOF, no car registration, no money to pay the internet bill this week so it is cut off affecting access to the course material and study, no money to pay for the phone so missing being called to births of women they are following through, cold houses in winter as no money to pay for good heating in uninsulated houses (which are cheaper to rent than others), sick children, student loan, no money for doctors visits, no childcare as in debt to the childcare centre and they are wanting payment, relationship breakups are all common occurrences.
5. How did this affect their learning? Lack of academic qualifications may preclude many from being accepted for the degree programme in the first instance. Financial or social concerns impact greatly on learning. It is hard to focus on Bioscience when the internet is down and you have no money to get to your clinical placement the next day and the children are sick so can’t go to childcare either. The stresses and pressures on these students are enormous. When you really do not have a cent in the bank to fall back on, and neither does anyone else in your family what do you do next? While I can refer students to Student support services, the Learning centre to help with numeracy and literacy issues and some will gain scholarships to ease the financial burden, it seems ironic that these women are trying so hard to gain a qualification with the aim to change their own, their families and their communities circumstances, yet the attrition rate is high as there is no money to fund them for the changes they wish to make.
References
Clayton, J.F., Rata-Skudder, N., & Baral, H.P. (2004). Pasifika communities online: and implications. Paper presented at the Third Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning.
Greenwood, J., & Lynne-Hairata, T.A. (2009). Hei tauira: summary document. Wellington, New Zealand: Ako Aotearoa.
Guilliland, K., & Pairman, S. (1995). The Midwifery partnership: A model for practice. Wellington, NZ: VUW.
National Health Committee (1998). The social, cultural and economic determinants of health in New Zealand: Action to improve health. Wellington, NZ: National Health Committee.
National Institute of Maori Education. (2010). Wakatipuranga Arapiki : Developing the work of strengthening literacy and numeracy teaching and learning for adults. Wellington, NZ: National Institute of Maori Education.
The Children’s Social Health Monitor. (2010). Child poverty and living standards. Retrieved from http://www.nzchildren.co.nz/child_poverty.php
The Tertiary Education Commission. (2011). Engaging Māori Learners: an introductory resource for adult literacy and numeracy educators. Retrieved from http://literacyandnumeracyforadults.com/Professional-Development/Professional-development-modules/Knowing-Your-Learner-Engaging-M%C4%81ori-learners
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