Our partners:
This project supports the kaupapa of authentic community partnership with Hihiaua Cultural Centre and kura in the wider Tai Tokerau region. This study is co-designed with members of Hihiaua Cultural Centre, endorsed by local iwi members and is being led by Māori teachers and researchers and mātanga from the rohe.
Intro / Project description
This study reimagines the purpose and potential of literacy teaching in Te Tai Tokerau by learning and working alongside kaiako and hapū to design curriculum resources based around Te Tai Tokerau mātauranga tuku iho. This project will explore the unique ways in which mātauranga, tirohanga, tikanga and te reo Māori can enhance contemporary literacy practices in schools. Te Tai Tokerau kaiako Māori will use Kaupapa-ā-hapū, mātauranga, and contemporary Indigenous methodologies to lead work that recognises and enhances inherited and inherent literacies of tamariki. Simultaneously, this project supports the development of hapū-led research and development strategies that are new, innovative and grounded in mātauranga-ā-Te Tai Tokerau.
Aims
In this project we aim to develop knowledge and resources that will enable tamariki to develop high level cognitive abilities and mana ūkaipō (connection and belonging to place). This study will amplify Te Tai Tokerau ways of understanding, knowing, being, and doing to explicate, measure, and augment the drivers of educational thriving that result in Māori student engagement and success in literacy learning. We aim to show how multiple pedagogies can amplify children’s natural prowess for discerning, applying, and refining multimodal communication and knowledge sharing. Through partnerships, resource development and academic articles from this study we will make a unique contribution to the field of kaupapa Māori education research.
Why is this research important?
This work will support the process of reclaiming, restoring and renewing conceptualisations of multiliteracies from a distinctly Whangarei Terenga Parāoa perspective. Throughout this study the team will engage in research activities that prioritise the reclamation, restoration and renewal of Māori knowledge systems and research practices. The nature of Te Tai Tokerau worldviews that are necessary to this research are multitudinous and varied. This feature of the project provides the foundation on which the team can build substantive and
robust findings that will benefit ākonga and kaiako within and potentially beyond Te Tai Tokerau.
What we plan to do
To answer the research questions, we will be leveraging off literature and existing datasets.
Data collection will include research/practice team wānanga led by mātanga/tohunga (experts/consultants) through existing relationships with the Hihiaua Cultural Centre community. Wānanga will enable active participation, connection, time and creative space to share and adapt resources to ensure they are effective and appropriate for tamariki in their contexts. The research team will collaboratively plan an interative resource implementation process and invite community critique from kura, kaiako and mātanga/tohunga.
Analysis of the rich Tai Tokerau datasets currently available (pre-existing) will support the development of culturally and contextually relevant multiliteracy literacy resources for ākonga. Together we will develop, trial, and evaluate resource use and impact with ākonga. Analyses will guide any refinements of resources before being published and made available for other Tai Tokerau for teachers.
