supporting tiriti-based curriculum delivery in mainstream early ...

Fortunately I got support from Māori colleagues and literature, reference
books from our centre library. I picked up new Māori words every single
day.
Brodie, from Case Study Two, although born in Aotearoa New Zealand
and, not therefore, unfamiliar with Māori, had had few previous opportunities to
develop her language skills:
I had been reading the Māori language book to find a greeting to say to
the children, I decided that I would record down some of the basic
phrases and words that Alison and I could slowly introduce to the
children. I felt really inspired when doing this and wanted to share it
with Alison. I realise it is going to be a slow process, but I look forward
to seeing the results (Jl: B, 5/6/04).
The practice being described here is about Brodie building on her
strengths and gaining confidence from that action. Teachers do become excited by
their success and it is that which empowers them to develop further. It is worth
noting that even small steps can encourage teachers to feel pleased about what they
are doing, as Peggy shared with us at a research meeting:
This morning I talk in Māori, and baby looked at me. I talked in Māori
and see I do it! (N: P, 24/10/08).
What this dimension of the study has demonstrated is that as teachers
build their te reo and become affirmed in what they are achieving, their learning
moves from tentative strategising to becoming habituated:
We are putting the days of the week on the board in Māori, and trying to
use a greeting in our meeting time each day. It‟s getting into the habit so
it becomes part of what we do, second nature. We are trying to
incorporate more te reo with the afternoon children, once again it needs
to become second nature (Jl: A, 10/6/04).
D from Case Study Two described how te reo Māori was incorporated into
their programme. Especially noticeable in the following excerpt was the use of
everyday events for providing a teaching and learning platform. Such platforms
were able to be generated both within the centre and outside of it:
See what we have done in our centre, we have never separated any other
language – not fitted in Māori at all. Whether we are doing science and
we try to use as much Māori words as we can, or when we go on a bush
walk, we have those cards and we use them. And when we go to the
[local] Mountain we talk about the history and kumara pit. So it has –
we never separate it as a subject. „Let‟s do Māori‟. It‟s part of our way.
We talk oh „let‟s go for more‟ and we use here and there and children
have picked up so we have never said „let‟s do Māori‟. We never did
that, so it‟s just part of our daily routines and our – that‟s how they have
picked it up (FG: D, 15/12/08).
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