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

the latter providing lived experiences on which to ground Tiriti-based curriculum.
Teachers were speaking te reo Māori, albeit at a basic level, and were keen to
improve their fluency.
In addition, whānau Māori may not have access to their language and
tikanga due to the long-term effects of colonisation, urbanisation, and policies of
assimilation (Tolich, 2002). The 13 teachers in this study were in different places
in their knowledge and understanding of relationships with Māori and thus to
Tiriti-based- curriculum as well. Although teachers may be Māori-friendly
(Johnston, 2001) they may not be able to move to working partnership with
whānau Māori and iwi.
An emergent contribution from this study is that I have been able to
demonstrate that teachers are located on a continuum of beliefs and practices that
are indicative of their growth towards successfully achieving Tiriti-based pedagogy
(see Table 7.1).
Māori-superseded
(by
multiculturalism)
Teachers claim that a
New Zealand focus is
primary which means
multiculturalism is
more important than
biculturalism
(Burgess, 2005).
Table 7.1 Continuum of Teacher's Relationship to Tiriti-based Pedagogy.
Māori-reliant Māori-friendly Māori-coconstruction
Teachers
acknowledge
biculturalism and
Māori to be part of
mainstream but those
without skills in te reo
Māori me ōna tikanga
are reliant upon those
Māori teachers who
have these skills.
Teachers assume as a
personal priority that
including Māori
culture reduces
prejudice and
discrimination. This
leads to better
educational
achievement as Māori
grow a positive self-
image but Pākehā
remain in control
(Johnston, 2001).
Weaving a joint
whāriki. Teachers
develop constructive
mutually supportive
working relationships.
To achieve such
partnerships teachers
must become
bilingual and
bicultural (Tamarua,
personal comment,
2009).
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