Ehara taku toa i te toa taki tahi, he toa takitini.

Posted on 01 December, 2016

Manurewa High School annually celebrate the achievements of their Maaori students at their awards evening, He Poo Whakanui I Ngaa Aakonga Maaori – Tuaakana. However this year’s event saw a growing academic strength in the awards given and a tangible sense of connectedness and pride.

Members of the Strategic Change Leadership Team (SCLT) attribute this to an unrelenting focus on the success of their Maaori students and the implementation and spread of the Ako: Critical cycle of learning and leadership effort.

Alongside the Ako cycle, a provocation series - including presentations by students, Maaori educational leaders and iwi representatives - has encouraged teachers to engage with the concerns and aspirations of their Māori community.

Feedback from staff on their professional learning has been positive along with encouraging shifts in recent Rongohia te hau data.

“I think the observation tool used by KEP is very effective. I like that it places the emphasis on relationships and what is observed rather than on how the teacher is teaching content and what could be done better. This allows impartial feedback from the observer and gives the observed the ability to reflect on their practice.

It provides staff members with both the opportunity to reflect on how engaged the students are (specifically Maori students) and consider the possibility of what could be done to improve… There is also a very broad range of areas which are being observed so the observed teacher can consider all areas of their teaching and relationships with students.”

“I like the framework and working with people from different departments… It’s not deficit and it tries to switch the mindset of teachers, by focusing on Maori students - it has a positive effect on everybody.”

* My success is not mine alone but that of many.