Editorial
Tuia ki runga
Tuia ki raro
Tuia ki roto
Tuia ki waho
Ka rongo te ao
Ka rongo te pō
Haumi ē, hui ē
Tāiki ē
Kaipānui mā, tēnā koutou. Nau mai ki te whakaputanga tuatahi o te tau 2023. He mihi nunui ki ngā kaituhi o tēnei hautaka. He mihi tēnei hoki ki te Etita Māori, Matua John Huria; tēnā koe mō tō tautoko o ngā tikanga arotaketia. Nō reira, e te whānau o Set: Research Information for Teachers, tēnā tātau kātoa.
It is an honour to present the first issue of Set for 2023. I’d like to acknowledge the generosity of the many authors and reviewers involved, as well as the assistance of Etita Māori John Huria.
The six articles stand strong like kahikatea. Several are from Māori-led authorship teams and make for powerful reading. I hope readers can take the time to let each article’s key messages sink in. The articles have roots of connection above and below the surface. I trust that teachers will grow strength from understanding.
Two articles come from Poutama Pounamu. Rāwini Ngaamo and Dawn Lawrence dig beneath the casual comment that ‘learning should be fun’. They explore the cognitive research and mātauranga Māori that gives the phrase depth of meaning. Whakatoi—cheekiness and fun—is welcomed within culturally responsive relationships where ākonga experience mauri ora, giving life force to their learning.
“Learning is fun” is one of six pedagogical items in a survey used within Rongohia te Hau, the professional learning and change process that follows on from Te Kotahitanga. Director Mere Berryman and team members help readers to better understand the theories underpinning cultural relationships for responsive pedagogy. They unpack international literature, explore tools that are co-created with school communities in Aotearoa, and share insights from local data. Their article offers to kaiako he wero me he ara—a challenge and a pathway.
Te Puna Taiao Charitable Trust helps to create interactive and culturally connected outdoor spaces. Co-founders Hannah Simmonds and Erin Green report on their action research with educational communities including kura kaupapa Māori and kohanga reo. Transforming school grounds facilitated relationships with mana whenua and contributed to whānau hauora. Their article is rich in imagery and saturated with practical tips on how to meaningfully engage co-designers and learn from the taiao itself.
Genuine talanoa with Pacific fanau is integral to Pacific educational success. Cherie Chu-Fuluifaga and Martyn Reynolds approach Pacific education as “a relational space in which parent-educator relationships have the potential to be the beating heart” (p.29). They offer a framework for learning from one another. Five elements enable effective support for teachers and positive change for student learning. As with Rongohia te Hau, the process involves deep work, and the path ahead is only revealed through dialogue and reflection.
Q&A covers a conversation between facilitator Rob Proffitt-White and New Zealand Council for Educational Research’s (NZCER’s) Jonathan Fisher and Julie Roberts. They discuss Just-in-Time Maths and the kind of professional learning and development that Rob believes will help teachers to build a bridge between their current practice and the refreshed curriculum. Rob works internationally and notes that New Zealand teachers do comparatively well in localising curriculum and making mathematics relevant to their students.
Assessment News looks at how Rangahau Mātauranga o Aotearoa / NZCER is striving to make maths assessment more culturally relevant for learners in Aotearoa. Bronwyn Gibbs describes the journey towards the more equitable Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) mathematics, now available to schools in 2023.
Kia uru kahikatea te tū. Just as kahikatea find their strength in unity, the articles in Issue 1 are bound together by their dedication to an equitable and enjoyable education experience for all in Aotearoa.
Ki runga, ki raro, ki roto, ki waho, rire rire hau. Paimārire.
Nā Josie Roberts
Set Etita