The Genesis of Te Kotahitanga

2001: The Scoping Exercise Research initiated by Professor Russell Bishop and Dr Mere Berryman with support from kuia and kaumatua

2001: The Scoping Exercise Researchers sought to understand more about what was behind the ongoing discrepancies in Māori students’ educational achievement compared with their non-Māori peers.

2001: The Scoping Exercise In order to do so they: interviewed a selection of Māori students and some of their educators from a range of secondary schools using a Kaupapa Māori research approach examined national and international literature

Findings of The Scoping Exercise Participants could clearly theorise their education experiences. There was a clear mismatch between the descriptions and explanations of the students and their teachers.

Teacher - student relationships and interactions, together with structural issues, impeded and limited the progress of Māori students. Findings clearly revealed the value of a Kaupapa Māori research approach for identifying and talking about solutions. Findings of The Scoping Exercise

2001 – 2002: Te Kotahitanga Phase I Researchers sought to: understand more about what was behind the ongoing discrepancies in Māori students’ educational achievement compared with their non-Māori peers identify how to raise Māori student achievement

2001 – 2002: Te Kotahitanga Phase I Research undertaken in five secondary schools by talking with: Year 9 and 10 Māori students (engaged and non-engaged) Their whānau Principals Teachers

: Te Kotahitanga Phase 1 Each group provided rich narratives of experience from which the basis for the Te Kotahitanga professional development and pedagogical intervention emerged. The pedagogical intervention worked well for Māori students with a few trained teachers in these schools, but traditional relationships and interactions outside of these contexts, and within the wider school, proved to be counterproductive.

: Te Kotahitanga Phase 2 The collection and use of evidence of student learning outcomes to monitor and inform new learning was not commonly applied by the teachers. Professional communities, rather than professional learning communities emerged.

: Te Kotahitanga Phase 3 In-school facilitators in 12 schools were trained to implement the professional development cycle in their schools with cohorts of teachers. Evidence based professional development for teachers was provided by in-school facilitators. There was a greater emphasis on the effective use of student learning outcomes to monitor and inform new learning.

: Te Kotahitanga Phase 3 Development of: Review of Practice and Development (RP & D) for in-school facilitators around the elements of the in-school PD cycle for both formative and summative purposes. GPILSEO: a model for sustainable school wide implementation of Te Kotahitanga, widening the focus from a pedagogical intervention to a school reform

: Te Kotahitanga Phase 4 Facilitation teams and principals from 21 schools (October 2006) Development of: ETP Descriptors – a facilitated self reflection tool focussed on the level of implementation of a culturally responsive pedagogy of relations Rongohia te Hau – a school wide ‘slice of time’ evidence collection process involving student and teacher surveys alongside evidence of classroom pedagogy collected through 20 minute classroom walk-through observations

Beginning 2009: Te Kotahitanga Phase 5 Facilitation teams and principals from 17 schools (October 2009) GEPRISP + GPILSEO 5 year plan including co-construction meeting at three levels: classrooms, senior leadership and middle leadership R&D team working alongside facilitators and school leaders - shadow-coaching and RP & D of Leadership co-construction meetings Shift of focus from facilitation team to ‘school team’ in Year 4

Māori studentsNon-Māori Māori University of Waikato Ministry of Education