Activity 13: Indigenous knowledge and culturally responsive pedagogy

Create a blog post where you share your own views on your indigenous knowledge and culturally responsive pedagogy you have implemented appropriate to your student community. 

I found that I agreed with a lot of Russell Bishop's video on the educational disparities of Maori achievement. The comparison of the achievement gap to the economic debt of a country was a powerful metaphor. The fact that as a society have a debt owed to Maori under the Treaty of Waitangi.  It becomes clear that-

"as a society we need to address the disparities that show Maori students who are underachieving" Bishop (2012).

He goes on to explain the need for "agentic teachers do not draw upon deficit models of teaching Maori students. Who demonstrate a responsive and relationship centered context for maori students as maori, have high expectations, and learning context that caters for Maori. (Bishop. 2012)"

As a teacher I strive to be an agentic teacher who refuses to rely on deficit reasons to explain the achievement gaps of Maori students. But rather I aim to cater for my Maori students as Maori, to meet them in their first worlds of influence and engage with them in a way that accepts who they are and acknowledge that they are able to make worthy contributions to both their's and my own learning. I intentionally build meaningful learning focused relationships, as Bishop states, they are paramount to building a learning partnership. 

I have found the Ka hikatia and Tataiako documents essential in my growth as an agentic teacher. 

References:

Rusell Bishop in Edtalks.(2012, September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. [video file].Retrieved fromhttps://vimeo.com/49992994

Edtalks.(2012, May 30). Mike Hogan: Culturally responsive practice in a mainstream school. [video file].Retrieved fromhttps://vimeo.com/43097812