Due: 19th September
Nau te rourou, naku te rourou, ka ora te manuhiri.
With your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive.
Culturally responsive leadership is an integral aspect of effective educational leadership in New Zealand. This module explores the fundamental concepts of culturally responsive leadership and its significance within the unique cultural context of New Zealand schools.
We are aware that there is a continuum of experiences and expertise among our delegates so please explore the area(s) most relevant to you below.
Defining Culturally Responsive Leadership
Culturally responsive leadership refers to a leadership approach that recognises, respects, and integrates the diverse cultural backgrounds and identities of students, staff, and the community within the educational environment. This approach prioritises inclusivity, equity, and culturally sensitive practices.
Key Components of Culturally Responsive Leadership:
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Cultural Competence: Culturally responsive leaders demonstrate cultural competence by developing a deep understanding of their own cultural biases and beliefs. They actively seek to learn about the cultures represented in their school community.
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Inclusive Leadership: Inclusive leaders foster an environment where all students and staff feel valued and included, regardless of their cultural background. They promote an atmosphere of respect and acceptance.
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Cultural Awareness: Culturally responsive leaders are attuned to the cultural needs and preferences of their students and staff. They adapt their leadership style to accommodate these differences, making the educational experience more relevant and engaging.
Culture Matters!
Culture significantly shapes our thinking, perception, actions, and communication. Learning is intricately linked to culture, meaning that even when the classroom’s teaching methods, resources, curriculum, and relationships remain the same, students’ experiences may differ due to their cultural perspectives and prior knowledge. Problems arise when educators are unaware of the diverse knowledge and experiences diverse students bring to learning. Even if a teacher shares the same culture as their students, understanding their backgrounds isn’t guaranteed as cultural understandings and behaviours vary within cultural groups, and teachers may miss cultural cues. It’s vital not to ignore these differences or treat all students uniformly, but instead, move from cultural blindness to cultural responsiveness.
Bias, Unconscious Bias and Racism:
Biases in educational leadership can manifest in various ways, often stemming from deep-seated societal prejudices. These biases may result in unequal opportunities, resource allocation, and disciplinary practices for students of different backgrounds. Educational leaders, whether consciously or unconsciously, may favour certain groups while unintentionally disadvantaging others. These biases can hinder the creation of inclusive, equitable learning environments, perpetuating disparities in academic achievement and student well-being. Addressing biases in educational leadership is crucial for fostering fairness and ensuring that every student has an equal opportunity to succeed academically and personally. It requires self-awareness, ongoing education, and a commitment to dismantling discriminatory practices to create a more just and equitable educational system.
In leadership and teaching positions we need to be aware of unconscious biases and how these might affect the way in which we operate in a school setting; towards children, colleagues and whanaū. An unconscious bias is more difficult to overcome and can be defined as such:
“Refers to a bias that we are unaware of and which happens outside of our control. It is a bias that happens automatically and is triggered by our brain making quick judgements and assessments of people and situations, influenced by our background, cultural environment and personal experiences.” – Equality Challenge Unit UK: Unconscious Bias in Higher Education Review 2013.
In New Zealand schools students can also experience outright racism, as explored in this article on Mana College – https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kahu/racism-in-schools-calls-for-cultural-competency-in-the-classroom/JNSGWAYUUQI5RH65F3535A7YII/
Our Responsibility as School Leaders in Aotearoa:
School leaders clearly have a responsibility to ensure schools are safe and equitable places for learners and their whanau. We know that culturally responsive pedagogies have the potential to narrow the disparities in our school communities, concurrently elevating the overall levels of achievement. Extensive research indicates that these culturally responsive pedagogical approaches boost student performance across diverse cultural groups, ensuring every student is motivated and has the assistance required to unlock their educational potential, irrespective of their social, economic, cultural background, or individual requirements.
In this video, Professor Mere Berryman explains the need and the opportunity to use evidence to make a difference in education in Aotearoa, and why a Tiriti o Waitangi partnership approach – Mana Ōrite – is foundational to success for diverse Māori learners and for all learners in English-medium education.
Provocation:
Research tells us that there are some key aspects of culturally responsive pedagogy:
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Reflect on your cultural knowledge and teaching assumptions related to culture
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Learn about your students
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Use students’ cultural knowledge, perspectives and skills as a resource for teaching
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Create a safe and supportive environment and build strong relationships
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Encourage a discursive curriculum and enable student self-determination
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Connect with families
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Connect with communities
Select one or two aspects from the list above and reflect on what your school does well in this regard and what next steps you would take to further develop your school’s cultural responsiveness.
Comment on a fellow delegate’s response, remembering that every school is at a different place in this journey. You might offer support if there is a next step you can help with, reassurance if you have been on a similar journey, help with a resource you have found useful etc.
Optional Resources:
Explore the resources most relevant to you.
Working effectively with iwi and hapū, Melanie Taite-Pitama: https://vimeo.com/242861287
Puketeraki Kāhui Ako: Culturally responsive practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQusPg98GcQ
A website with many useful resources and links: https://elearning.tki.org.nz/Leadership/Culturally-responsive-leadership#js-tabcontainer-1-tab-5
Quality Teaching for Diverse Students in Schooling: Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration (BES): https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/series/2515/5959
“The real conspiracy is that education is for the rich” L. O’Connell Rapira – https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/24-08-2020/the-real-conspiracy-is-that-education-is-for-the-rich
“They didn’t care about normal kids like me”: Restructuring a school to fit the kids” A. Milne – https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/6234
“Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools” A. Milne – https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/handle/10289/7868
15 Responses
“Create a safe and supportive environment and build strong relationships”
– Senior leadership team creates a supportive atmosphere.
The leadership team at my school creates an open-door policy which allows for all staff to feel heard and supported. They promote a culture where staff know they can seek advice without hesitation, fostering trust and approachability.
-Regular staff social events and weekly Friday shared morning teas.
Once or twice a term outside of work as a whole school and also in our individual teams we get together. These events help strengthen relationships among staff, building stronger connections and improving teamwork. It creates a positive environment where people feel valued and included. Friday morning teas also happen weekly where all staff come together to enjoy a delicious morning tea. This again promotes the staff coming together and mingling with different people creating a strong school culture.
-Sharing planning in staff meetings
This collaboration allows staff to learn from each other, share best practices, and celebrate successes.
The next step I would take to further develop my school’s cultural responsiveness would be creating opportunities for more cultural celebrations and recognition.My school is made up by such a variety of cultures across the staff and the students that I feel we often don’t recognise or appreciate this diversity. This could be by organizing cultural celebration days where students and staff can share traditions, food, and practices from their cultures as this would tie easily into what we already do. We could also highlight different cultures during assemblies, newsletters, and within classrooms. I believe taking this approach would allow for more cultural responsiveness and a higher sense of community and belonging.
Kia ora Ashleigh,
When we have our shared Friday morning tea’s in the staffroom our staff numbers seem to double over all the other days, it’s great to see how sharing kai can bring people (and ideas) together. I often find that I will end up next to someone I don’t chat with as much and I enjoy connecting with them.
Culturally responsive practice is an area we’ve been working on with greater depth for a few years now but it is ongoing for us as a school. It’s a sensitive area so understanding that there are varying views and experiences has been something we’ve been quite mindful of. A key focus for a number of years however, has been around, Knowing our students. Learning about our students. To ensure that we are on the right path and are getting the information that is relevant for our school, we continue to work alongside our local iwi and MAC (Māori Achievement Collaborative) is committed to the goal of Māori educational success as Māori! This support is done through staff meetings, professional development, having key people in our school (whanau group), spreading the word to our teachers and in order to implement new learning and approaches to Maori culture.
There have been a number of ways that we as a school do this. Firstly, it’s important that we don’t assume we know our children by what we’ve heard and seen from afar. Getting to know our Maori learners is crucial. We do this by simple steps, the first being listening and talking to them. Understanding who they are, what they like, don’t like and things they’re good at. Kapa Haka, sport and music have proven to be areas of high interest for many of our Maori students. Not only do they enjoy these curriculum areas but they tend to excel as well. Getting to know their families and being able to have communication that is open and honest is important. Admittedly, this isn’t always easy, it can take time, it can have its ups and downs but having the doors open is a big achievement in itself.
In teams and at staff meetings, we identify every Maori student and closely monitor their achievement and ensure specific teaching and support is in place for children who are not meeting the current curriculum level. We continue to upskill ourselves through readings and Russell Bishop has been a part of our learning with the senior leaders of our school. Not only through reading and talking to unpack his book but we have also ensured that our leaders and teachers have been privy to hearing Russell and Laurayne Tafa who have been integral to this learning. Melanie Rewai-Couch is another book that we talk about and reflect upon when working with our Maori students. The stories that Melanie shares are integral to us understanding our students better. Lastly, Graham Nuthall and his insights to learning and how we as the teachers / educators influence our students in their learning journey. I like how he talked about us creating classrooms where there is respect and cooperation. A culture where everyone feels he or she has something to contribute to the classroom actively, where everyone takes responsibility for learning. Develop a Learning Community.
We conduct student surveys with our Maori and Pasifika children to gauge at a closer level what they are thinking and feeling. The wellbeing surveys give us deeper information too. We’re still very much on a journey and continuing to learn and grow our knowledge and understanding.
Kia ora koutou katoa.
“Use students’ cultural knowledge, perspectives and skills as a resource for teaching” – Sometimes I think we often go straight to thinking about student and whānau ethnicity when the term culture is in the mix. But I like to think of culture as what are the lived experiences we all bring into the kura each day. We have been unpacking this a bit as a staff – using the myths and legends of Māui but then thinking of ourselves, our ākonga, whānau, whole staff, community – and the different perspectives and expertise.
I also think that staff culture is one of the biggest influences on student and school culture. SLT having high skills in emotional intelligence and self- awareness will support noticing and acknowledging if staff are up or down – and then having a check in. Every student brings cultural knowledge, perspective and skills into school everyday. The opportunity for AKO and reciprocal learning is mana enhancing for all parties – they feel and can see a sense of belonging and connection to the learning space. A key support for me in my leadership is Tū Rangatira – it supports the realisation that Māori potential resides within Māori learners themselves – but is fully transferrable and empowering for all students (ākonga – staff – whānau – community.
Mana mokopuna – placing the learner at the heart & Mana Ākura the uniqueness of each kura and therefore community.
The next step for our kura with culturally relational and responsive learning is a focus around individual ākonga potential and what understanding or gaps do we have around this.
Kia ora Anna,
I really appreciate how you mentioned, “I like to think about culture as the lived experiences.” This resonates with some professional development we’ve done recently as a school, and it has shifted the way I personally view culture. Previously, I had been in the mindset of associating culture primarily with ethnicity, as you mentioned at the start. Staff culture having a trickle-down effect on student/school culture is also a point which I resonate with.
Kia ora,
Being a catholic school in central Auckland, we pull students in from all over. I would consider us culturally diverse. I think the school does well to acknowledge and connect to different cultures of our students, especially with our Pacifica and Māori Whānau. We have prayers, Waiata and reflections in different languages. We celebrate different language weeks where there are a number of events and students wear their cultural attire on the last day of that week. We have Pacifica and Māori liaison teachers who connect our students with a range of cultural events happening outside of the school, plus run hui’s and fono’s each term to connect with Whānau. We have a Pacifica and Māori graduation ceremony, in addition to our main leavers dinner. Our Principal hired a tutor for the kapa haka group, which grew the group. They represent our school and are visible in lots of our events within school and offsite. We have focused on Tapasā in staff professional learning throughout the year with an external provider.
However, there is still a lot of work to do and there are still a lot of discrepancies in the classroom. We recently did a Pacifica student survey – the main theme coming through for students was that there are still teachers who don’t see their culture, they don’t respect the way they learn or create connections. This was sad to read.
There are lots of cool things we can do as a school to be culturally responsive, but creating change at a classroom level can be harder – some teachers don’t recognise their own cultural bias.
At our school, we place great emphasis on learning about our students and building strong relationships with them. As an intermediate school that receives students from over 70 different schools across Auckland, we work hard to ensure that teachers receive as much information as possible about incoming students. Each contributing school provides academic, behavioural, and general information, which is helpful but sometimes presents a limited picture. To gain a deeper understanding of students, our teachers are given opportunities at the start of the year to spend time with individual students or small groups. This allows us to understand what makes our students tick, and helps to build trust and connection, laying the groundwork for meaningful relationships throughout the year.
One area we are looking to develop further is using students’ cultural knowledge, perspectives, and skills as a resource for teaching and learning. Currently, we celebrate various language weeks led primarily by teachers, with students as participants. Moving forward, we aim to shift this model so that students lead these celebrations, with teachers providing support. This change will allow our students to take pride in their cultural heritage and share it with others, fostering a more equitable and inclusive celebration of the many cultures represented in our school community.
Hi Cameron,
I like the idea of using students to lead celebrations- something we do at our school for Samoan and Tongan language weeks is we identify students from the culture we are focussing on for the language week and these students teach a group of students leaders a cultural dance. Then these students leaders teach the dance, sasa for Samoan language Week- to the whole school. Classes are booked in two at time and the students leaders teach the classes a basic sasa- we have done this for the past three years and the students enjoy learning from their peers- teachers enjoy it too! Just an idea that maybe you can use if you wanted to.
Kia Ora Cameron.
I really like your idea of using the students to help lead this change. This will help provide the students with a sense of ownership in their learning. My school puts a lot of focus on students having a say in and leading their our learning journey. At our school we get students to complete surveys to find out what they want to do or strengths etc. It could be a good idea to also have cultural leaders or a cultural event planning toolkit which students could use. I am really keen to hear how this goes for you.
I’ve posted here as well as I am not sure which thread to post to.
Connecting with Families
My school has implemented the following strategies to connect with families:
Regular communication: We have consistent communication channels, like newsletters, weekly emails from class teachers, and parent-teacher conferences which help keep families informed about their child’s progress and school events.
Family involvement: My school encourages family participation in activities like volunteering, field trips, and after-school programs.
Cultural celebrations: At my school, we celebrate diverse cultures through cultural events, language weeks and lessons that help create a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Parent evenings: We have parent evenings on topics like internet safety, health topics that we are teaching and on educational resources that can empower families to support their children’s learning.
While these practices are valuable, I believe that my school can further enhance their cultural responsiveness by:
Having a culturally relevant curriculum: By this I mean that we can incorporate diverse perspectives and experiences into the curriculum to ensure all students see themselves reflected in the learning materials.
Building staff cultural competency: I believe that we need to provide professional development opportunities for staff to increase their understanding of different cultures and how to effectively interact with diverse students and families.
Building community partnerships: It is important for schools to foster relationships with community organizations and cultural leaders to provide additional resources and support for students and families.
Having inclusive practices: We need to ensure that all school policies and practices are equitable and accessible to students from all backgrounds.
By implementing these strategies, I believe that my school can create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all students and families, fostering a sense of belonging and academic success.
Kia ora Kalpana,
I like you comment in your post around –
“Parent evenings: We have parent evenings on topics like internet safety, health topics that we are teaching and on educational resources that can empower families to support their children’s learning”
This shows evidence of AKO – learning together and your kura supporting the whole community to learn together. We have been doing similar things here at our kura – Queen Charlotte. If whānau can also see themselves in the vision and values of the school everyone is more empowered.
Awesome you have a tv station – Kaupapa from the couch also!
Thanks Anna- it takes a village, doesn’t it, to teach our tamariki!
Kia ora everyone,
When it comes to cultural responsiveness, we are at the beginning of our journey as a school, but we have some strong foundations that will support us along the way. Two of the aspects above that our school does well are ‘creating a safe and supportive environment and building strong relationships’ and ‘learning about our students.’ I truly believe that our teachers have strong connections with students and I know this because visitors of the school often comment on it. Just last week, a collection of principals visited our school and spent some time in the classrooms; they spoke of how evident strong relationships were between teachers and students. One of the most significant driving forces for these two things is that our senior leadership team constantly refers to the importance of doing these things and also models this by learning about us as a staff, creating a safe environment & building strong relationships. So, it becomes second nature to be this way in our classrooms.
Currently, our school is doing some PD on how to incorporate more Te Reo in our programs and across the school in general, which is great to see that it is being prioritised.
To further develop our school’s cultural responsiveness, I feel we could start by showing that we value and celebrate Māori by having evidence of this around the school. This could be singing waiata in assemblies, doing pepeha, or using the language throughout the day. These would be small but achievable steps to work towards our Māori students developing a sense of ‘mauri ora’ as a posed to mauri noho. The video spoke about how students having a strong cultural identity helps them to feel successful as Māori, and I fear that if we don’t have evidence that we celebrate this, how can they continue to think that strong cultural identity? I know that to some of you, these probably seem like such small things compared to what your schools do, but as I mentioned, our school is at the beginning of this journey and, hopefully our staff will all embrace these new learning opportunities and in years to come, will have a lot more cultural competence 🙂
Hi Sarah,
The journey with Te Reo at my current school began in small steps over the past 7 years….Here are some things we are doing at my school…we started by getting a school song, in Te Reo, written for us by our Te Reo specialist teacher. She incorporated our school values, the area we were in- our school pepeha – and put these in the lyrics of our school song. We sing our school song at assemblies and Prize giving. it is also played on our daily TV program. Apart from that, we have a program called, “Kaupapa on the Couch” on our school Television station. This program is broadcasted daily to all the classrooms- students are taught basic te teo which they then practice in their rooms. We also have a school karakia with which we begin our day- this is played on the TV station every morning. as well. As a staff, we also use this karakia in our meetings and as a school, we start our school assemblies with this karakia as well. We also celebrate Maori language week in our school, where the students do different activities with their teachers. We have a kapa haka group, which has grown in size over the years. We have a specialist kapa haka tutor who takes the kapa haka program. Our kapa haka group perform at assemblies and at special events. These are some ideas that may or may not work at your school but I thought I would share to show you that we too started small but have been growing in strength over the years..
Thank you for the response Kalpana! Some of these suggestions are super helpful. I appreciate it.
🙂