Supporting Student Hauora

giftED Blog Challenge # 5- How do you help students come out of their shell?

Supporting students who struggle to find a sense of mana whenua (belonging) in a learning environment can be challenging. If they don't feel belonging it's difficult to feel included. We want students to have that whakamana (empowerment) and to make mana tangata (contribution) towards their own learning. Moving ultimately towards learner agency and feeling that learning and school is rekareka (fun).

Luckily we have some amazing resources within our New Zealand Curriculum Framework which we can utilise to help support ourselves and our students. I am not an expert in these areas but I am definitely not afraid to ask for help to find out more! Obviously the best way to utilise these would be to collaborate with other schools and kindergartens to get the best results for everyone. Especially asking our ECE teacher experts in this area for support perhaps through the utilisation of CoL (Community of Learning) networks.

Below is 'kōwhiti whakapae whāriki'  from Pg 11 of Te Whāriki :

The four curriculum principles are interwoven with the five curriculum strands.  This makes the vision at the heart of Te Whāriki. It talks about the journey towards potential, enlightenment, new life and growth. Surely this is what we want for all our learners?

It also has ideas that are fundamental to how Māori approach teaching and learning :

"Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini. I come not with my own strengths but bring with me the gifts, talents and strengths of my family, tribe and ancestors. " Pg 12 Te Whariki

These are concepts we are striving to put into the forefront of our teaching.

"The whāriki can also be understood as a metaphor for the developing child. Interpreted in this way, as in Te Whāriki a te Kōhanga Reo, the whāriki includes four dimensions of human development: tinana, hinengaro, wairua and whatumanawa." Te Whariki pg 10

These aspects are also incorporated into another model to support student wellbeing and hauora.  Below is a model- 'Te Whare Tapa Wha' from Dr Mason Durie which is used in our Health and Physical Education document:

Thinking about well being from a Māori perspective is essential as a New Zealand teacher. We have many students who need support to manage anxiety and behavioural challenges. Using these kinds of frameworks as a starting point would help students across the board and especially those that need help "coming out of their shells." It is our job to make the collaboration happen with the right teachers and experts to benefit all our our tamariki.