Distance Learning Support - using Tapasā

The learning indicators below are ideas based on Ngā Turu – Competencies for teachers of Pacific learners - which can be interwoven across your teaching and learning.

Turu 1: Identities, languages and cultures

Demonstrate awareness of the diverse and ethnic-specific identities, languages and cultures of Pacific learners.

Ways in which educators can support learners:

Encourage opportunities where families and their children can organise how they learn from home and spend quality time to celebrate in cultural traditions.
Share in learning about each child, what is important to them and ways in which you can help them feel successful.
Plan, develop and suggest activities or tasks that allow learners to speak, write or read in their own languages, and to encourage their families to support them from home in their language of choice.
Promote ways where learners can have fun and engage effectively through stories, song, dance, drama, and games.
Create a positive learning environment where other family members can become active role models through sharing, guiding and creating activities together in their language of choice.

Turu 2: Collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviours

Establishes and maintains collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviours that enhance learning and wellbeing for Pacific learners.

Ways in which educators can support learners:

Engage with families individually to develop effective and open communication to develop a positive home/school partnership. Remind families they are not expected to be the teacher; they are there as before, to support their children to learn but this time it is to learn from home.
Provide specific times or a preferred way of communication to allow direct contact with learners and families, for example; email, text or phone calls. If families are working than be prepared to have these conversations or responses in the evening.
Value and nurture the culture, knowledge and partnership of families who can motivate and support well-being to empower learners.
Recognise, listen and respect the ways in which families create positive learning environments while allowing learners to set their own time to complete tasks.
Develop, build and engage with learners and families providing resources and links to strengthen learning outcomes.

Turu 3: Effective pedagogies for Pacific learners

Implements pedagogical approaches that are effective for Pacific learners.

Ways in which educators can support learners:

Extend, adapt and provide a choice of learning activities and tasks that are suitable for each learner in their own context.
Establish culturally safe places for learners to engage, share and build on knowledge.
Celebrate and encourage the cultural diversity and knowledge that learners can share during online interactions with their teachers and peer group.
Explore ways to engage teaching and learning that meets the needs of the learner through curriculum integration.
Create and design learning pathways that lead to success while building on strengths.
Co-design what achievement and success looks like with your learners and where possible with their families, while setting realistic expectations with learners.
Develop and create opportunities for learners to take leadership and ownership in constructing their learning.

Tapasā Resources

Further online resources will be available at the end of August 2020

Tapasā- Cultural Competencies Framework for Teachers of Pacific Learners 2019 [PDF, 731 kB]

If you would like to order a hard copy of the Tapasā booklet, visit Down the Back of the Chair.

Quality Practice Template – Cross Sector Examples for a QPT using a Tapasā lens [PDF, 88 kB]

Tapasā values community

In this video, teachers describe their open door policy with parents and their whānau. Tessa and Caro describe their interactions with parents and the neutral ground they create for discussions.

Tapasā values community video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
How do the teachers in this video benefit from informal meetings with their communities? How does or could this occur in your setting? In what ways do Caro and Tessa see themselves as the learners at Sylvia Park School? How could positioning ourselves as learners create opportunities for connecting to the community?	Tapasā – Turu 1 and Turu 3 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Te Tiriti o Waitangi Partnership, Professional Relationships and Learning focused culture

A compass to navigate diversity

Leitu models a pathway to respectful relationships with students based on trust. He talks about respecting their ‘va’ (teu le va) and puts himself on the same level as them so that successful conversations can take place.

A compass to navigate diversity video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
How do you see the Pacific value of reciprocity demonstrated in this video? How does Leitu’s philosophy and approach consider the holistic and collective aspects of his learners, their parents, whānau and community?	Tapasā – Turu 1, Turu 2 and Turu 3 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Professional Relationships, Learning focused culture

Tapasā supports different ways of knowing

This video shows Aurora College’s intentional practice of building strong relationships with their wider community with the resulting benefits for students’ social and academic learning. Listen to Antonio, Maleko and Oceania talk about how the course they completed strengthened their sense of connection and identity.

Tapasā supports different ways of knowing video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
How does Aurora College weave all three Turu throughout the case study? Why would a strengthened sense of connection and identity impact on learner outcomes? How might you deepen your relationships with the wider community in order to benefit your Pacific learners?	Tapasā – Turu 1, Turu 2 and Turu 3 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Professional Relationships, Design for learning, Learning-focused culture and Teaching

Tapasā builds bridges

You will hear Ragne talking about meeting the various communities that make up Porirua’s whole school community. She intentionally models herself as a learner and moves out her own comfort zone to make the connections that bring enormous benefits for her students.

Tapasā vuilds bridges video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
Ragne’s leadership demonstrates a responsiveness to Pacific ethnic-specific identities, languages and cultures. What opportunities do you have in your setting to engage in new ways with your Pacific community? What would you expect to see as the impact this engagement might have on the learners, their parents, families and community?	Tapasā – Turu 1 and Turu 3 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Te Tiriti o Waitangi Partnership, Professional Relationships and Learning focused culture

Tapasā and the power of Polyfest

Edgewater College leaders and students show how Polyfest brings multiple layers of success; students are reinforced in their cultural identities and receive credits for their work, their families and wider communities provide their cultural knowledge to the school and relationships are strengthened all round.

Tapasā and the power of Polyfest video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
How might the experience learners develop through events such as Polyfest strengthen the learning and achievement of all learners in your setting?	Tapasā – Turu 1 and Turu 3 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Te Tiriti o Waitangi Partnership, Professional Relationships and Learning focused culture

Tapasā and culturally responsive pedagogy

You will hear Kathy talking about a radical change in her teaching style when she first moved to Porirua College. Listen to her talk about her learning journey.

Tapasā and culturally responsive pedagogy video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
How has Kathy developed and refined her practice to better connect with and empower her learners? How could being more explicit about developing self-knowledge impact on your teaching practice and the outcomes for your learners?	Tapasā – Turu 1 and Turu 3 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership, Professional learning, Professional Relationships, Design for learning, Teaching and Learning focused culture

Giving the document life

Hear the voices of leaders encouraging us to bring the document to life, to adapt our systems and structures to foster shared knowledge and listen to the stories of the people. Leitu speaks of how the framework can identify ways of developing our practice to include the voices of all.

Giving the document life video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
How effective are your current school/centre’s protocols and systems in recognising Pacific ethnic-specific identities, languages and cultures? Where do you place yourself in the Tapasā framework currently and what deliberate actions could you take tomorrow to further bring Tapasā to life?	Tapasā – Turu 1, Turu 2 and Turu 3 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Te Titiri o Waitangi partnership, Professional learning, Professional Relationships, Design for learning, Teaching and Learning focused culture

Tapasā supports the teachers' collaboration

Hear about how Tapasā offers a Pacific learner lens on Our Code, Our Standards. Caro and Ambrose discuss how Tapasā supports collaboration between teachers to enhance learning experiences.

Tapasā supports teachers' collaboration video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
What current opportunities do we have in our setting for teachers to collaborate in their practice? How could we use Tapasā to enhance our collaborative practice in a way that would benefit our Pacific learners? How would we know if effective collaboration was making a difference for our learners?	Tapasā – Turu 3 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Learning focused culture and teaching

Our relational past, our reciprocal future

How does Tapasā support us to recognise who we are, where we have come from and have the courage to fully participate in the learning journey? You will also hear how Te Tiriti o Waitangi provides the foundation for this engagement.

Our relational past, our reciprocal future video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
How do we know our setting is welcoming to all? What could we do to further our understanding of what is needed to encourage full participation?	Tapasā – Turu 1 and Turu 3 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership, Professional Relationships and Learning focused culture

Navigating diversity in ECE

This video discusses how Tapasā acts as a compass for everyone – not just Pacific learners. You will hear Jenny talk about positioning herself as a learner as she engages with her tamariki.

Tapasā navigates diversity (ECE) video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
Are there opportunities in your teaching practice that foster learning partnership? How could Tapasā be used to support strength based practices that recognise diverse ways of knowing?	Tapasā – Turu 3 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Design for learning and teaching

Tapasā is for everyone

This video reminds us of the incredible diversity of the Pacific nations. Tapasā is for all teachers and assists us to see how we can all support the learning and wellbeing of our Pacific students.

Tapasā is for everyone video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
Leitu points out that Pacific teachers are not neccessarily experts on all Pacific nations. How could Tapasā help us to build the knowledge needed to connect with the diversity of Pacific learners? What happens in your setting to support collective responsibility for Pacific learners’ wellbeing?	Tapasā – Turu 1 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership and Professional Relationships

Releasing the power of cultural capital

Listen to four teachers discuss the cultural capital that all learners bring to their learning context. Observe how the lens of Tapasā validates the experience and knowledge that all learners already possess.

Releasing the power of cultural capital video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
In what ways do the different communities in the video share their cultural capital with their respective schools and centres? How do the teachers enable this capital to be present in their practice? To what extent are we aware of the different cultural capital learners bring to our settings? How could this knowledge and perspective be better reflected in our practice? Observe the teachers in this video; discuss the non-verbal ways they connect with their learners.	Tapasā – Turu 1 and Turu 3 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Design for learning and teaching

Let’s begin to talanoa

Important links

In what ways do the different communities in the video share their cultural capital with their respective schools and centres? How do the teachers enable this capital to be present in their practice?
To what extent are we aware of the different cultural capital learners bring to our settings? How could this knowledge and perspective be better reflected in our practice?
Observe the teachers in this video; discuss the non-verbal ways they connect with their learners.

Tapasā nurtures prior knowledge

You will hear Gina discussing with her team the importance of culture and making room for the diversity of knowledge, beliefs and values of the children in your classrooms/centres. Gina comments: ‘you don’t have to leave these things at the gate’.

Tapasā nurtures prior knowledge video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
How does Gina create room for her learners to be themselves? How is the concept of ako demonstrated through Gina’s practice? How else might you nurture your learners’ understanding that their own knowledge is valuable to you and others?	Tapasā – Turu 1 and Turu 2 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Design for learning, teaching and learning-focused culture

Tapasā responds to community voice

Hear the voices of professional leaders talk about genuine consultation with their Pacific communities. Cathy discusses the imperative of looking at the centre/school’s culture and understanding how that aligns with feedback from Pacific communities.

Tapasā responds to community voice video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
Cathy comments that ‘our families are the best resources and our wider community is the ultimate resource’. How is this reflected in your centre or school? How might you weave Pacific community voice in a genuine and meaningful way through your learning programmes or setting?	Tapasā – Turu 2 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership and Professional Relationships and Design for learning

Tapasā supports pedagogies that value culture

In this video you will see the strategies Caro and Tessa use to build strong relationships with their learners, how they encourage collaborative practice in their classrooms and the benefits for learners of this approach.

Tapasā supports pedagogies that value culture video on Vimeo

Let’s begin to talanoa	Important links
What teaching strategies do Tessa and Caro employ to recognise the unique contribution Pacific learners can make to maximise social and academic learning? How do you learn from your Pacific learners and their parents? What strategies are you already using to build the social and academic learning of your children and how could you develop these further?	Tapasā – Turu 1 and Turu 3 Code of Professional Responsibility through the lens of Tapasā Standards – Design for learning and teaching

Distance Learning Support - using Tapasā

Turu 1: Identities, languages and cultures

Demonstrate awareness of the diverse and ethnic-specific identities, languages and cultures of Pacific learners.

Turu 2: Collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviours

Establishes and maintains collaborative and respectful relationships and professional behaviours that enhance learning and wellbeing for Pacific learners.

Turu 3: Effective pedagogies for Pacific learners

Implements pedagogical approaches that are effective for Pacific learners.

Tapasā Resources

Tapasā values community

A compass to navigate diversity

Tapasā supports different ways of knowing

Tapasā builds bridges

Tapasā and the power of Polyfest

Tapasā and culturally responsive pedagogy

Giving the document life

Tapasā supports the teachers' collaboration

Our relational past, our reciprocal future

Navigating diversity in ECE

Tapasā is for everyone

Releasing the power of cultural capital

Tapasā nurtures prior knowledge

Tapasā responds to community voice

Tapasā supports pedagogies that value culture

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