In my Middle school Food Technology classes for the past year, I have had students who have come to our school as the full Immersion school that they attended Y5-9 closed. They shifted to TAS and were placed in the Waimarino class. They are instructed in Te Reo in this setting, but when they attend Food Technology ( and Art & Music) they are instructed in English.
I want to know what interventions I can use to assist students to engage with the learning tasks that are set in English language.
My lesson today included a do now task that had the students find out the Maori words for the ingredients that we will use in the Chocolate muffin recipe, students with Te Reo skills helped others and students all learned some new word in Maori. I also learned the Maori word for cocoa-Kocoa. This is an example of responding to the specific needs of students in my class-within the lesson. I also talked about Maori being an official language.I could seek recipes written in Te Reo and have students figure out what they are.
ReplyDeleteThe lesson was positive for the Immersion students.
Last week was Easter, therefore I only had one lesson with the class and I had planned to do a cupcake decoration practical activity. I continued my inquiry by speaking further with the Whanau class teacher. She stated that I could have other students who have both Te Reo and English to translate for the students.
ReplyDeleteI did some thinking about the wider implications as studnets who are taught solely in Te Reo will access services and be able to interact in NZ when so much of our society still communicates in English.
I visited a Kohanga Reo,that is in our local community and observed the wonderful learning environment and watched how the staff communicated so fluently. I am often surrounded by fluent speakers of Te Reo in my community of Northland. I like this and support keeping the language alive.
How can more Maori language be in our supermarkets, hospitals.
Watched a short Doco about Te Reo and the relationship to the Tikana.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Kk_zyeFhQ
This answers some questions surrounding the importance of speaking Te Reo,as it is linked to peoples cultural practices and beliefs. Want to find out more about 'kitchen songs' Sung when preparing food together.
Spoke to various staff at morning tea on Friday 13th April. I inquired about kitchen songs...I had been facinated by these when I watched the video of Aroha Huaki speaking about her life and beliefs about Maori language. Some Maori staff with whome i work had heard of these but most said that modern music was played, rather than songs that were a historic record of the past. I wont continue with working toward having some kitchen song.
ReplyDeleteI also spoke to a Maori DP about the implications of having children taught in Te Reo 100% - we discussed how limiting this is once children enter the working whorl as so little is conducted in Te Reo, despite Maori being an official language. I mused more about whether New Zealand is obligated to be more fluent in Te Reo, and that we need to be prepared for these young people when they are entering the working world. I also thought more about the video in which Aroha Huaki talks about the 'life of the Language; and how it is reflected in Tikana - practices and ideas, in as much as it is in the spoken word, I then considered my efforts with students in my class, I am successful with the small interventions, however as I am not fluent in Te Reo, I cannot conduct lessons that fully reach them, but my awareness of things Maori helps us to have positive relationships. In my food tech classes I will keep acknowledging those skills and abilities that directly relate to the Marae experiences that they have- for this is the most important part of being culturally aware, and responsive.