Aligning beliefs with practice

Many researchers discuss the critical importance of aligning beliefs with practice within deep, collaborative learning. Within New Zealand, problem-based methodology (Robinson and Lai, 2006) has emerged as a powerful framework for improving practice by examining the beliefs that lie behind that practice.

Julia Atkin (1996) has developed a set of processes and strategies that is helping many educators to surface and clarify their values and beliefs and to compare their practice to the beliefs that they espouse. They find that the dissonance that this creates can be a catalyst for making changes to practice. Atkin regards the following processes as critical to a values- and beliefs-based approach to learning:

• creating a shared vision;
• identifying values and beliefs;
• clarifying values and beliefs;
• examining practices for alignment with values and beliefs;
• formulating principles and designing practices based on values and beliefs.

In New Zealand, educators are being challenged to consider whether their beliefs and professional practice are truly meeting the needs of Māori students. Pages 122–124 discuss the development of pedagogy that is based upon kaupapa Māori and that addresses issues of power and control to create new power-sharing relationships and interactions drawing on Māori cultural aspirations and sense-making processes (Bishop et al., 2003).

Te Kōtahitanga, a research and professional development project, promotes this pedagogy within English-medium settings.

It is an approach that rests in the first instance upon a commitment by teachers to build caring and learning relationships and interactions with Māori students; in the second, for teachers to strongly believe Māori students can improve their achievement; and thirdly, their students are able to take responsibility for their learning and performance.

Bishop, Berryman, Powell, and Teddy, 2007, page 12

While kaupapa Māori theory and practice build on the past, their development is by no means static: New Zealand researchers and practitioners wrestle with what they mean in practice today.

Writer after writer indicates that Māori pedagogy is not new, but is derived within a long and ancient history of tikanga Māori and is informed by mātauranga Māori that is sourced in thousands of years of articulation and practice. The ability and commitment to look to the past for answers to present (and future) Māori educational developments is perhaps the most critical factor to Māori educational achievement.

Pihama, Smith, Taki, and Lee, 2004, page 53 (closing reflections)

Case 6: Being a Critical Friend

Barbara refers to her strong belief in Atkin’s approach (see video Clip 3). In each of her conversations with Gillian, she examined her practices for their alignment with her values and beliefs. She then identified some principles that she could apply in her work with others, and she redesigned her practices to ensure that they were better aligned with her values and beliefs.

Case 5: Te Tūhono i ngā Ao e Rua

This case highlights the complexity of the issues faced by educators who work within a pedagogy based upon kaupapa Māori. Kaupapa Māori for Leeana is more than a statement of belief – it is a fundamental part of her identity. At the same time, Leeana identifies as a professional educator, and the knowledge and beliefs she has developed in that world are also part of who she is. She clarifies her dilemma in her inquiry question: “How can I ensure that my interactions with teachers and colleagues are professional and keep students’ needs to the fore while being true to kaupapa Māori?”

Comments from pakeke and rangatahi reveal that there are no neat solutions to be found to Leeana’s dilemma. There is, however, a shared commitment to students, which is, perhaps, the bridge that will lead to an ultimate resolution. In the meantime, it is important to identify the issues and do the hard talking in ways that respect the mana of all.

See also the learning stories:

• “Developing a shared understanding within a community of practice”, pages 102–103;
• “Surfacing values and beliefs”, pages 108–109.

Recommended reading

Atkin, J. (1996). "From Values and Beliefs about Learning to Principles and Practice". Seminar Series no. 54. Melbourne: Incorporated Association of Registered Teachers of Victoria.

Kaupapa Māori:
This website provides access to a rich array of research on kaupapa Māori theory and practice. In particular, the page on “Action” provides examples of research and writing specifically related to kaupapa Māori in education.

Māori and Indigenous Analysis (2007). Tikanga Rangahau (DVD). Aotearoa: Māori and Indigenous Analysis Ltd.
This DVD uses interviews with leading Māori researchers to explore key issues for researchers and to articulate the elements and expectations of a kaupapa Māori methodological approach. It includes sections entitled kaupapa Māori Methodology, Decolonising Research, Research Methods, Ethics, and Critical Analysis. The DVD is available from Tangatawhenua.com

Pihama, L., Smith, K., Taki, M., and Lee, J. (2004). A Literature Review on Kaupapa Māori and Māori Education Pedagogy. Prepared for ITP New Zealand by The International Research Institute for Māori and Indigenous Education. This review provides an overview of the kaupapa Māori principles and practices that form the basis of Māori pedagogy.

Te Kōtahitanga publication home page:
As a professional development initiative, Te Kōtahitanga is committed to what its leaders call a “Culturally Responsive Pedagogy of Relations”. This page provides access to the project’s publications.

Te Mana:
Te Mana aims to increase participation of Māori in education and to raise expectations of Māori achievement. It encourages students of all ages to take responsibility for their education and models what success looks like – for example, through links with Taiohi magazine's stories, with music, and with other special features.

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