You are here:
Case study: Mawhera/Greymouth Cluster
Sections
Schools' professional development focus
The professional development activities at schools in the Mawhera/Greymouth cluster focused on:
- growing culturally inclusive school learning communities
- developing teachers' knowledge of relationship building strategies
- growing teacher capability in integrated lesson planning and alternative teaching and learning strategies
- enhancing teacher's repertoire of classroom te reo Māori
- evolving school policies and plans that nurture Māori student achievement.
Background
Four state schools formed the original Mawhera/Greymouth cluster:
- a co-educational secondary school, Greymouth High Te Kura Tua Rua o Mawhera
- a middle school, Grey Junior High
- two full primary schools, Paroa and Runanga Primary Schools.
Grey Junior High closed at the end of 2001 resulting in recapitation at several primary schools in the area and a significant roll increase at Grey Main School. These changes, together with increasing interest in the project from other schools, saw the Te Kauhua Pilot professional development opportunities opened up to teachers from primary schools throughout the district. As a result, stronger relationships and enhanced understandings were forged between the primary and secondary sectors.
Greymouth High is a decile four school with a roll of 610 students and 44 teachers. Runanga Primary School is rated decile 2 and has 122 students and six teachers. Paroa Primary is decile 6 school with a school community of 223 students and eight teachers.
An extensive group of people was involved in the Mawhera/Greymouth project including: teachers, teacher aides, a facilitator, a lead principal, participating primary and secondary schools principals association, lead teachers for the pilot, parents/whānau, boards of trustees, West Coast Schooling Improvement project personnel, secondary principals, a regional inter agency forum, the Māori Women's Welfare League, other local Māori community leaders, and a wide range of educators with expertise in a variety of areas.
The Te Kauhua project was guided by an action research approach in which teachers were supported to become researchers in and on their practice. The context used for implementing the action research cycle involved a group of teachers trialling three mathematics strategies, supported by peer class observations. The data gained from the observations was then used to inform future practice.
A number of data collection methods were used throughout the pilot to evidence shifts in teacher and/or student behaviour, attitude, and achievement and to guide the design and delivery of each stage of the professional development strategy. Methods used included peer observations, student and teacher surveys, workshop evaluations, and academic achievement data.
Intended outcomes
The intended outcomes for the Mawhera/Greymouth cluster were:
- to develop strategies to improve the teaching and learning environments in the pilot schools, thereby facilitating increased achievement outcomes for Māori students
- enhanced numeracy outcomes for Māori students
- to involve Māori students in a broad range of school/community activities
- to develop on-going, reciprocal relationships with the Māori community, by holding regular hui and sharing panui (notices), to achieve shared vision and collective goals
- to work with contributing pilot project schools in developing individual Māori responsiveness plans.
By the midpoint in the pilot, an additional outcome was added to these five. This initiative focused upon increased retention rates of Māori students.
Varied professional development programmes were delivered across the cluster schools. One common characteristic across the cluster however was regular and continuing communication. Consultation with Māori was considered central to the success of the project. Consequently, the participation of tangata whenua and cluster school parents/whānau in project planning, delivery, and evaluation was sought from the beginning of the pilot.
Further, full and open communication with principals and teachers, regular project team meetings, on-going reporting to boards of trustees and other key stakeholders have been characteristics of the communication and consultation processes adopted by the Mawhero/Greymouth cluster.
The Te Kauhua professional development journey for the Mawhera/Greymouth cluster centred upon eight key initiatives:
- sharing professional readings and reflecting on teaching practice
- discussions about strategies to grow culturally inclusive classrooms and ultimately, culturally located schools
- developing relationships between teachers and students and schools and their Māori communities
- evolving school policies and plans that nurture Māori student achievement
- growing teacher capability in terms of integrated lesson planning and discursive teaching and learning strategies
- developing teachers' repertoire of classroom te reo Māori
- initiating a cross-sector mathematics forum
- the implementation of restorative whānau hui.
The action research cycle was implemented in conjunction with mathematics professional development. Mathematics teachers agreed to set three generic professional development goals that became the criteria upon which peer–supported classroom observations were conducted. These goals included making mathematics fun, increasing academic feedback and feedforward, and increasing the amount of effective teacher praise proffered.
External experts delivered training in peer observation, conducted classroom observations, and worked collaboratively with the mathematics teachers to develop a tailored peer observation tool which was context appropriate. Subsequent professional development was informed by the data gathered in the classroom observations.
Key results
The data indicate a number of positive outcomes from the Te Kauhua initiative in the Mawhera/Greymouth cluster schools including:
- significant representation of Māori students in the high achiever cohort in National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA) mathematics
- reduced suspensions, stand downs, and truancy at Greymouth High School
- enhanced relationships across the primary and secondary sector schools
- strengthened inter-school and intra-school relationships
- a heightened profile of the Te Kauhua project across the region and new initiatives started as a result, for example the Primary Principals Association Annual Māori Achievement Summit and the establishment of a regional kapa haka festival
- the development of plans and procedures that facilitate the embedding of Te Kauhua goals in school policy
- increased whānau participation in the cluster primary schools
- the development of Māori student achievement data management systems in local schools
- strong and growing participation of teachers in professional development activities focused on raising Māori student achievement, for example te reo Māori sessions, planning, and resource–making workshops.
Lessons for ongoing practice
Three clear implications emerge for teachers and school communities from this pilot research.
Firstly, the success of any initiative to enhance Māori student achievement rests upon schools strengthening their relationships with local runanga (councils) and the wider matawaka Māori community. To ensure full community involvement, the adoption of a collaborative, inclusive, and consultative approach at the strategic planning stage is critical. Ongoing communication, consultation, and reporting is equally necessary to ensure successful outcomes.
Secondly, the embedding of agreed plans and policies into school-wide strategic goal setting that support enhanced Māori student achievement outcomes is crucial to the development of a school culture that embraces the underpinning principles of Te Kauhua.
Finally, the agreed development, refinement, and utilisation of meaningful and effective data collection tools that evidence shifts in student achievement is essential. Evidential data is a pre-requisite to the transparent monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of professional development interventions.
Conclusion
The Te Kauhua Pilot has afforded the Mawhera/Greymouth cluster schools the opportunity to engage in whānau and wider community consultation and a number of professional development activities that are showing indications of positive outcomes for Māori students.
Much of the success of the journey was found in the application of tikanga Māori principles throughout the cluster schools, including whakawhānau ngatanga (relationship building), tautoko (genuine supprt and endorsement), tino rangatiratanga (active recognition of the mana of the tangata whenua), and manaakitanga (meeting the physical and emotional needs of people).
There remains much work to be done in terms of developing the foundations laid in professional development activities. The ongoing challenges for the Mawhera/Greymouth cluster schools are further developing the action research approach to professional development and implementing effective data gathering and analysis mechanisms to evidence progress in terms of enhanced outcomes for Māori students.