Transformative learning is one taking on a new experience, one could look at life through a new lens and is open for this experience to occur once again. One’s previous experiences create assumptions of how they look at the world (Neerstrom, 2014). Teachers can provide this new experience for students in the classroom, students can compare their previous experiences to what you present to them.
Transformative learning can happen in the classroom with the help of effective teamwork between student to teacher and student to student. Creating an inclusive classroom environment we’re rules are set out for students, to understand what they can and can’t do. Students work together to obey these rules. This could be seen in the Te Reo Maori department during my practicum experience. Where students have been told about what to do around Tikanga in the classroom. My Assistant teacher explained to me that it is up to the teacher to set out what the rules are. These same rules are not just classroom rules but are rules of Maori Tikanga. That without your instruction education students will not know what is acceptable in what is not during these times. When students stand for Karakia they must be educated that this is a time of Tapu, where there is strictly no talking, standing still paying respect. This can be seen before every lesson and in tutor class. Everyone stands quietly before a Karakia, a series of whai korero three students stand to do Mihimihi, straight after Waiata are sung, one student stands and begins the leading for the waiata. Students then sit and listen as the teacher continues with the lesson. Students are taught to work as a team to complete this task, all participating as active team members all doing their certain role.
Learning for Maori should involve first hand experience of Marae protocol, Maori should be exposed to these different Maori environment. Schools should create learning environments that help lead to students towards their families vision and aspirations (Aotearoa Curriculum). The same rules being taught are the same Tikanga rules that apply for the Marae and other relevant environments. They are learning the the different roles that are distributed on the mare, as men play the role of Kai Korero on the mare, waiata are done at the end of Korero, Te Reo Maori is the main language spoken (Keane, 2019). Students can compare this new experience to their previous experience, they may have experience on the Marae. Students could have seen Tikanga Maori on Marae such as Whai Korero, they will compare this to the whaikorero happening in the classroom. Teachers will take students through a transformative learning process where students will learn new skills that they can use in the future, new experiences that they can apply to their previous. Students will be able to return to the Marae and be able to look through a different lens, different to their previous lens identifying new aspects, such as a teacher educating students to identify dialects of different speakers on the Marae during Whai Korero.
Teachers can implement effective teamwork to this transformative learning. This is through teaching the relationship between Maori values and teamwork. Whanaungatanga is locating a sense of belonging, where people get to know one and other through common relationships to people, land, cultural knowledge. This can bee implemented in the classroom by practicing pepeha where students explain their origins which create their identity, team work is being practiced here as the class work as a team standing one after another to explain their identity, (Kokiri Hauorae, 2019). Teachers can get students to participate in Whaikorero and establish Whakawhanaungatanga.
Students will work as a team sharing knowledge of their origins, creating links between the speakers. Whai means to follow or persue, support (Maori Dictionary), here students will work as a team to follow the subject of conversation being spoken between the different speakers.
Transformative learning happens here as students help perfect the previous experience of working in a team environment perfecting their skills around practicing whakawhaungatanga. When they next go back to the Marae they will be able to look through a new lens identifying how they can work as an effective team member on the paepae during a whaikorero situation.
References
Kokiri Hauora , 2019 Rangatahi Turangatira Tikanga Maori Values retrieved
https://www.r2r.org.nz/maori-health/tikanga-maori-values.html
Basil Keane, 2019 ‘Marae protocol – te kawa o te marae’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, retrived
https://teara.govt.nz/en/marae-protocol-te-kawa-o-te-marae/print
TheTranslationDocumentof Te Marautanga o Aotearoa curriculum 3, 2007, Pg 11 “BTI Coarse reading,
Nerstrom, N , 2014, An Emerging Model for Transformative Learning,Kansas State University Libraries New Prairie Press, 2014 Conference Proceedings (Harrisburg, PA). Adult Education Research Conference Retrieved
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