Culturally Responsive Assessment
Culturally Responsive Practice is Built on Relationships:
What makes the difference for Māori students? How can you be a culturally responsive teacher?
“Teachers who have agency, who understand themselves, to be able to weave together all those things within the classroom to create a learning context ... where young Māori people can bring themselves to the learning conversation, their own experiences, their own cultural understanding, the way they make sense of the world, where their knowledge is official and legitimate and it’s that level of engagement that brings about a proved attendance, achievement and further engagement”.
“It is not child-centred education it is relationship-based education, relationship-centred education, and it’s culturally responsive but is also based upon the notion of relationships being paramount to the educational performance. We term it caring and learning relationships. Not just fluffy nice. A serious business Education. It’s about caring for people, caring that they learn and it’s about creating learning relationships to ensure they are able to learn. We term it culturally responsive pedagogy of relations”.
Agentic teachers demonstrate 6 things daily...
Transcript of Russell Bishop’s “What makes the difference for Maori students”
Relationships are at the very heart of the Reggio Emilia educational approach.
That approach is reflected in an environment that encircles the child with three teachers, or protagonists.
It is the child’s relationship with parent, teacher, and environment that ignites learning.
(Mary Ann Biermeir - Inspired by Reggio Emilia: Emergent Curriculum in Relationship-Driven Learning Environments)
Why should children Play?
Jean Piaget was quoted in his later years as saying... “Our real problem is – what is the goal of education? Are we forming children that are only capable of learning what is already known? Or should we try developing creative and innovative minds, capable of discovery from the preschool age on, throughout life?”
Retrieved from: https://www.psychologized.org/jean-piagets-theory-of-play/
Developmental Stage Theory
Cognitive Development requires appropriate environmental stimuli/experiences as the child matures
It is the assembled schemas that people use when they interact with the world and people around them, and the richer a child’s learning (play) environment, Piaget theorised, the better the schemata and schemas will be.
Brain development - What do we know?
The part of the brain that likes repetitive pattern, the frontal cortex, is associated with numeracy and literacy. “You move into that part of your brain when you’re seven,” he says.
There’s always a group of children who turn up to school ready to write, weighted towards first-born children and girls.
But there’s no extra benefit to that, he says.
By the time children are eight, the early learners have the same reading age as those who started at seven.
A good solid basis in oral language is what leads to good writing.
“In most Scandinavian countries children aren’t taught to write until they’re seven. They’re allowed to write, but no formalisation comes in.”
“Writing isn’t bad under the age of seven, it’s the formal teaching of it.
“It’s bad if a five year old is stressing out about their learning because at five you’re developing your emotional attitude towards yourself as a learner.
“A child under stress is basically learning they’re a bit stupid so we should be avoiding stress for five year olds.”
In primary school, a child only benefits from two-and-a-half hours a day of teacher-led instruction. Anything more has little effect, so the teacher then is “scaffolding the child-led play”.
Schools are moving towards play-based early schooling, Mikaere-Wallis says.
“Free play, creativity, child-led, that’s what I know will make for an intelligent child”.
His three-and-a-half year old daughter wanted to write things down, but that was because she’d seen her older brothers and sisters writing and “worked out the rest of society thinks you’re really flash when you do that”.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018635221/when-should-a-child-learn-to-write
Structured play
is generally adult-led, a specific task in order for the child to learn a new skill.
Unstructured play
is open-ended, creative free play with endless possibilities. Child-led and directed it doesn’t require an outcome or product.
Unstructured Play does not mean unstructured classroom. It is in fact the opposite.
Creating a class culture that is respectful, kind, responsible and safe is essential.
“Children tend to concentrate and persevere for long periods when they are ‘in control’ of their learning. Their levels of motivation are higher because they have chosen something that appeals to them”
Tassoni (researcher)
The Environment as the Third Teacher:
“Environments that inspire and support creative thinking and invention, that provoke
inquiry... designed to be not only functional but also beautiful and reflective of the child’s learning”. (Biermeir, 2015)
“If you can light the spark of curiosity in a child, they will learn without any further assistance. Very often, children are natural learners.”
Sir Ken Robinson
Role of the Teacher
The Beauty of Play:
Play is natural to children
Concluding Thoughts:
“We need a teacher who is sometimes the director, sometimes the set designer, curtain and backdrop, and sometimes the prompter. A teacher who is both sweet and stern, who is the electrician, who dispenses the points, and who is even the audience_ the audience who watches, sometimes claps, sometimes remains silent, full of motion, who sometimes judges
with scepticism, and at other times applauds with enthusiasm.”
Loris Malaguzzi, quoted in Rinaldi, 2006, p.89
What children learn does not follow as an automatic result from what is taught, rather, it is in large part due to the children’s own doing, as a consequence of their activities and our resources.
Loris Malaguzzi, The Hundred Languages of Children
“Transforming education happens only when we transform our teaching”.
Mary Ann Biermeir - Inspired by Reggio Emilia: Emergent Curriculum in Relationship-Driven Learning Environments
What makes the difference for Māori students? How can you be a culturally responsive teacher?
“Teachers who have agency, who understand themselves, to be able to weave together all those things within the classroom to create a learning context ... where young Māori people can bring themselves to the learning conversation, their own experiences, their own cultural understanding, the way they make sense of the world, where their knowledge is official and legitimate and it’s that level of engagement that brings about a proved attendance, achievement and further engagement”.
“It is not child-centred education it is relationship-based education, relationship-centred education, and it’s culturally responsive but is also based upon the notion of relationships being paramount to the educational performance. We term it caring and learning relationships. Not just fluffy nice. A serious business Education. It’s about caring for people, caring that they learn and it’s about creating learning relationships to ensure they are able to learn. We term it culturally responsive pedagogy of relations”.
Agentic teachers demonstrate 6 things daily...
- Care for Māori students as Māori
- Care for performance - They have high expectations and signal this
- Prepared for Māori to be Māori - create a learning context where young Māori can bring their own funds of knowledge and bring this to the classroom
- Manage classrooms where the pedagogy they use promotes (interactions with Māori people that provide academic feedback/feedforward) and negotiated co-construction of learning, where learners among learners is the prevailing phenomena as opposed to transmission modes of teaching
- Teachers can use strategies effectively - eg. cooperative learning is not just group work but a highly structured means of engaging young people in learning.
- Use the evidence of students performance to guide where they take their teaching and they also ensure that the students know about their outcomes in a formative way so students also know what they need to learn and where to take their learning - learners among learners in a context that is based upon teachers creating a context in the classroom that is responsive to the child, that is responsive to the culture of the child.
Transcript of Russell Bishop’s “What makes the difference for Maori students”
Relationships are at the very heart of the Reggio Emilia educational approach.
That approach is reflected in an environment that encircles the child with three teachers, or protagonists.
- The first teacher - the parent - takes on the role of active partner and guide in the education of the child.
- The second is the classroom teacher ... the researcher ... intentionally engaging children in meaningful work and conversation.
- The third teacher is the environment. A setting designed to be not only functional but also beautiful and reflective of the child’s learning.
It is the child’s relationship with parent, teacher, and environment that ignites learning.
(Mary Ann Biermeir - Inspired by Reggio Emilia: Emergent Curriculum in Relationship-Driven Learning Environments)
Why should children Play?
Jean Piaget was quoted in his later years as saying... “Our real problem is – what is the goal of education? Are we forming children that are only capable of learning what is already known? Or should we try developing creative and innovative minds, capable of discovery from the preschool age on, throughout life?”
Retrieved from: https://www.psychologized.org/jean-piagets-theory-of-play/
Developmental Stage Theory
Cognitive Development requires appropriate environmental stimuli/experiences as the child matures
It is the assembled schemas that people use when they interact with the world and people around them, and the richer a child’s learning (play) environment, Piaget theorised, the better the schemata and schemas will be.
Brain development - What do we know?
The part of the brain that likes repetitive pattern, the frontal cortex, is associated with numeracy and literacy. “You move into that part of your brain when you’re seven,” he says.
There’s always a group of children who turn up to school ready to write, weighted towards first-born children and girls.
But there’s no extra benefit to that, he says.
By the time children are eight, the early learners have the same reading age as those who started at seven.
A good solid basis in oral language is what leads to good writing.
“In most Scandinavian countries children aren’t taught to write until they’re seven. They’re allowed to write, but no formalisation comes in.”
“Writing isn’t bad under the age of seven, it’s the formal teaching of it.
“It’s bad if a five year old is stressing out about their learning because at five you’re developing your emotional attitude towards yourself as a learner.
“A child under stress is basically learning they’re a bit stupid so we should be avoiding stress for five year olds.”
In primary school, a child only benefits from two-and-a-half hours a day of teacher-led instruction. Anything more has little effect, so the teacher then is “scaffolding the child-led play”.
Schools are moving towards play-based early schooling, Mikaere-Wallis says.
“Free play, creativity, child-led, that’s what I know will make for an intelligent child”.
His three-and-a-half year old daughter wanted to write things down, but that was because she’d seen her older brothers and sisters writing and “worked out the rest of society thinks you’re really flash when you do that”.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018635221/when-should-a-child-learn-to-write
Structured play
is generally adult-led, a specific task in order for the child to learn a new skill.
Unstructured play
is open-ended, creative free play with endless possibilities. Child-led and directed it doesn’t require an outcome or product.
Unstructured Play does not mean unstructured classroom. It is in fact the opposite.
Creating a class culture that is respectful, kind, responsible and safe is essential.
“Children tend to concentrate and persevere for long periods when they are ‘in control’ of their learning. Their levels of motivation are higher because they have chosen something that appeals to them”
Tassoni (researcher)
The Environment as the Third Teacher:
“Environments that inspire and support creative thinking and invention, that provoke
inquiry... designed to be not only functional but also beautiful and reflective of the child’s learning”. (Biermeir, 2015)
- Stimulates curiosity, Rich in Oral Language
- Open ended creativity - Loose parts / recycled and natural materials
- Numeracy and Literacy is weaved through all areas. Time to pursue interests
- Responsive to children’s interests - transforms according to interests/projects
- Allows Collaboration
- Activities that both support and extend learning
- Allows children to build on their strengths - tuakana/teina
“If you can light the spark of curiosity in a child, they will learn without any further assistance. Very often, children are natural learners.”
Sir Ken Robinson
Role of the Teacher
- Observant
- Responsive
- Reflective
- Questioning
- Supportive of the ‘whole’ child
- Researcher
- Bargain-hunter!
The Beauty of Play:
Play is natural to children
- Children feel respected and appreciated
- Flexibility - we can focus on specific skills when and as they are necessary, in context, when they make the most sense to the child
- Every day is a new day, no two days are never the same!
- We are learning alongside our students
- Children’s confidence, resilience, independence and interdependence grow
- We know our students! (reports are a breeze) and parent interviews are a real celebration of the ‘whole’ child
- Develop culture of challenge/change
Concluding Thoughts:
“We need a teacher who is sometimes the director, sometimes the set designer, curtain and backdrop, and sometimes the prompter. A teacher who is both sweet and stern, who is the electrician, who dispenses the points, and who is even the audience_ the audience who watches, sometimes claps, sometimes remains silent, full of motion, who sometimes judges
with scepticism, and at other times applauds with enthusiasm.”
Loris Malaguzzi, quoted in Rinaldi, 2006, p.89
What children learn does not follow as an automatic result from what is taught, rather, it is in large part due to the children’s own doing, as a consequence of their activities and our resources.
Loris Malaguzzi, The Hundred Languages of Children
“Transforming education happens only when we transform our teaching”.
Mary Ann Biermeir - Inspired by Reggio Emilia: Emergent Curriculum in Relationship-Driven Learning Environments
