Professional Development
Study towards Māori teaching expertise
Study awards let teachers develop the expertise to help revitalise te reo Māori. Applications are open for 2010
eacher Hinewai Smith says Māori children who grow up in cities sometimes develop their self-image based on who they watch in music videos and movies from around the world.
Foreign influences can have an impact on how they perceive themselves and contribute to an identity crisis over their culture, she says. Teaching these children in a Māori-medium setting could help them not just speak te reo but also develop a strong sense of identity as Māori.
Hinewai is learning more about how to make that succeed, thanks to a study award. 
This year she is working toward a postgraduate diploma in Māori-medium education and would like to return to bilingual teaching.She has taught in both the Māori bilingual unit and mainstream classes at Weymouth Intermediate School in Auckland.
She’s enrolled at the University of Waikato with the support of a Ministry of Education Māori-medium/bilingual education study award.
The experience has been “energising” she says. “I really appreciate that the ministry has these study awards in place.”
She’s learning teaching strategies and seeing how the children’s home backgrounds are important for understanding their language development.
“We always have a connection to the curriculum in our schools but we don’t always look behind what is happening for the person,” she says.
The awards provide time off to study in an approved course for up to one year, and include a contribution towards fees and expenses.
The purpose of these awards is to increase the number of quality teachers who possess the required skills to teach in Māori-medium settings. Early childhood teachers and teachers from state or state-integrated schools are eligible to apply.
The three approved courses are not for teachers to learn te reo Māori per se. Rather they cover immersion education, teaching te reo Māori as a first or second language and the context of indigenous language revitalisation.
Also studying at Waikato is Cadence Kaumoana, who teaches te reo, tikanga Māori and English at Papatoetoe High School. She says she is learning about second language learning, teaching and assessment.
“We learn to develop the teaching practices you need for different students. The focus is on Māori-medium and the importance of te reo and tikanga to Māori.”
She credits the lecturers for having a lot of knowledge and giving valuable guidance.
“They’ve been really supportive and helped me to know what path I want to go down, what my strengths and skills are. It’s been really enlightening.”
With her three sons attending a total immersion kura, and an interest in learning reo and tikanga linked to her own Waikato whakapapa, Cadence says the study does not just help her career but also aligns with her personal life. “It’s something of real value.”
And with all that in mind, she has been studying hard.
“I think we’re all grateful to have been awarded the scholarship so you have it in mind that you have to do your best.”
Teacher Sharon Dunn from Flat Bush Primary School says her study has reinforced how important learning te reo Māori can be and she would like to develop opportunities for bilingual instruction for her students.
“Te reo Māori strengthens who you are and, as I read recently, it lets you plumb the depths of your culture.”
Sharon has learnt about the historic development of te reo Māori and global perspectives on the future of indigenous languages, convincing her it is important that children know their own background.
“I think the greatest lesson I could teach the children is to hold fast to their identity because they too can succeed with their own cultural values and language,” she says.
Delivery of the courses includes seminars in person and online components. Participants research topics and present their findings to each other. That presents a good chance to learn together, says Hinewai.
“We’ve all got a different way of looking at things. The course is good for me because I like the group approach. We all get to do it and peer-evaluate each other.”
The Māori-medium/bilingual education study award
Successful applicants receive paid leave for the duration of the study award, which varies from 30-40 weeks. Schools and ECE services are funded for relievers to cover for the teacher. Additional payments are given towards fees, travel and accommodation expenses.
Three institutions are approved to deliver courses through the Māori-medium/ bilingual education study award.
They are:
The University of Waikato
Te Wananga-o-Raukawa
University of Canterbury
To apply
An application form must be filled in, along with a study plan which outlines how the will benefit you, your students and your school.
Complete guidelines are on the Ministry of Education website:
www.minedu.govt.nz/studyawards2010
Living the principle
Rotorua Boys’ High School ensures te reo me ōna tikanga Māori is integral to the whole school rather than te 
reo being pigeon-holed as an unsupported, stand-alone subject.
The school has a director of Māori achievement and other key staff working with Māori students.
“It has certainly been a deliberate policy of mine to try and introduce Māori teachers onto the staff, so that they can bring that special connection we want with our young Māori men, and especially male Māori teachers,” says Chris Grinter, principal.
Students learn about their history, their families, and skills and traditional practices centered on the marae that let them participate in their communities.
“In terms of the importance of Māori language in our school, we go to the basic questions. Ko wai au? Who am I? And where am I from? And then later on, where am I going?” says Darrell Pene, HOD Māori.
http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Digital-stories/School-stories/Rotorua-Boys-High