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A Pasifika teacher outlines the process of how he uses the cultural identifiers for giftedness and applies these identifiers to students that he teaches. The Pasifika teacher also shared his presentation of the process and an explanation of gifted and talented Pasifika students.
Duration: 03:40
A Pasifika student who is able to articulate how his cultural identifiers for giftedness contribute to his world as a learner and how his gifts can be used to help others who rely on him as a role model.
Duration: 02:56
The Gifted and Talented Coordinator shares her story about how her involvement with the Pasifika Achievement Coordinator in the Digi Advisor project. The Digi Advisor project helped affirm what Pasifika initiatives the school already had in place to support their Pasifika learners.
Duration: 02:18
An Auckland Girls Grammar School Samoan language teacher and a non-Pasifika music teacher collaborated on a consensus approach to see which cultural identifiers applied to Pasifika students they taught mutually. The Samoan language teacher acknowledges the value of having a process to identify gifted and talented Pasifika students, providing another avenue or lens to view how Pasifika learners can translate their particular strengths into classroom learning and achievement.
Duration: 02:33
An Epsom Girls Grammar School student discusses two specific cultural identifiers: lineage and birthright that pertain to her upbringing from her family. Notions of cultural identifiers for giftedness are found in the home, and this Tongan student articulates how family and cultural values are used as a foundation to accelerate her learning and achievement at school.
Duration: 03:29
An Auckland Girls Grammar School Samoan language teacher explains how she combines e-Learning tools in her assessments to allow her students to achieve to their potential through the use of YouTube channels to film oral language assessments. This means that students are able to film their assessments without the time pressure or time constraints of timetabled classes as an example of ubiquitous learning.
Duration: 04:22
A Pasifika teacher shares his story about the benefits of being involved in the Digi Advisor project and being involved in online communities of practice on the Virtual Learning Network.
Duration: 03:03
A Pasifika teacher shares his opinion and interpretation of the PEP, how teachers can use the policy document as a way to provide a strategic focus on Pasifika learners, parents, families and communities.
Duration: 01:30
Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, Assistant Vice Chancellor (Pasifika) Victoria University, discusses why it is important to New Zealand as a nation that Pasifika students are successful in education.
Duration: 03:27
Research shows that the teacher's interest, respect and care for the student is an important factor in student achievement in school.
Duration: 01:44
Bilingual people are able to use their different languages in different places, with different people and for different purposes.
Duration: 01:34
Parents are pleased with new approaches to bilingual learning. They see the advantages that children get from using both their languages.
Duration: 02:43
Academic language, and particularly academic vocabulary, is a high priority for bilingual students, across all curriculum areas.
Duration: 04:03
Research shows that there are clear educational advantages in bilingual learning, but using a Pasifika language has sometimes been considered a liability.
Duration: 01:27
By integrating culture, caring, challenge and support into their pedagogies, teachers strengthen relationships and build communities of learners who succeed socially and academically.
Duration: 6:21
School leaders have a role in establishing practices that support the continuity of their Pasifika students’ learning as they move from and into different learning environments.
Duration: 2:48
Inclusive pedagogies, where teachers deliberately and positively draw on their Pasifika students’ resources, value the diversity of student experience and help to lift Pasifika student achievement.
Duration: 2:06
High expectations, together with the vision of Pasifika students as successful learners, improve relationships, pedagogy and academic outcomes.
Duration: 6:17
Safe and supportive environments, with coherent, clear and consistently enforced codes of behaviour and restorative discipline practices, contribute to learning gains for Pasifika students.
Duration: 4:30
Collecting relevant and sufficient data on Pasifika students’ achievement helps schools to track the progress of their Pasifika learners, make informed changes to their pedagogy, programmes and practices and be affirmed when their data reveals learning gains.
Duration: 05:50
Pasifika students find it motivating when teachers keep them informed about their levels of achievement, share the learning intentions with them and adjust their teaching to scaffold their learning pathways so that they know exactly what to do next.
Duration: 04:38
Teachers use many different strategies to engage their Pasifika learners and help them to achieve. Their strategies work best when they are grounded in responsive and caring relationships with their Pasifika students and the focus on their learning is clear.
Duration: 05:03
When teachers and Pasifika students negotiate the learning intentions, and share clear expectations and knowledge of the outcomes to be achieved, Pasifika students engage more confidently and more purposefully in their learning.
Duration: 04:16
Pasifika students benefit from working in collaborative ways with their peers in the classroom.
Duration: 02:31
Knowing a Pasifika language is not a barrier to being successful in English-medium schooling. Teachers who value and share the languages that Pasifika students bring with them into the classroom and deliberately build their English language skills help their Pasifika students to succeed.
Duration: 02:43
Collaboration, inquiry learning and knowledge-sharing underpin the professional development and learning focus of the teachers at Māngere Bridge school. The learning and actions that result impact positively on their Pasifika students’ achievement and well-being.
Duration: 04:14
McAuley High School has an unrelenting focus on raising the achievement of their Pasifika students. School-based teacher professional learning and development enables teachers to collectively inquire into and identify what works well for their Pasifika students.
Duration: 03:39
School leaders who initiate and sustain an intensive focus on the teaching-learning relationship and promote collective responsibility and accountability for Pasifika students’ achievement and well-being can make a difference to the outcomes their Pasifika students achieve.
Duration: 01:01
Negative stereotyping and a culture of mocking can be positively transformed by providing opportunities for Pasifika students to learn and grow their leadership potential, take ownership of their own development and be celebrated as achievers.
Duration: 03:02
Pasifika students discuss the importance and relevance that the ASB Polyfest has played in their classroom learning, which in effect improved their academic achievement. Key points in this story also include the senior students mentoring younger students - tuakana/teina model, the opportunity to celebrate their culture by engaging with their traditional performing arts and being able to connect their cultural identifiers to Pasifika giftedness.
Duration: 05:33
Senior Pasifika students provide advice for teachers of Pasifika students, highlighting the need for teachers to focus on the level of language that they use in classrooms to communicate with Pasifika learners.
Duration: 02:24
Glen Tuala - Pasifika Advisory Officer, Correspondence School. explains the flexibility that the Correspondence School can offer in developing a more personalised learning programme for Pasifika students.
Duration: 05:17
Jim Halafihi, ICT teacher Papatoetoe High School, explains how establishing a positive rapport with your Pasifika students can provide a good starting point to knowing your students. When a teacher knows their students they are in a better position to respond more appropriately to their needs.
Duration: 06:01
Maggie Flavell, explains the the perspective of a non Pasifika person working with Pasifika students. She talks about the importance of learning about the Pasifika culture to enable her to better engage with Pasifika students and their families. She also talks about the value of having a good support network to support her own professional development.
Duration: 06:31
Imeleta Faumuina, HoD English Tangaroa College, discusses the importance of providing authentic learning contexts to support meaningful student engagement.
Duration: 10:27
Melaine Sagala - TIC Samoan Language, Avondale College, discusses the benefits of strong student connections for their learning. She also discusses a model for connection that has worked for her in the past.
Duration: 06:39
David Faavae explains that with in the changing Tongan culture that Tongan boys can be very different, each requiring a different approach when working with them as teachers.
Duration: 04:05
Pennie Otto, Lecturer at MIT Tertiary Secondary School, discusses how she has developed a programme based on the Niue language and culture that has lifted Pasifika student achievement at her school.
Duration: 04:23
Teokotai Tarai, HOD Languages, Teacher of Cook Island Maori Language, explains how Pasifika students come to the classroom with a wealth of knowledge and experiences. This can provide a platform for better student engagement and success.
Duration: 06:14
It’s about creating environments with students at the centre, where Pasifika students have the focus and learning support they need to lift their academic achievement patterns.
Duration: 4:21
Mutually respectful, caring and open relationships, which motivate and engage Pasifika students, form the heart of effective teaching.
Duration: 5:11
This clip, from the Connections and Conversations DVD, considers the diversity within our groups of Pasifika students and their communities in terms of their identities, languages, experiences, and aspirations.
The DVD and accompanying booklet can be ordered via email from orders@thechair.minedu.govt.nz or phone 0800 226 440. Quote Item number 11061.

Duration: 9:44
This clip, from the Connections and Conversations DVD, highlights a variety of viewpoints on the range of different contexts and worlds that Pasifika students inhabit.These different contexts can provide challenges for some students. At the same time, they also can provide a basis for learning.
The DVD and accompanying booklet can be ordered via email from orders@thechair.minedu.govt.nz or phone 0800 226 440. Quote Item number 11061.
Duration: 5:43
This clip, from the Connections and Conversations DVD, considers the potentially differing expectations of teachers and parents towards Pasifika students and their learning. The DVD and accompanying booklet can be ordered via email from orders@thechair.minedu.govt.nz or phone 0800 226 440. Quote Item number 11061.

Duration: 4:14
This clip, from the Connections and Conversations DVD, explores a variety of viewpoints from students, teachers and parents on the involvement and engagement of Pasifika parents and communities in the processes of schooling.
The DVD and accompanying booklet can be ordered via email from orders@thechair.minedu.govt.nz or phone 0800 226 440. Quote Item number 11061.
Duration: 11:26
Many schools already involve Pasifika parents in supporting cultural events and activities. However, it should not stop there. Home-school partnerships that have a clear focus on Pasifika students’ learning with everyone able to make a positive and active contribution directly benefit Pasifika learners.
Duration: 04:16
Partnerships that share and align school and home practices and enable parents to actively support their children's in-school learning have shown some of the strongest impacts on student outcomes.
Duration: 03:29
Coming to school for special events is rewarding for Pasifika parents if the school makes them feel welcome and the focus is on their children’s achievement and strategies to extend their learning.
Duration: 01:46
Sustained higher achievement is possible when teachers use pedagogical approaches and share strategies that enable Pasifika students to take charge of their own learning.
Duration: 05:56
Sylvia Park school has set up a centre to be ‘the parents’ place’ within the school. The centre’s leader has a proactive focus on involving Pasifika parents through mutual learning conversations based on their child’s assessment data and their next-steps learning needs.
Duration: 03:56
Professor Emeritus Tagaloatele Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop comments on the current state of education. She shares her thoughts about reducing and bridging the gap, understanding and engaging in systems, negotiating time, and the benefits of learning the basics.
Duration: 13:18
Reverend Tevita Finau calls for an education system that recognises a range of student gifts and provides opportunities for learners to discover, explore, and build off their strengths. He touches on the importance of family, identity, culture, and keeping the language alive.
Duration: 11:00
Rachel Karalus has a number of concerns for Pacific learners, including racism within the education system, the system's lack of cultural responsiveness, and the need to focus on enabling Pacific parents' engagement. She sees success as Pacific learners as "being who they are 100% of the time" and calls for Pacific learners to have the same educational opportunities as those with "sounder financial backgrounds".
Duration: 9:38
Reverend Professor Dr Uili Fele Nokise explores spirituality – a value that binds together all other values – and its significance to Samoans. He explains the importance of relationships, with both people and the environment. He calls for efforts to bring a common understanding of things, such as how the home and school environments can complement each other and how we express care for each other.
Duration: 10:25
Way before the creation of an electric drill, Tokelauans invented the vilivili – a hand-operated pump drilling device. Pacific ancestors have always been construction innovators.
Duration: 00:46
Pacific ancestors who were scientific innovators knew about the benefits of coconut oil long before it was trendy and profitable.
Duration: 00:55
Pacific ancestors have been navigational innovators since long ago. They created, studied, and memorised navigation charts made of sticks.
Duration: 00:47
Traditional tatau (tattooing) has been handed down from generation to generation. Pacific ancestors have been cultural artistic innovators from way back.
Duration: 00:59
Pacific ancestors have long been financial innovators. They used tafuliae, shell money made up of different coloured shells that represented different monetary worth.
Duration: 00:50

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This clip, from the Connections and Conversations DVD, explores a variety of viewpoints from students, teachers and parents on the involvement and engagement of Pasifika parents and communities in the processes of schooling.
The DVD and accompanying booklet can be ordered via email from orders@thechair.minedu.govt.nz or phone 0800 226 440. Quote Item number 11061.

Key content

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Key content

Many schools already involve Pacific parents in fundraising and supporting cultural performance groups, and invite them to take part in other Pacific cultural events.This type of involvement is a good foundation upon which to build an even deeper level of involvement, that is, engagement where parents and schools work together in collaboration to support their Pasifika students’ learning and achievement.
 
Pasifika parents may be hesitant and uncertain about how they can become more engaged with their child’s or young person’s learning. In such cases, schools will need to be creative and proactive in developing their engagement with Pasifika parents and communities.

To order the Connections & Conversations booklet and DVD, item number 11061,
email orders@thechair.minedu.govt.nz or phone 0800 226 440.

Things to think about

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Things to think about

If your school has significant involvement with Pasifika parents, list the reasons why this is the case.
 
How could you build upon these relationships to more fully engage your Pasifika parents in ways that support teaching and learning outcomes for students?
 
If your school does not have significant engagement with Pasifika parents, list the reasons why you think this is the case.What could be the next steps for increasing engagement?

Transcript

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Transcript

Involvement and Engagement
 
Involvement and engagement of schools with parents and communities can have reciprocal benefits. There are many ways in which parents might be involved in school or their child's learning. But for various reasons this can also be difficult. The pressures of work, community commitments, and church or family responsibilities can have an impact. Sometimes parents' own experiences at school can be a disincentive to participation. This is where schools need to be creative and flexible in the ways and means by which they engage parents and communities, so that student learning can be supported.
 
Favalu Peni – Nurse
Most Pacific Island parents love sports, and there is always a lot of support from parents when they have rugby. And I always wish that that support that goes on the field should be in the classroom too.
 
Paul Murphy – Principal
We still have big engagement in cultural and sporting activities, where parents feel that they are coming from strength. You have no problem if you are running a big cultural festival – you have more than enough parents prepared to help. And that is because they come as the experts, so they feel comfortable. So it's a perfectly natural reaction.
 
Lise Vaila'au – University Student
My parents have always been supportive of what we have done. And I'm not just saying that because Dad is sitting here! They've been supportive ever since we were young. It's not about what makes them happy, but what makes us happy and makes our future more promising.
 
Fatu Fuatavai – Company Director
My Dad was retired, and he used to come out every pension day to shout me lunch. Those sorts of things keep you going. You knew they didn't have much money but they were trying their best for you, and their payback was for you to do well.
 
Taani – Year 13
My Mum's a single parent, so she has been looking after me since I was born. So she's pretty strict on my school work. She always makes sure that I do at least three hours homework every night. If training gets in the way, she makes me stay up, and wake up every morning at six for bible study.
 
Filiva'a – Year 11
They don't really do anything. They just come to the meetings, and then they just listen, see what is going on, and then they will start encouraging me. I think what they are doing right now is probably the best, because if they come too much into school they'll probably ruin it.
 
Phillipa Mulqueen – Dean Year 11
Language is often an issue because a lot of parents weren't educated in New Zealand. I have learnt other languages myself and lived in a place where I fumbled in another language, and didn't feel like a competent adult.
 
Fana To'omaga - Parent
It's quite hard to encourage some of the Pacific parents from the teachers' point of view because they do see teachers as the law. You know, "They know what is right, they know what to do, so we'll leave it to them". How do you break that down? Well, I think talking, communication, one on one.

Getting parents involved with the school and establishing positive relationships is the first step. The next step, however, is to find ways where teachers and parents can engage in mutual learning conversations that will in turn will increase achievement for Pasifika students.
 
Carol Jarett – Deputy Princpal
I think we need to know about all our students as learners. It's nice to know a little bit about them personally. But our business with them is as a learner. Pasifika parents, like all parents, are an equal part of the equation. I love parent teacher interviews. When a parent comes, I learn as much as I impart. You find out the other side of the story. And when you understand your student or the child you're teaching, then you do a better job.
 
Nua Silipa – Pacific Education Coordinator
That relationship needs to be absolutely focused on learning. That means going beyond the superficial – the supporting, fund raising, sausage sizzle, that sort of thing. It's absolutely about the students' progress. It's about getting good information from the school so that the teacher knows their role, the parents know their role, and they are working together. The difference between involvement and engagement is the deeper level relationship. Involvement is that superficial but still important; but engagement is where you really get the involvement and understanding support of the parents with the teachers. And that just adds that richness. And you just will have that young person growing and being nurtured in the relationship between one or the other.
 
Brother Steve Hogan – Principal
The great thing was to hear what the parents said were their needs. And across the three groups they said they didn't know what to do. They wanted to help but didn't know what to do. That was a common element. Yes, they thanked us for inviting them. "Yes, we have thought about this, but we haven't been helping our son because we just don't know what to do."
 
Diane Mara – Pacific Researcher
Pacific parents want to see action, not words. I think that words are good, policies are good written on bits of paper. But unless you actually walk the talk, if you actually demonstrate what you mean, and that is what I mean about teachers finding ways in which to incorporate parents. Parents have to see that the teachers are serious about it in terms of, "I really do want to know about your background, I do really want to know about how things operate at home".
 
I think primary school is a good model. In primary schools, parents walk in and out of classrooms, they come and see what their children are doing, they come and celebrate with the children, and it's fine. But I mean, teenagers don't want their parents to be around them all the time. I mean, that is any teenager. But they still like their parents to be here. I mean, they adore their parents when they come for a rugby practice or cultural practices. And if we educate our students by saying, "Well, it's the same thing – them coming into your classroom, and celebrating with you – Mum is here just to see", I think will go a long way. I think teachers need to be educated too, in accepting parents to come in, be more friendly, and trying to relate to them in a way that they can understand.
 
Diane Mara – Pacific Researcher
Our Pacific parents are getting involved at the oanga mata level, and that's, I think, flowing through into primary and intermediate school, where I think parents are growing more confident in terms of approaching the school, finding out what is happening. And I also think that with the New Zealand-born parents, they also probably know a little bit more about the system and probably are more prepared to find out what is happening. So I mean, all parents want the best for their children, not just Pacific parents. But I think for Pacific parents, they've had to overcome some of the shyness, and some of the lack of confidence in English perhaps. But I think that is actually changing, and I think teachers need to know that that's changing.
 
Nearly one in five students in New Zealand will be of Pacific Island descent by 2015. And by then, our current student population will be a major earner and parent group in New Zealand. What is going to make a difference for them? How can we do things differently so they are all achieving to the best of their ability? What investment can we make in the future our our communities?
 
Diane Mara – Pacific Researcher
Well first of all, I've talked about the challenge for Pacific students is actually from the adults that are responsible for them – the teachers and the parents as well. In terms of listening to students, in terms of you know helping them through the stages of what they need to do in terms of their identity, and their self esteem, and their learning and stuff. But I think the next steps down the road really are addressing underachievement of Pacific students. So we can have the fia fia days, we can have the umu's, and we can have the parents engaged. But until we can actually show or demonstrate how that has a pay off for our Pasifika students, you can still perhaps think, "Well, what good is this doing?". Schools should be focused on giving the children the skills that they will need for employment and for living in our world. And particularly when they actually focus on reading, or writing or maths. Because that's what schools are about.
 
Brother Steve Hogan – Principal
They are the next generation. Our task is to find new strategies to raise achievement. To develop citizenship so these young people can take a rightful place in New Zealand's society.
 
Fa'amatuaini Tino Pereira – Parent
So I think there are two ways. One, we need to be proactive. But teachers need to engage parents to demonstrate to them how they can become proactive. How they can become part of the child's learning without compromising other aspects of child rearing.
 
Mary Tafale – Parent
You fellas go to school here – you're lucky. You have the opportunity, the doors are there for you to read, to write, to travel, to trips, to do things that I never went. I never went to a zoo. Back home, probably only the pigs, and the chickens that I feed, and the goat. But here, giraffe. You know, how would a child see a monkey? We only see them in pictures or movies. But here they have the opportunity. And I encourage my kids to grab those opportunities, because education is really important.
 
Theresa Year 10
Being a Pacific student in New Zealand school, I'm really proud, really proud of my background. It's a great opportunity to share my background with those who aren't aware of it.
 
Fatima Year 12
We need teachers to help us feel comfortable about being ourselves, and being proud of being a Pacific Islander. And if we don't have that pride, we won't have that belief in ourselves.
 
Fa'amatuaini Tino Pereira – Parent
At the end of the day Pacific people came to this land with a dream. And the primary dream was to get better education for their kids.


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