Māori Children With Special Abilities (MCWSA)
Recognising and providing for: "Ngā pohutukawa roa – tall pohutukawas".
Cecylia Rymarczyk Hyde
Massey University – Ruawharo Centre, Napier, 2001
Abstract
This essay discusses Māori children with special abilities in terms of their identification in schools, and how the Māori culture impacts upon this. Māori and Pākehā perceptions of giftedness are different. Many teachers, who are powerful role models for all students, have been found to have negative attitudes and low expectations of their Māori students. These factors affect self-esteem, confidence, and inevitably, the performance of Māori students in general, and gifted Māori students in particular. One major resolution, which would go a long way to addressing the problems associated with providing for these children, should be to forge a working partnership between the school and the Māori community at large. Differentiated programmes taking into account culturally appropriate teaching and learning strategies, teacher training in things Māori, and a shift in the mindset of many educators in relation to the concept of giftedness, especially the Māori view of it, would also assist greatly.
Cultural stereotyping
Gifted Māori children are rarely identified or provided for. Moltzen (1999) says this is largely due to attitudes associated with cultural stereotyping and a lack of knowledge on the Pākehā's behalf of the Māori perspective of giftedness. What does it mean to be a Māori student and possess special abilities? What are the special abilities and qualities valued by Māori? How can these abilities and qualities be identified and developed in the classroom? These questions will be addressed in this essay along with their implications for teachers. Teacher expectations and attitudes, and the underachievement of Māori children with special abilities, will be explored. Suggestions for resolving some of the problems associated with these issues will be made also.
Gifted students come from all cultures and socio-economic backgrounds and research has shown unequivocally that "similar numbers of exceptionally able children are found in all races and in all cultural groups" (Cathcart, 1994, p. 184). The different values, attitudes, and opportunities of cultural groups are reflected in the incidence of giftedness within that group (Clark, 1997). In this country, it is the dominant Pākehā culture whose values, beliefs, customs, and attitudes prevail in the education system. It follows therefore, that the predominant perception of special abilities is shaped by that culture.
Recognising tall pohutakawas
As teachers, it is our responsibility to cater for the individual abilities and needs of all our students. Māori children with special abilities, like all children, need to feel valued, and to have a sense of belonging in their school environment. To be able to do this we must recognise their special qualities and abilities and put into place programmes that will help these "tall pohutukawas" grow from strength to strength and not wilt and become unrecognisable.
The most popular approach to giftedness in New Zealand today is a multi-dimensional one. This broadening of the notion of what is meant by being gifted was first formalised by Marland in 1972, and in the same year, Hill wrote that it is more productive to focus on gifted behaviours rather than on the gifted individual (Marland, 1972; Hill, 1972; cited in Moltzen, 1996). McAlpine (1996) talks about multicultural awareness paralleling this multicategory approach. There have been many different definitions of the concept of giftedness and it is difficult to determine a set of characteristics that can be used to suggest it. Every school's "interpretation of giftedness/talent/special abilities must reflect the community it serves, and in particular embody the values of different ethnic groups" (Moltzen, 1996, p. 46).
Bevan-Brown (1996) presents a Māori concept of special abilities that emerged from her masterate over a period of five years. It provides a foundation to build on, and a list of widely accepted criteria in the recognition of special abilities and qualities in Māori students.
Māori concept of special abilities
So how does the Māori perspective of giftedness differ from the Pākehā view? Niwa (1998/1999) describes "a holistic view of giftedness in Māori culture where inter-personal relationships and aspects of spirituality are highly prized and emphasised" (p. 3). Bevan-Brown's (1993) research findings correlate with this description. She found that Māori value a wide range of abilities and qualities. For the purpose of the research the term "abilities" was perceived as relating to a person's skills in a particular area, and "qualities" related to intangible, positive, personal attributes such as manaakitanga (caring for others). These intangible qualities, which are mainly in the affective interpersonal and intrapersonal domains, were found to be at the top of the list of ten categories of abilities and qualities. The category "Service to others" ran a close second. It is important to note that some of the definitions used in the research, such as leadership, have a particular Māori interpretation (Bevan-Brown, 1996). In Piechowski's (1997) discussion of emotional giftedness, the relationship of inter- and intrapersonal intelligences (Gardner, 1983) is explored. He makes the point that intrapersonal development, which goes hand in hand with emotional giftedness, is, "in the deepest and ineffable sense the development of a person as a whole being" (p. 379). This emphasises the holistic approach towards giftedness in the Māori culture mentioned above.
Reid (1992) believes unquestionably that "the prevailing Pākehā conception of giftedness is firmly at the utilitarian/academic end of the scale" (p. 58). Māori do not devalue or denigrate the academic or intellectual but place it much lower down in their list of special "gifts". "Intellectual Ability" ranked fifth on Bevan-Brown's list of categories.
Importance of the spiritual dimension
Another difference is the spiritual dimension. Spirituality has always played an important role in Māori life and is an integral part of Māori society. Two common threads were found running through Bevan-Brown's research. The first to mention is that of "service to others". Many of the personal qualities cited related to caring for and helping others (manaakitanga). The other thread is that of "mana", particularly "mana tangata", which has relevance to special abilities. "Mana" is a "personal presence" which grows from self-esteem, and by being valued by others (Doidge, 1990). In relation to "mana tangata" it also refers to an endowment of honour for in-depth knowledge of Māori tradition and outstanding service to others (Bevan-Brown, 1996). This is encapsulated well in the concept purported by Cathcart and Pou (1992) which states; "People are most likely to display high levels of ability in skills which are highly valued by their culture" (p. 15). Gifted Māori may feel that Pākehā gifted education provisions and programmes isolate them from their culture (Bevan-Brown, 1993). Indeed, they may have to "sacrifice or compromise their tikanga Māori" (Milne, 1993, p. 58) to achieve academically.
Problems in identifying gifted Māori
The identification of these students is problematic. Reid (1990; 1992) discusses some of the difficulties and inadequacies of identifying giftedness among culturally different groups. Such procedures or methods as standardised tests of intelligence and achievement are not culturally sensitive. They are usually "loaded to mirror the knowledge, beliefs, values, etc., of the dominant culture and its education system" (Reid, 1992, p. 57). Teacher identification is also problematic due to the fact that most Pākehā teachers have little training in multi-cultural schools, are monolingual, and have ethnocentric views and attitudes (Reid, 1992). One would hope that this is changing with increasing value being placed on cultural diversity in our schools. Self-nomination is not a suitable method of identification for Māori gifted children because of problems of whakamā (shyness) and whakahīhī (boasting) both of which are potent phenomena for Māori in the school context.
Issue of teacher expectation
The implications for teachers of Māori children with special abilities begin with the complex issue of teacher expectations and attitudes. If a teacher has low expectations of the Māori children in the class then it is very unlikely that a gifted Māori child will ever be identified let alone provided for. A teacher made the following comment: "Gifted kids? You won't find any of those kids here. All of our little faces are brown" (anonymous, cited in Cathcart, 1994, p. 184). This serves to illustrate the attitude of many teachers towards Māori students. Unfortunately, negative attitudes towards Māori learners are rife in our schools, which are dominated by middle class Pākehā teachers. Bevan-Brown (2001) says that she has "a whole truckload" (cited in Sye, 2001) of stories about the low expectations of many teachers towards their Māori students. Sadly, this situation negatively affects teaching and students" performance leading to gifted Māori learners performing "down" to expectations. Self-esteem is also negatively affected (Bevan-Brown, 2001, cited in Sye, 2001).
Interestingly, Bevan-Brown (2000) has found that low teacher expectation is not restricted to Pākehā teachers. She mentions that particularly at secondary schools, some Māori teachers give negative messages to Māori students. The combination of self-esteem and cultural identity issues in such a scenario must be devastating especially for sensitive gifted children, and it is no surprise that so many Māori students leave college early never having achieved their potential (Bevan-Brown, 2000). Generally speaking, socially vulnerable children, that is, those who are younger, lower class, or from a minority group have been found to be more susceptible to low teacher expectations (Persell, 1997).
Low teacher expectations and low self-esteem often lead to the lack of identification or recognition of Māori children with special abilities, and are key factors influencing Māori underachievement. In fact, Davis and Rimm (1994) refer to low self-esteem as the primary characteristic of underachievement. Moltzen (1996) provides several examples of reasons why gifted children from cultures other than the dominant one may underachieve. Those particularly relevant to Māori gifted children are: a mismatch between the values of the Māori culture and the school; lower teacher expectations; culturally inappropriate teaching and learning approaches; and failure by the school to identify the special abilities and qualities valued by the Māori culture.
Positive actions towards identification
Teachers can do several things to help identify, provide for, and develop the potential of Māori children with special abilities. A good working partnership between the school and Māori in the local community, whānau members, and kaumātua is a must. These people are a valuable resource, and networks that are established can be utilised to support and encourage gifted Māori children (Bevan-Brown, 1996).
Observation is a powerful tool for the identification of these children. In the school context, teachers should be on the lookout for the Māori child who: is the rangatira (leader, chief) in a group situation; has a good knowledge of, and interest in, Māoritanga and traditional arts and skills; has a sense of justice and fair play; can speak te reo Māori; accepts responsibility for classmates; and has skills in group interaction (Cathcart & Pou, 1992).
Teaching and learning strategies need to be culturally appropriate and challenging, and a focus should be on group learning as well as individualised learning. Working cooperatively with others is emphasised and valued in Māori culture and "the individual is judged by her/his contribution to and performance within the group" (Cathcart & Pou, 1992, p. 16).
Gifted Māori students must be encouraged to value their culture. This will build their self-esteem and confidence, and they will be more likely to develop their potential. Bevan-Brown (1996) found that those children whose Māoritanga had been tapped into and developed, appeared to "bloom".
Two-way bridges
As Cathcart and Pou (1992) wisely say, "a bridge is always designed to be crossed in both directions" (p. 16). Pākehā children must be exposed to Māori learning; to share in Māori tradition, wisdom, and insights; and be acknowledged and rewarded for achievements valued by Māori. After all, we Pākehā acknowledge and reward Māori when they achieve in Pākehā culture under Pākehā terms and conditions. Piechowski (1997) comes to mind with this: "It is good and right that flowerings so diverse can be brought together into one luxuriant landscape" (p. 379).
Finally, it is crucial that teachers be better trained. They need to know what "special abilities" are from a Māori perspective so that they can identify Māori children with these gifts and provide for them appropriately. They need to be knowledgeable about, and value, Māori culture, and they need to know how to implement a differentiated programme for them (Bevan-Brown, 1996). Riley (2000) provides a framework of four basic steps that schools can use to develop an appropriate programme for gifted and talented students. Such a programme for Māori children would take a holistic approach involving the Māori community, whānau, and kaumātua.
Changing views on giftedness
The identification of and provision for gifted students needs to become part of a school's culture. For gifted students who are Māori to reach their potential it is necessary that as educators we understand and appreciate that the Māori culture responds differently to exceptional abilities, qualities, and achievements. We therefore need to find out what special gifts are valued by Māori, and provide a supportive environment for Māori children who have been endowed with these gifts. Frasier (1997) suggests two steps in addressing solutions to the problems of identifying and providing for gifted children from minority cultures. We could "choose to change our views about giftedness in minority groups" (p. 502) and then "use these new views to develop policies and procedures that better address giftedness in diverse groups" (p. 502). The key to the success of any educational programme is the teacher, who is a powerful role model for all students. For Māori students in general, and those with special abilities in particular, we must show them by our actions and words that we celebrate diversity, that we value their culture, their language, and especially them as the truly "tall pohutukawas" they are (Bevan-Brown, 2000).
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