• Learning Languages Community
• Te Reo Māori

Te Reo Māori in the New Zealand Curriculum: Draft

The process of teaching and learning

The cultural sensitivity of teachers and learners is critical to all aspects of teaching and learning te reo Māori. Teachers should demonstrate their awareness of, and respect for, tikanga Māori as well as their willingness to consult, and take the advice of, local Māori communities. Teachers and learners of te reo Māori are especially fortunate: the language is currently spoken in Māori communities throughout the country and members of these communities are often willing to contribute advice, guidance, and input into the teaching and learning process.

It is important, however, not to trivialise the lives and commitments of Māori parents and elders by calling on them constantly, by using them as unpaid teachers, by not establishing a proper school-level relationship with the community, or by taking from that community without contributing to it. Willingness can quickly evaporate when it is not treated respectfully.

Students require as many opportunities as possible to practise and experiment with new and learnt language in meaningful contexts. For example, they should be involved in small-group activities and use materials that challenge them and facilitate their language development. In addition, the teaching and learning programme should support their personal abilities and extend their existing learning strategies.

Students come with different attitudes, aptitudes, abilities, experiences, and prior knowledge. Differences among students can often be accommodated by encouraging them to work in pairs and groups, providing them, where possible, with resources that are appropriate to their particular needs and interests. Given that some learners may be much more proficient in te reo Māori than others, the element of challenge may need to be varied for the different participants in a task, perhaps through more challenging input materials or through setting a more challenging role within tasks for those with greater proficiency.

A variety of resource materials, activities, and tasks needs to be provided for the students.¹ Usually, there is more than one way to achieve a desired outcome. Wherever possible, therefore, students should be given a choice of pathways to learning particular skills or knowledge, as part of their development towards self-motivated learning. The establishment of a self-access centre, however small, can support this process.

Students should have frequent opportunities to use challenging resources that help them, in different ways, to develop the ability to communicate in te reo Māori. The more varied the materials, the more stimulating and motivating they are likely to be. In the early stages, however, learners can be introduced to new language in useful chunks or formulas. For example, greeting and leave-taking routines tend to be formulaic, and it is appropriate to introduce them as such. Careful, staged introduction of various greeting routines, both formal and informal, will lead the learners to understand when to use kia ora and when to use tēnā koe. They will understand that they use tēnā koe when greeting one person, tēnā kōrua when greeting two people, and tēnā koutou when greeting more than two people. Learners will gradually come to understand that Māori has singular, dual, and plural pronoun forms.

Many textbooks contain interesting and developmentally appropriate materials, which may be supplemented by audio and video or DVD items. Teachers may need to adapt these materials to suit the particular needs and interests of their students. Sometimes classes will use materials designed primarily for first-language Māori speakers (for example, magazines, films, and marae menus). Teachers may, for a specific purpose, introduce materials that include language likely to be unfamiliar (for example, to encourage learners to work out the overall gist of a message). It is often useful to adapt or simplify existing materials. Materials that teachers create with their own students in mind can also be effective.

Back to top