Second draft in my words
Part 1: Characteristics of a Culture of Learning:
i. Respect is of vital importance in a learning environment because learners are taking learning risks and to take a risk, a learner needs confidence to take that risk. If a student is not treated with respect by their teacher or peers, they are likely to not have the needed self-confidence to do so and they may disengage from the learning process (te Toi Tupu , 2024). Furthermore when mistakes are seen as part of the learning journey, a student will apply themselves with a determination and resilience and will be deterred from the task at hand and complete it.
Research has shown that respect prevents disengagement. The Education Review Office found that when students felt that their cultural identity was not valued, i.e. treated with respect, they would more likely disengage from learning opportunities (2022). Learning spaces that were taught with cultural sustaining pedagogies created a better sense of well-being and higher rates of engagement (Averil & Clark, 2012; Rohan, 2017).
Respect is closely linked to classroom behaviour. Learners who are treated with respect and are in classrooms that celebrate small wins in learning have less disengaged learners. Widescale research in New Zealand links positive classrooms to better learning outcomes. Going further, a large international study in childcare in the U.S. identified poor learning conditions and low academic achievement as the cause of disruptive behaviour, (Chen et all., 2022).
1b In my ESOL learning space the strategy that I use the most to show respect and to create respectful environment is Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT).
In my adult ESOL classes I create warmer questions at the beginning of class each day that ask for the students perspective on whatever the topic of the day may be. We do a considerable amount of pairwork and group work in order to create a lot of speaking activities. These questions are designed so that students can share about their families, their culture, their world view, their country of origin, their interests and their opinions on a wide range of topics. All of these enable students to engage more and enjoy the topic more as they feel their ideas and experience matter. It also creates a warm connection between the learners and with me as I get to learn much about their lives. It also gives me a wonderful opportunity to find ideas for the themes of our learning topics. New Zealand research has shown that when teachers integrate cultural background into teaching, it creates better learning engagement (Macfarlane et al., 2015). , a sense of belonging and well-being, better teamwork, all of which make for a respectable and successful classroom environment and(Bishop & Berryman, 2009; Te Toi Tupu, 2024). When learners have a strong trust in their teacher they feel respected by them and the good modelling of showing respect is reciprocal and learners are better able to respect their peers.
A second classroom strategy for building a respectful atmosphere for is to make a shared class agreement with the learners about how they are to behave in relationship with each other. A teacher writes on the board a brainstorm of ideas what does respect look like in this class?of the students for how they would like to see this in practical terms. Eg no biting, no hitting, no name calling and the teacher could teach more sophisticated language such as no physical harm. But also in groups, students set of behaviour they would like to see. Learner will give examples of kindness and so on
Ideas are shared with the class and distilled into one short positively worded agreement learners sign it.This is written in large writing that is easily visible and there is a weekly check-in with how the agreement is working for the class. Do they need to adjust it in anyway. It can also be referred to during the week when issues arise as a course correction.
Class ownership has been proven to improve class behaviour New Zealand
research shared in Te Kotahitanga Report and in ERO behaviour reports show that shared decision-making and room for student voice increase learning engagement and reduce disruptive behaviour because students feel visible, accepted and encouraged. This is the key concept in the effective teaching profiles in the Te Kotahitanga. Report. (Bishop et al., 2009; ERO, 2023; Macfarlane et al., 2017)
📘 Citation already in your list:
Bishop, Berryman, Cavanagh & Teddy (2009).
2. ERO Behaviour Reports (2023, 2024)
The Education Review Office published two very relevant findings:
ERO (2023) – “Time to Focus: Why Behaviour Needs Attention”
States that:
learners are more settled and respectful when they understand the expectations and feel included in shaping them;
relationships and student voice are essential protective factors for behaviour.
ERO (2024) – “Promoting Student Wellbeing and Positive Behaviour”
States that:
student voice and shared expectations improve behaviour;
positive relationships are core to a respectful, calm classroom.
Both directly support the idea that co-constructed norms → better engagement → fewer disruptions.
📘 Both documents are in your reference list.
3. Macfarlane, Macfarlane & Webber (2017)
Their work on mana-enhancing practice shows that:
when learners feel respected, listened to, and included in decision-making,
their prosocial behaviour increases and disruptive behaviour reduces.
This aligns perfectly with your argument.
📘 Already in your list.
✅ Therefore: YES — your claim is research-supported.
You can safely write something like:
Research in Aotearoa New Zealand shows that when teachers use shared decision-making and include student voice in classroom expectations, learners feel valued and are more likely to engage positively. The Te Kotahitanga project (Bishop et al., 2009) demonstrated that co-constructed relationships significantly reduce disruptive behaviour. Recent ERO reports (2023, 2024) also highlight that classrooms with collaboratively-developed norms experience improved behaviour and stronger engagement, because students have ownership over the expectations.
1 c A source of information that I could draw upon to support my journey on creating a respectful atmosphere in my classroom would be the Kothitanga Project professional development resources by Bishop et al,. This is a huge body of material that shows virtually a causal relationship between the teacher/student connection and the success of the learning of the students Furthermore the research proves that when teachers set high expectations of their students they often engage better and reach them. Another large focus of the study was a close look at the outcomes when culturally affirming strategies are used and again the results were very pleasing. Students felt valued and validated and responded with more confidence to take new learning risks. What was particularly beneficial is that negative behaviours decrease which had been affecting not only disengaged learners but also engaged learners. There is a wealth of knowledge in the Kotahitanga Project that a teacher can learn from to create strategies that will uplift and encourage learners and thereby cause self-respect which in turn creates respect for others and collectively creates a respectful classroom.
Question b : Culturally Responsive Teaching
Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) is a pedagogy that is a shift away from the traditional style of teaching where the teacher is the source of all knowledge being passed onto the students. The learner brings values, history, experience and culture with them into the classroom and the curriculum is a collaboration of planning that draws what knowledge and interests the learners have, but also the wider whanau, iwi and hapu has. The culture of learners and affirmed and the first point of reference in learning
ii. Critically responsive learning benefits learners in that
Integrates learners own knowledge base so makes incremental steps form there and so the learning is accessible to learners (Gay, 2018)
CRT affirms culture of learner so it created a sense of belonging and acceptance for learner and strong self-identities (MacFarlane et al., 2015)
CRT has been shown to reduce deficit thinking by educators and disrupt disengagement patterns as a result
CRT builds deeper trust, respect and connection between the teachers and the learners and whanau (Bishop and Berryman, 2009)
CRT gives a voice to learners and their whanau in their learning and participation in school leadership, empowering learners and whanau to have more control over what they would like to have as part of their learning experience.
Research has shown that all of the above have lead to culturally and therefore more emotionally safer learning spaces that has allowed students to engage and take bigger learning risks and this has lead to higher academic results. For Maori Learners this has been well-documented in the Te Kohitanga Project.
iii Critically analyse the approach you have chosen by discussing potential challenges or limitations of applying this approach
Limited knowledge of teachers leads to lack of confidence and tokenism eg (Gay, 2018)
Time resources of education teachers who don't have a lot of release time but also it takes a lot of time to build deep connections with whanau and especially hard with those who are working long hours.
Resistance on part of whanau that have had negative experiences with schools
Heavy school curriculum and testing demands may leave not enough time to cover culturally responsive learning with the depth that it needs.
It requires a lot of institutional support and it was concluded by Bishop and Berryman that CRT may be not be sustainable.(2009)
iv outline one specific action I could take as part of applying this approach. Explain why it would be a useful approach to take
An example of applying to CRT is asking learners at the beginning of each term to research and share a story from their cultural and family history with the class. This is helpful for two reasons. The first is that it gives teachers opportunity to identify learner interests and cultural knowledge that they can build into the curriculum plan in order to bring relevance for the class learning journey. Secondly, it affirms the learners’ identities and decreases resistance to learning because they are being seen and heard and valued.
The deeper resp;ectful connections made between the teacher/ relationships and learner to learner relationships builds a better learning environment and student engagement and thus academic outcomes (bishop and Berryman 2009; Te Kotahitanga, 2014)
Part 2 Applying Strategies to a Teaching Scenario
Outline one challenge or issue in the scenario. Describe the issue challenge and its potential implications for the culture for learning in the learning organisation or environment
Part 2: Applying Strategies to a Teaching Scenario
Scenario 3: Secondary – Year 11 Chemistry Scenario 3: Secondary Colin teaches a year 11 chemistry class. He’s known for providing entertaining moments, especially when it comes to blowing stuff up (usually on purpose) but most of his teaching happens from the front of the room and he often asks learners to copy notes from the board. Although the lessons are fun, one group of learners feel disconnected from what’s going on and can’t see the relevance of what they’re learning. It’s a culturally diverse class and there are learners from a number of ethnicities. There are also some learners who aren’t very keen on studying science. The school is a bring your own device (BYOD) school. Although Colin is enjoying using technology with learners, he doesn’t always feel like he knows what they are doing on their devices and there have been some incidences of cyber bullying in class.
a. Issue or Challenge and its Implications for a Culture for Learning
Describe the issue or challenge.
a. In Colin’s classroom, one significant issue is learner disengagement. This is partly because of Colin's teacher-directed teaching method, for example, note-taking. He has put himself at centre stage and is creating some fun in his subject but he is the one having most the fun, as he is the one (and the only one) who is actively involved when he does this. His audience are passive receivers, and when the entertainment value diminishes, he loses his audience. It also puts Colin in an exhausting cycle of being interesting enough to keep his audience attention. Because Colin has put himself at the centre of all that is happening, he will probably be less inclined to connect with his students from their perspective and certainly less likely to give his students opportunities to share from their knowledge and understanding including their cultural context . Colin has failed to think of how could he make this interesting and accessible by relating chemistry to everyday experiences Students who do not see the relevance of their learning are more likely to disconnect or only commit passively. They are also more likely to use their devices for unsanctioned use (O’Connor, 2019). All of these contributing factors lead to low motivation and consequently to low achievement (Bishop et al., 2009; Macfarlane et al., 2017).
Another reason for disengagemt is that some learners have put up barriers to learning Chemistry because they have predetermined that they do not like science. A final reason for disengagement are being distracted by their BYOD devices which have been permitted through school policy.
b. Potential implications for the culture of learning in the environment or organisation
Fragmented peer relationships
Cyber Bullying and / bullying undermining safety and sense of acceptance and well-being of the students
Disruptions
Low grades Low achievement rates and widening achievement gaps
High frustration form the students who want to learn
Other students may feel that their culture is undervalued as little time is able to be given from their world view
Teacher disillusionment and career change, damage to school reputation
Managing student disruptions leads to an increase in the teacher workload and increases the emotional stress of the teacher and disappointment about how much real learning is being achieved
group of learners who have disengaged from learning. This is probably linked to Colin’s teacher directed style of teaching which includes notetaking from the board and there is a lack of relevance to the everyday days of the learner. Colin has made his lesson fun, but he has positioned himself more as an entertainer, which means he is the activated one in the lesson and learners are passive and some have switched off.
These issues don't just bring disengagement but corrupts the learning environment which also affects even engaged learners negatively Teaching that disengage learners doesn't just affect a few individuals, it becomes a class wide problem as the entire group is no longer functioning successfully as a unit
B describe one strategy to principle or approach teacher can apply to this situation to respond to the issue challenge
b) One strategy that I would recommend to Colin would be to integrate inquiry-based learning into his classroom. IBL works especially well with science as it is an inquiry based subject. This strategy will move Colin away from being the “source of all knowledge" and will give space for students to develop their own curiosity about science while at the same time adding more daily relevance. It will allow learners to design their own questions about the world around them and this gives a context to their learning and has been proven to increase motivation and enthusiasm for learning (Bell et al., 2010). Culturally diverse learners in IBL can bring in their own experiences, curiosities and “way of knowing” into their study. This connects strongly to New Zealand’s educational vision to use culturally relevant contexts in learning as a way of fulfilling the Triti promises.
Inquiry based learning has been well-researched and the evidence proves many positive benefits for learners. First of all, student engagement increases because learners can make links between classroom learning and the real world that they live in (Hume & Coll, 2010). Secondly, because students are engaged in material that interests them more and they have more ownership of the process, there is less distraction and disruption (ERO, 2023). Inquiry based learning has been shown to improve the motivation and persistence of all learners, but especially for previously disengaged. (Bell et al., 2010). IBL has been proved to help a wide diversity of learning as it includes collaboration, and hands-on learning but often also makes room for many methods of learning and presentation(Bishop et al., 2009).
IBL reduces disruptive behaviour as learners have more control and are more active in the process (ERO, 2023).
Finally IBD can be done in various ways with BYOD that are quite structured and also collaborative which means that learners can be screen time can be monitored and therefore the teacher can outline clear expectations to students and more on task time on BYOD devices means less opportunities to cyber bully
A specific example fo IBL would be to take out a note-taking data filled section of the curriculum and replace it with an inquiry based project where students are to create questions of investigation around their interests
An example could be investigating the chemical processes are used in making makeup or car cleaning products
Such a projects links chemistry to their interests builds closer connections in the class as students share their hobbies. This in turns builds respect. As learners take a respectful interest in each others lives. It makes BYOD devices useful in positive learning through research which reduces the risk of cyber bullying. It also aligns with NCEA ‘s goal of studying science through real life lenses and application
c. Reliable Sources the Teacher Can Use
I would recommend that the teacher has a look at the following three open access resources that would help him understand why his students have disengaged from learning
First of all a peer reviewed journal article Te Kotahitanga Research by Bishop, Berryman , Cavanagh & Teddy (2009) This article shows the improvement learner engagement and academic results because of a shift away form teacher directed learning and show that when learning is dialogic, learners feel valued and that acknowledging learners culture and identity needs to be part of learning spaces.
This would help the learning culture of Colin's class by giving Colin some understanding of why students disconnect from learning
It outlines that when teachers genuinely care for their students by setting high but realistic expectations for them, and build healthy connections with them, learners respond with better focus, interest and perseverance in the learning journey, achieving better results. This research is based on Maori learners, and shows when the teachers are self affirming and use cultural sustaining pedagogies, learners flourish in the positive and supportive environment. The lessons in this report apply to all learners and are very applicable to a diverse range of learners. Connections made such as these would reduce the behavioural issues in Colin’s classroom
My second choice of reading for Colin would be a peer reviewed article New Zealand Science Inquiry Research by Hull &Coll (2010) which investigated IBL in Science in New Zealand Classrooms The results were that learners using IBL had higher levels of motivation, had a deeper contextual understanding of their subject matter and wider range of learners responded well to it. This resource would give Colin practical frameworks of IBL in chemistry..
This article has evidence that would encourage Colin further to shift away from teacher-centred learning and would show him the benefits of student centred learning which activates learners rather than lets them play a passive role
A third resource I would recommend to Colin would be a report written by ERO Time to Focus: Why Behaviour Needs Attention (2023)
This report outlines the consequences of a disengaged class which are serious. Disengaged learners leads to disruption and to more opportunities for bullying and cyberbullying to occur. The recommendation is meaningful learning and structured learning to reduce the aforementioned negative results.
This resource would help Colin gain more understanding by stressing that the well-being of students is directly linked to his teacher style. This would incentivise him to make some big changes in his teaching style and management.
References
Averill, R., & Clark, M. (2012). Respect in teaching and learning mathematics: Professionals who know, listen to and work with students. Set: Research Information for Teachers, 3, 50–57. https://doi.org/10.18296/set.0379
Bell, R., Urhahne, D., Schanze, S., & Ploetzner, R. (2010). Collaborative inquiry learning: Models, tools, and challenges. International Journal of Science Education, 32(3), 349–377.
Bishop, R., Berryman, M., Cavanagh, T., & Teddy, L. (2009). Te Kotahitanga: Addressing educational disparities facing Māori students in New Zealand. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5), 734–742.
Cowan, S. (2010). Teachers’ and students’ understandings of how self-worth is influenced in the learning environment (Master’s thesis, University of Canterbury). University of Canterbury Research Repository. https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/
Education Review Office. (2020). Responsive practices: Supporting the wellbeing of learners in the COVID-19 context. https://ero.govt.nz/our-research/responsive-practices-supporting-the-wellbeing-of-learners-in-the-covid-19-context
Education Review Office. (2022). Education for all our children: Embracing diverse cultures. https://ero.govt.nz
Education Review Office. (2023). Time to focus: Why behaviour needs attention in our classrooms. https://ero.govt.nz
Education Review Office. (2024). Promoting student wellbeing and positive behaviour in New Zealand schools. ERO.
Galloway, A., & Reynolds, B. (2015). Using strengths-based approaches to support the learning and wellbeing of children: A case study from Aotearoa/New Zealand. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 3, 16–23. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2015.36005
Galloway, A., Reynolds, B., & Williamson, J. (2020). Strengths-based teaching and learning approaches for children: Perceptions and practices. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 4(1), 31–45. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.2020058178
Hume, A., & Coll, R. (2010). Authentic student inquiry in New Zealand secondary science classrooms: The students’ perspective. Research in Science Education, 40(1), 65–79.
Key, A. (2023). Small wins: Using micro-success strategies to support learner motivation. Education Gazette.
Macfarlane, A., Macfarlane, S., & Webber, M. (2017). Sociocultural realities: Exploring new horizons. Canterbury University Press.
Ministry of Education. (2020). Wellbeing in schools. https://education.govt.nz
O’Connor, K. (2019). Student engagement and the role of technology. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 54(2), 273–288.
Sea, G. (2021). Teachers’ and students’ understandings of how self-worth is influenced in the learning environment (Master’s thesis). University of Canterbury. https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/handle/10092/103819