Gillian's Professional Blog

He aha aku akoranga hei āwhina i taku mārama atu ki te ariā ako me te kaupapa o Manaiakalani?   EMPOWERED:  Lack of money disempowers you! Something that Vicki shared that was Raw but True!  This kaupapa acknowledges and embraces the reality of some communities. Living in Tamaki Makaurau, this hits home because this is definitely the reality for some communities and having experienced this growing up it brings so much joy to know that Manaiakalani embraces this raw experience and have provided pathways to empower learners through this amazing programme. This kaupapa has been at the forefront for majority of teachers throughout this pandemic. Thinking about what we can do to empower our learners from a distance but most importantly finding ways for learners to share their voice, give them a choice and take ownership in their learning. Watching the video about Equity definitely filled my heart with joy. Knowing that Manaiakalani had put their kaupapa into practice by provid...

What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy? SHARE- TOHATOHA:  There are many ways of sharing and it has been happening for a very long time. I love the idea of sharing because being a second language learner Think, Pair, Share is a strategy we often use to encourage the learning of a new language. The sharing progression from face to face, to a group and to a class is important in building confidence in learning a new language so seeing this encouraged in Manaiakalani is awesome! Social Media is a platform that has had a huge impact on sharing throughout the world and with a wider audience. Sharing online was something Manaiakalani realised that motivates and encourages learners to produce work in order to share to an authentic audience and with a purpose. I totally agree with this! When students understand that there is a purpose to why they are creating something, they specifically create and share their work to engage to that audience....