Leading pedagogy: Promoting school reform through teacher leadership and the implementation of a culturally responsive pedagogy of relations

Abstract

Te Kotahitanga is a New Zealand school reform project aimed at improving the educational achievement of indigenous Māori students and intended to reduce the disparities of this traditionally marginalized group of students. In these schools, an iterative, research, and development model is used to implement an Effective Teaching Profile. This profile, constructed from the experiences and discourses of Māori students, calls for teachers to implement a culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. This chapter briefly backgrounds the Te Kotahitanga reform, introduces the elements of the Effective Teaching Profile and the implementation model, and then provides an in-depth look at the pedagogical theorizing and practice of three, quite diverse teachers in one Te Kotahitanga school. Through on-going in-school implementation processes, these teachers now stand out as pedagogic leaders in this school. One teacher participates as a colearner, carefully crafting lessons toward students’ prior knowledge and experiences and maximizing students’ culture and love of music in the teaching of social studies. Another uses the physical environment and daily circle talk to access students’ voices, thus creating a community of learners. The third teacher establishes clear routines and high expectations of learners who contribute as both learners and teachers. Pedagogical leadership such as this is modeling school reform at the classroom level, promoting staff collaboration, and contributing to marked changes in Māori student participation and achievement.

Citation

Berryman, M., SooHoo, S. and Woller, P. (2010), "Leading pedagogy: Promoting school reform through teacher leadership and the implementation of a culturally responsive pedagogy of relations", Normore, A.H. (Ed.) Global Perspectives on Educational Leadership Reform: The Development and Preparation of Leaders of Learning and Learners of Leadership (Advances in Educational Administration, Vol. 11), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 187-210. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3660(2010)0000011013