Blog Entry 4

The first research question I thought of was what skills can my children learn from play based learning?
However, after reflection I realised that it was quite a closed question which would have straight forward
answers. I also thought  it didn't relate to Kaupapa Maori or cultural inclusiveness which is something in my
practice that needs improvement.

My next research question was how can I use play based learning to create a culturally inclusive, collaborative
classroom for my new entrants and year 1's?

This question was developed as I couldn't decide between two topics: creating a culturally inclusive classroom
or play based learning. My solution to this was merging the topics together and basing a research question off
both.

However, since then my colleague and I have decided to no longer work in an MLE setting and to focus on our
individual classes. Although there will still be collaboration between my students, that won't be the main focus.
Therefore I am changing my question to include digital technology as well.

My developed question is how can I use play based learning and digital technology to create a culturally
inclusive, collaborative classroom for my new entrants?

The play based learning aspect of the research question relates to the Tino Rangatiratanga - The Principle of
Self-determination aspect of the Kaupapa Maori approach.
This is because a predominant part of play based learning consists of self-directed learning and student agency
which results in students having ownership in their learning which overall leads to
motivation/determination (Unicef,. 2018).
This module also relates to my research question as it includes embracing and controlling ones own culture
which the students will be able to do if given access to their culture and opportunities with a cultural focus in
play based learning (Smith, G. H. 1990).

An important part of my research question is still the collaboration aspect, this relates to the module
Ata - The Principle of Growing Respectful Relationships.
In order for my research question to be implemented into the classroom successfully, the students need to
communicate positively and build relationships with one another while collaborating with each other.
Without positive interactions and communication, play based learning would not be beneficial (Unicef,. 2018).
 The students' different cultures being included in the classroom is another way this question relates to Ata.
This is because students are more likely to be respectful of each others differences and cultures if they have
been exposed to it and learnt about it properly in a safe learning environment "Multicultural education is
implemented to enhance tolerance, respect, understanding, awareness, and acceptance of self and others in
the diversity of people’s cultures" (Isler, Nergiz Kardas; Dedeoglu, Hakan 2019 , p.131).

Learning about the Kaupapa Maori approach has made me understand the importance of respect, gathering the
data correctly and pronouncing things correctly, and including Maori in the research to ensure cultural
responsiveness and Maori wellbeing (Moeke, M, T,. 2015).

The purpose of Kaupapa Maori data gathering is to develop an answer/results but also provides individuals
new skills to create an innovative, improved time ahead. This is exactly what I am doing with my
research- creating an innovative, improved, inclusive environment for my learners  (Aspin, C, 2006).
Furthermore the entire Kaupapa Maori meaning relates to my topic as it means "to be fixed" (Aspin, C, 2006).  This is what I feel as though I am doing with my practice, by embracing Maori and other learners, all cultural
needs and using play based learning to benefit the students learning and create a happy school environment.

I definitely think this research topic will relate to community priorities as all the students in my class come from
diverse cultures.
Meeting the cultural needs of these students will hopefully make a positive impact on the students wellbeing
and sense of belongingness at school and in their community. If done responsively,
I believe asking Whanau and the Glen Innes community for any advice of what they believe is needed for
improvement will be a good start. This links withThe Principle of Extended Family Structure: Whanau
"This principle acknowledges the responsibility and obligations of the researcher to nurture and care for these
relationships and also the intrinsic connection between the researcher, the researched, and the research. It
acknowledges the relationships that Māori have to one another and to the world around
them" (Smith, G. H. 1990. p.1).
My stakeholders are students, whanau, colleagues and community, an important aspect of this is ensuring that
culture language and djh is appropriated correctly.
This is why whanau is an important aspect of ensuring cultural responsiveness and correctness as the people
involved and affected are the most vital.

References

Aspin, C, 2006. Research Proposal 2. Retrieved from  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-bn1dvKF8Q

Isler, Nergiz Kardas; Dedeoglu, Hakan 2019 Multicultural Children Literature in Preservice Teacher Education:
Responses through Literature Circles International Journal of Progressive Education, v15 n4 p130-141 2019
DOI: 10.29329/ijpe.2019.203.10.

Moeke, M, T,. 2015. Palliative Care TV.

Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watchtime_continue=105&v=yHfEXqBcBig&feature=emb_title 

Smith, G. H. 1990. ˜Research Issues Related to Maori Education, paper presented to NZARE Special Interest Conference,
Massey University, reprinted in 1992, The Issue of Research and Maori, Research Unit for Maori Education,
The University of Auckland. Retrieved from:http://www.rangahau.co.nz/research-idea/27/

Unicef,. (2018). Learning through play Strengthening learning through play in early childhood education programmes. Retrieved from: https://www.unicef.org/sites/default/files/2018-12/UNICEF-Lego-Foundation-Learning-through-Play.pdf

Blog Entry 3

Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Responsiveness is necessary in my practice to create an inclusive,
safe environment for all learners.
As an educator I believe it is my responsibility to ensure inclusive content and a safe environment for all my learners.
This links with  number 1 from the culturally responsive teaching model which is Content Integration
"inclusion of content from other cultures" (Hernandez, C, Morales & Shroyer,. 2013. P. 1).
This involves integrating content from other cultures into the classroom, in this case it would be into
play-based learning.

 An important aspect of using IK to improve your classroom practice is to adapt to the students to meet
their specific needs, learning is more relevant and motivational for the child if it is individualised
"Facilitating knowledge construction which consists of building on prior knowledge real world
examples; assist students in learning to be critical, independent thinkers who are open to other ways
of knowing" (Hernandez, C, Morales & Shroyer,. 2013). 

This is an example where my research links specifically to culturally inclusive learning because one of
the main aspects of play-based learning is creating learning opportunities for the students that are
relevant to their view point of life and are familiar with these experiences or materials (Unicef, 2018).

Another example where IK/CR teaching relates to play-based learning is they both need to be
individualised to meet the needs of the learner. Another similarity between play-based learning and
IK/CRT is the safety of the environment and comfortability of the students is imperative (Unicef, 2018).

An additional aspect of the "Model of Cultural Responsiveness" is  "Prejudice reduction: use of native
language support; positive student-student interactions; safe learning environment"
(Hernandez, C, Morales & Shroyer,. 2013. P. 1).
This can be integrated into the classroom with phrases, greetings, commands, Waiata and kanikani.
Using words that the students are familiar with and that they use at home will help create a safe
environment for the students  "The approach is meant to promote engagement, enrichment, and
achievement of all students by embracing a wealth of diversity, identifying and nurturing students’
cultural strengths, and validating students’ lived experiences and their place in the
world" (Samuels,. J,. A. 2011, p.23). 

An important aspect of culturally responsive teaching is that its repeated into teaching content daily, not
just ticked off when needing to meet ERO requirements or when there is a celebration.
(Milne 2009) argues that cultural identity is not a thing that needs to be celebrated on
certain occasions such as cultural weeks, rather teachers and schools should embrace students
cultural identity at every opportunity throughout curriculum and learning activities, school policies and
events schools have a role in sustaining culture instead of negating it".

An additional aspect  of play-based learning is collaboration. CRT/IK will positively affect this as the
students will have knowledge of each other's culture and a better understanding of each other.
It also means the students are less likely to judge each other or treat each other differently which will
ultimately create a safer environment leaving room for positive peer interactions and learning.
3/4 of the culturally responsive model is a way to break out of judgements as its purpose is to
question generalisations and normality which ultimately creates positive peer
relationships. (Hernandez, C, Morales & Shroyer,. 2013).

A way I could use IK/CR to improve my practice is by using the component Digital decolonisation.
Although educating myself and bringing what I've learnt into my teaching content is important, as a
pakeha it is still my responsibility to bring in resources made by and for people of  different cultures to
ensure they are executed correctly. It is vital my students are surrounded by familiarity and diversity.
Examples of how to use digital decolonisation in the classroom are games, stories, websites, songs or any resources that challenge colonisation or give cultural information.(Ferguson, R, 2019)
Using these digital resources in the classroom would be a good opportunity to observe/be involved in the
children's learning by listening, questioning and prompting the students to talk about what they already know
about their culture/what they are learning. Digital decolonisation is a perfect example of how I could merge
play-based learning with being culturally responsive as I could have a variety of activities set up for students to
choose where they would like to go e.g. decolonisation themed games on the ipads, a culturally responsive story
on the class TV and a variety of Cultural  activities set up. This would be a good way to integrate PBL,
digital technologies, collaboration and culturally inclusive learning. 

Without indigenous knowledge or Culturally responsive pedagogy I do not think that PBL would be
successful as one of the main aspects of it is students feeling comfortable in their environment with a
sense of ownership, another vital aspect as Vygotsky has mentioned is collaboration, positive peer
interactions and engagement (Bodrova, E,. 2008).

References

Bodrova, E,. 2008. Make‐believe play versus academic skills: a Vygotskian approach to today’s dilemma of early childhood education

Ferguson, R. Review of Allison Littlejohn and Nina Hood (2018). Reconceptualising learning in the digital age:
The [un]democratising potential of MOOCs. Postdigit Sci Educ 1, 569–572 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-019-00064-9

Hernandez, Cecilia M.; Morales, Amanda; and Shroyer, Gail,
"The development of a model of culturally responsive science and mathematics teaching" (2013).
Faculty Publications: Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education. 279.
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/teachlearnfacpub/279

DOI 10.1007/s11422-013-9544-1

Samuels, A. J. (2018). Exploring Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Teachers' Perspectives on Fostering Equitable and Inclusive Classrooms.
SRATE Journal, 27(1), 22-30.

Unicef,. (2018). Learning through play Strengthening learning through play in early childhood education programmes.
Retrieved from: https://www.unicef.org/sites/default/files/2018-12/UNICEF-Lego-Foundation-Learning-through-Play.pdf

Milne, A. 2009, Colouring in the White Spaces: Cultural Identity and Learning in School.
Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57438b77f699bbfae400bbca/t/5750ead5f850827880ea8e39/1464920802604/Colouring+in+the+White+Spaces_+Cultural+Identity+and+Learning+in+School.pdf

Blog Entry 1

Originally I wanted to do this research on using play based learning to create an engaging learning environment,

but after reflection of my classroom practice I have realised something that is lacking in my classroom that is
more vital for my children.

This is the fact that I do not think my classroom is culturally inclusive for all my learners.

My classroom is predominantly Pacific Islander and Maori. The different cultures of the students in my classroom
include Maori, Samoan, Tongan and Cook Island.
I want to research how to create a culturally inclusive classroom involving all their cultures in their daily learning.

 After further reflection I have decided to merge the two topics I am interested in together.
The research topic I have chosen to investigate is Play-based learning, but more specifically how I can use
play-based learning to create a culturally inclusive classroom.

Play based learnings main concept is creating a learning environment that doesn't just cover
academics, it focuses deeper on individualised learning and the child's needs as a whole "PBL is child-centered
and focuses on children's academic, social, and emotional development, and their interests and abilities
through engaging and developmentally appropriate learning experiences"(Taylor, M. E., & Boyer, W. 2020. P, 1.)

I have chosen to link PBL with creating a culturally inclusive classroom because I think it is imperative to have
an inclusive learning environment and I don't believe you can create a safe learning space without having a
culturally inclusive one. One of the most imperative concepts of play-based learning is the focus on social
development and peer relationships. "Play-based learning experiences were defined as instances which
allow children to engage in active, social learning experiences in classrooms".(Anderson, b,. M. 2017, p1.)

This is perfect for creating classroom engagement and getting my new entrants settled and motivated into school.
My plan is to eventually create these play-based learning experiences to also be cultural learning experiences
for the children and their cultures.

I have chosen this topic because I have a New Entrant classroom in which most of the students struggle with
engagement or settling in to school and I believe that involving their culture will not only create a supportive
learning environment, it will make them feel comfortable and motivated towards their learning.
A culturally involved classroom gives students ownership over their learning as does the concept of student voice
that comes along with play based learning (Morales, M. A,. & Hernandez, C,. & Shroyer, G. M,.  2013..)

Reflecting deeper on my culturally responsiveness in the classroom: I alway ask students about their
culture/involved cultures in learning when it suited what activities I was planning, however I never instilled these
daily in their learning, which I realise needs to be a consecutive reoccurrence in daily practice.
The students cultures should be throughout the curriculum subjects.
After researching culturally responsiveness I am going to include different cultures in my daily planning,
research information about the cultures, talk to my students' Whanau for information/games/ideas/opinions and
continue to educate myself on generalisations and racism (which I always try to be proactive with).
These things have been proven to make an impact on creating a culturally responsive classroom
"The model of culturally responsive teaching contains five thematic categories: (1) content integration,
(2) facilitating knowledge construction, (3) prejudice reduction, (4) social justice, and (5) academic development.
(Morales, M. A,. & Hernandez, C,. & Shroyer, G. M,.  2013, p. 803.)

(Milne, A. 2009, p. 7).

This image here shows Pakeha students with the highest results, proving that having your culture and way of life
part of your learning improves academic results.

Play based learning seems like the perfect stepping stone between preschool and being settled into
primary, which would help with feeling comfortable and engagement.
But also is a good opportunity to personalise the students learning to meet their interests and needs.
As a main aspect of PBL is to individualise learning- this is a perfect opportunity to not only create learning that is
at the correct level of the child, relatable to their interests but also to include the child’s culture in their learning.

Play-based learning relates to digital and collaborative learning as it has a lot of similarities with the modules
of 21st century learning such as Student directed learning/student choice, student choice, collaboration and
social skills. There is also a lot of room for digital activities to be integrated into PBL. It is important when using
PBL that the child should instigate their playing and learning, but it is the teachers job to guide that learning
the child has chosen, prompt learning conversations and ignite more in depth thinking for the student,
it is important the teacher does not take over or ruin any creativity" (O’Gorman, L., & Ailwood, J. 2012).

References

(Anderson, b,. M. 2017) Teachers' Experiences with Integrating Play-Based Learning into Standards-Driven Curriculum: A Phenomenological Study 

Morales, M. A,. & Hernandez, C,. & Shroyer, G. M,.  2013. The development of a model of culturally responsive science and mathematics teaching.
DOI 10.1007/s11422-013-9544-1

Milne, A. 2009, Colouring in the White Spaces: Cultural Identity and Learning in School. p. 7.
Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57438b77f699bbfae400bbca/t/5750ead5f850827880ea8e39/1464920802604
/Colouring+in+the+White+Spaces_+Cultural+Identity+and+Learning+in+School.pdf

O’Gorman, L., & Ailwood, J. (2012). ‘They Get Fed up with Playing’: Parents’ Views on Play-Based Learning in the Preparatory Year.
Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 13(4), 266–275. https://doi.org/10.2304/ciec.2012.13.4.266  

 Taylor, M. E., & Boyer, W. (2020). Play-Based Learning: Evidence-Based Research to Improve Children’s Learning Experiences in the Kindergarten
Classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 48(2), 127–133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-019-00989-7 .

Reflective entry 2: Discuss how the research topic addresses the context of different audiences (local, including community priorities national and/or international) and their perspectives

Considering the audiences; I think my children will absolutely love culturally inclusiveness and play-based learning being introduced into the classroom. This is because I know they will be excited to have more opportunities to talk about their culture and their family and be able to relate it to their learning. I also know they will love play-based learning activities as I plan on including their interests and they already love playing and interacting with each other.

Students in my classroom have free choice already (for certain parts of the day) which they enjoy.
From seeing this I know that they will enjoy the student voice/choice in the classroom and it will help
them feel ownership over their learning. My children also all enjoy group activities, peer interactions,
physical manipulation of materials, outdoor activities (such as sand, waterplay, nature play) and ofcourse
make believe playing. I plan on structuring these activities into relevant learning activities/tasks for the children
which I know they will enjoy. It will also be a good opportunity for me to observe what the students do choose
and what grows into a passion or what could ignite into a passion for them.

There are a lots of different types of play that will engage my students that a variety of theorists have supported.
Many famous researchers such as Vygotsky, Brunner, Piaget etc have openly supported PBL and believed it's
beneficial for student development "Vygotskian approach suggests that young children can master necessary
prerequisites of academic skills through engagement in mature make‐believe play" (Bodrova, E,. 2008. p. 1). 

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/132222939044336381/

I'm glad that I decided to merge my two research ideas together because the more research I do about
play-based learning, the more I understand one of the main focuses in it is to individualise the learning to
meet the needs of the learner. Addiotnally the more I read about creating a culturally inclusive classroom the
more I see the similarities between the two as it's important to individualise learning to meet the students
cultural needs.

 According to researchers if play-based learning is executed accurately it involves peer relationships,
teacher-peer relationships, encourages creativity, student led learning, intrinsic motivation and develops passions.
However if PBL hasn't been executed properly and doesn't involve appropriate promoting and facilitating then it
isn't a positive learning experience, it's more so just playing "It has long been argued that the critical feature
distinguishing play from work may be the matter of who instigates the activity"(O’Gorman, L., & Ailwood, J. (2012).

Play-based learning is a controversial topic as some parents and families have differing ideas about what the
concept of "play" is. Studies from (O’Gorman, L., & Ailwood, J. (2012)  show that there are a variety of parents that
view play as a positive learning opportunity for their children, but a large variety of parents that view play as only
play (not beneficial), and don’t see the learning attributes that come along with it. 

My students' parents hopefully will be happy with more culturally inclusiveness being integrated into the classroom.
This is because it is a chance for them to be more involved in their children's learning.
This links with the competency Whanaungatanga which is all about whanau being involved in learning and
whanau/teacher having a positive working relationship with one goal- improve the children's learning (MoE, 2018).
It will be a good opportunity for me to build more relationships with families, learn from them and it will create a
happy environment as the students will be happy to have their parents involved in their learning too.

References

Bodrova, E,. 2008. Make‐believe play versus academic skills: a Vygotskian approach to today’s dilemma of early childhood education

Ministry of Education, 2018. Tataiako cultural competencies for teachers of maori learners.

O’Gorman, L., & Ailwood, J. (2012). ‘They Get Fed up with Playing’: Parents’ Views on Play-Based Learning in the Preparatory Year. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 13(4), 266–275. https://doi.org/10.2304/ciec.2012.13.4.266