SEED grant recipients

 

Global methods, local data: Activating Māori and Pacific data stories for culturally responsive teaching in learning

Heti Afimeimounga (Anna Fergusson) – Science
a.fergusson@auckland.ac.nz

The objectives of this project were to include more Māori and Pacific data stories in the course content and assessment for a large introductory statistics course. This was done through the co- construction of knowledge with students and was driven by personally relevant data stories.

Designing Māori and Pasifika inspired mathematical tasks

Josphina Ah Sam – Science
j.ahsam@auckland.ac.nz

Drawing on collaborative work from members of varying specializations and experience in both mathematics and mathematics education research, this project designed mathematical activities based on contexts of relevance to Māori and Pasifika students, addressing a need for genuine community ownership of mathematical tasks.

Lalaga: enhancing teaching/learning and research success for Pacific students

Melani Anae – Arts
m.anae@auckland.ac.nz

This project investigated the influential factor of a secured ethic identity as well as other factors that contribute to Pacific students succeeding in their studies and whether existing support initiatives impact upon this success.

Vaka Moana

Marina McCartney – Arts
ma.mccartney@auckland.ac.nz

“Vaka Moana” is an academic enhancement programme established by Pacific Studies in 2014 and grounded in Oceanic values. For this project, workshop templates were developed for undergraduate courses, templates were then piloted, in addition historical attendance at
workshops was tracked, recorded and analysed against individual assessment marks.

Culturally Appropriate Measures and Pathways for Success

Julia Novak – Science
j.novak@auckland.ac.nz

This project investigated retention rates, pass rates and pathways for Māori and Pasifika students in the Faculty of Science. The three phases were: data collection; analysis and consultation; then changing the landscape.

I hear voices in my head, and they’re singing!

Te Oti Rakena – Creative Arts and Industries
t.rakena@auckland.ac.nz

This project examined the current methods of teaching music theory skills by creating and testing interventions that respond to the specific needs of Māori and Pacific Island students. The aim was to reduce the number of students repeating core theory courses and
increase the achievement of performance students enrolled in these papers.

Decolonising the curricula – sharing understanding of Māori and Pacific values

Dory Reeves – Creative Arts and Industries
d.reeves@auckland.ac.nz

This teaching innovation project is about understanding how Pasifika students relate to and understand Māori values that are central to planning and architecture curricular. Discussions were held with Pasifika students as well as the Auckland Council (the largest employer of planning graduates) to find out how these values play out in the work place for recent graduates and early career professionals.

Enhancing Success for Pacific first-year Social Work Students

Analosa Veukiso-Ulugia – Education and Social Work
a.veukiso-ulugia@auckland.ac.nz

The Enhancing Pacific Success (EPS) Lalaga* project explores key interwoven strands: relationships; Pacific role-modelling; and culture in curriculum.’  These three strands enhance Pacific students’ engagement with, and academic success at, the University of Auckland. The project consists of creative interwoven approaches with three core elements: relationship and engagement; Pacific in social work and integrating culture into curriculum.

*Lalaga: Pan-Pacific term that means ‘to weave’

Leadership through inclusive learning and teaching

Abigail McClutchie – Te tumu Herenga: Libraries and Learning Services
a.mcclutchie@auckland.ac.nz

This project identified inclusive teaching and learning strategies utilized whilst working with Māori and Pasifika students. An investigation into the impact of leadership through learning and action programmes as a teaching and learning experience, and how they contribute to scholarly achievement, progression to postgraduate study, and the development of leadership.

Akongia Kia Ako: promoting learning to learn for Māori and Pasifika students

Marcia Leenen-Young – Business
m.leenen@auckland.ac.nz

This project investigated concepts of ‘learning to learn’ for Pacific students in the Faculty of Arts as well as what makes up a successful learning environment, particularly in relation to initiatives such as Vaka Moana. This research will inform practice as well as provide evidence and impetus for learning initiatives in the near future.

Staff-Led Manaakitanga

Melissa Inouye – Arts
m.inouye@auckland.ac.nz

Manaakitanga, the Māori value of hospitality can help to break down barriers that limit exchange and learning. This project involved funding lecturers to join students for coffee or lunch in order to build mutual understanding and rapport. Best practices for Pacific learning suggest that Maori and Pacific students suggests that building personal relationships between students and lecturers is paramount.

Māori and Pasifika voices in medical school diversity education

Paulette Benton-Grieg – Medical and Health Sciences
p.benton-greig@auckland.ac.nz

A series of short video teaching resources to help address current barriers to including voices and visions of Māori and Pasifika peoples in the Queering Healthcare Medical Humanities course. Such a resource could also be used in Medical School Professional and Clinical skills teaching environments.

The Journey to Motutapu: Mapping, navigating and sailing through the moana of Psychology.

Sam Manuela – Science
s.manuela@auckland.ac.nz

A goal-setting programme to enhance the experience of first year Māori and Pacific students in Psychology. The programme was informed by the Mana Moana framework, one that is used to understand Māori and Pacific wellbeing in order to anchor intrinsic and extrinsic motivational approaches on culturally-resonant values.

Embedding indigenous knowledge, values and culture for Māori and Pasifika success

Sonia Fonua and Suzanne Reid – Science Medical Health Sciences
s.fonua@auckland.ac.nz

This project built networks and connections between the key main faculties that were targeted, Medical and Health Sciences and Science. Two very successful talanoa* events were held and information about the short-, mid- and long-term goals around embedding
Indigenous knowledge, values, and culture in science focused courses was collected. Sustainable connections were built as were safe spaces for staff to meet, reflect and develop.

*talanoa the word ‘tala’ means to talk or to tell and ‘noa’ is literally ‘nothing in particular’ or as Sitiveni Halapua argued talanoa is talking without concealment in a purposeful way.

Papakupu

Hemi Dale – Education and Social Work
h.dale@auckland.ac.nz

Papakupu is a linguistic glossary developed over the past decade that lists words from Māori to English, and English to Māori. This project reviewed, revitalized and diversified the glossary’s content and disseminated it more widely. Words, phrases, techniques, language functions etc. have been developed over time in response to other language needs observed as part of students’ Māori language proficiency development.

Work-Related Learning and Māori Student Success

Tia Dawes – Career Development and Employability Services
t.dawes@auckland.ac.nz

An exploration of the premise that work-related learning (WRL) provides an effective means of testing and applying knowledge gained through academic studies to the world of work. WRL activities make use of the context of work to develop the skills and knowledge
required for success in the workplace. Participants reflected on their understanding of workplace culture and cultural fit. As a result, these students are now better positioned to think about potential career pathways to the point where they are now nominating fields of interest and potential employers.

The art of wayfinding: Navigating Pasifika student success

Jacoba Matapo – Education and Social Work
j.matapo@auckland.ac.nz

The research project generated new insights to understanding the complexities of Pasifika success as framed by Pasifika staff and students. As the research was informed by a Pacific cultural reference, it created opportunities for Pasifika staff and students to engage with traditional methods of navigation to re-conceptualize involvement with knowledge, education and notions of resilience in their own academic success within the university. The interactive website https://wayfindingpasifika.blogs.auckland.ac.nz/ will be a resource shared within the University and will be dynamic and changing as new initiatives and interests emerge. The website as a tool of way-finding Pasifika success will include specific content to foster Pasifika students success.

Māori Mai-Me (‘Māorify Me’)

Nasser Giacaman – Engineering and Sophie Tauwehe Tamati – Education and Social Work
n.giacaman@auckland.ac.nz and t.tamati@auckland.ac.nz

Māori Mai-Me (‘Māorify Me’) proposed a set of conversational Te Reo Māori phrases for beginner speakers that may be used in a wide variety of contexts at the University. A virtual reality (VR) mobile application was developed to allow users to practice the above phrases. Evaluation of the impact of VR in second language acquisition was then carried out.

Developing Tikanga and Tapu practices in a neuroimaging lab space: Engaging Māori and Pacific in EEG research.

Veema Lodhia – Science
v.lodhia@auckland.ac.nz

The development of protocols that honoured and recognized the tikanga (custom) of tapu (sacredness) of the head and hair and how this interplays with neuroimaging research. Māori and Pasifika engagement with these methods is potentially compromising the tapu of the head and hair this could impact health outcomes, and the utility of research to inform health and disease policy. The main purpose was to encourage participation and engagement from Māori and Pacific students in EEG research and neuroscience programs. The development of this protocol and process will form cultural content for Psychology 109 Brain and Behaviour undergraduate course as a taught lecture and examinable content.

Explicitly Addressing the Importance of Diversity and Equity in Physics

Cushla McGoverin – Science
c.mcgoverin@auckland.ac.nz

Stage One courses Advancing Physics 1 and 2 (Physics 120 and Physics 121) are taught in a highly interactive studio format where students spend most of their time solving problems and discussing concepts in groups. In these studio classes students are trained how to work in groups, the primary objective of this project was to enhance this training through instructor training regarding addressing diversity in the classroom and how to support Māori and Pasifika students, and the production of group training videos featuring diverse, New Zealand students.

He waka eke noa – We are all in the same boat: Intercultural literacy: From awareness to competence

Kerry Lee – Education and Social Work
k.lee@auckland.ac.nz

This student-led project explored how postgraduate students co-construct their intercultural competence via sharing their lived experiences at the student-led workshops. It pursued a ‘students for students’ approach and included ako, cultural protocols and reciprocity front and centre during the workshops.