Igniting the vā – Vā-kā methodology in a Māori-Pasifika research fellowship

Smith, Hinekura; Wolfgramm-Foliaki, ‘Ema

doi:10.20507/maijournal.2020.9.1.3

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The Teatea Kato habit represents instilling motivation and good work habits in Pacific learners. The transition to tertiary education can often be a challenging terrain to navigate for Pacific learners (Chu-Fuluifaga & Ikiua-Pasi, 2021;Smith & Wolfgramm-Foliaki, 2020). To facilitate a smoother transition to tertiary education, Pacific graduates in study reported that spaces that reflected their culture and fostered a sense of community that mirrored their home culture were significant in enhancing academic success and a sense of belonging.…”

Section: Teatea: Instil Motivation and Good Work Habitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proceedings. Rangahau: Te Mana o te Mahi Kotahitanga / Research: The Power of Collaboration. Unitec/MIT Research Symposium 2022, December 8 and 9

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper examines the role of collaboration in inquiry-based project work in early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand. It draws upon findings from a research project exploring how inquiry-based project learning has been interpreted and undertaken in early childhood settings in this context. Inquirybased project learning is a collaborative approach, underpinned by sociocultural theories, that supports a democratic view. The study is positioned in an interpretivist qualitative paradigm and is informed by sociocultural theories. A narrative inquiry approach informed the study design. Phase One of the project, which comprised a national questionnaire sent to all early childhood centres registered on the national ECE data base was completed in 2021. Phase Two, underway at the time of writing this paper, has involved a small number of purposively selected early childhood settings. At each of these settings, data collection has comprised an interview with the teaching team about their pedagogical frameworks, key influences and teaching practices, and a period of classroom observations focused on a current inquiry.Analysis of the data suggests that collaboration is cultivated when kaiako (teachers) prioritise whanaungatanga (sustaining connections and relationships) and have spent time developing pedagogical practices resulting in shared understandings surrounding inquiry-based project work. The impact of collaboration on the learning of tamariki (children) is demonstrated by a series of vignettes from the Phase Two data, demonstrating that developing a collaborative learning culture of inquiry fosters reciprocity, connection, theory making and problem solving.

show abstract

Section: Teatea: Instil Motivation and Good Work Habitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proceedings. Rangahau: Te Mana o te Mahi Kotahitanga / Research: The Power of Collaboration. Unitec/MIT Research Symposium 2022, December 8 and 9

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Kä as utilised in this article revolves around notions of being ignited, being lit and allowing to burn. Ka illustrates notions of commencement, particularly of new actions (Smith & Wolfgramm-Foliaki, 2020); in this context the (re)igniting of a relational space and the commencement of He Vaka Moana has been a site for tuäkana-tëina (re-search) relationships to spark and ignite, to develop and be nurtured between Indigenous peoples.…”

Section: Hoea Te Waka: Positioning and Epistemologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fellowship drew its strength from the Tongan proverb "pikipiki hama kae vaevae manava" (see Wolfgramm-Foliaki & Smith, 2020). Pikipiki hama means to stick, bind or link strongly to the outrigger of a vaka moana (ocean-going canoe).…”

Section: Pikipiki Hama Kae Vaevae Manavamentioning

confidence: 99%

Untitled

2020

MAI Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article introduces He Vaka Moana, which has been tested and evaluated at international and local levels. He Vaka Moana is a strength-based model of academic fellowship that is framed by Oceanic principles and methodologies. The authors base this model on what connects and sustains us as Mäori and Pasifika people-that is, Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. We draw from our shared ancestral history of navigating the vast Pacific Ocean on purposefully built vessels using Indigenous methods and ways of being to successfully reach our destinations. Our fellowship draws on the rich knowledge and imagery of a Tongan saying "pikipiki hama kae vave manava", which refers to lashing canoes together to exchange people and resources when a fleet is out on the ocean battling the swells and weather. This evocative Oceanic metaphor guides how, in He Vaka Moana, champions of teaching and learning across faculties purposefully come together to work collaboratively to examine existing practice and develop innovative ways for addressing issues of strategic priority to the institution: Mäori and Pasifika students' success. In He Vaka Moana, we look specifically and politically at ways to advance the success of Mäori and Pasifika students in higher education, exploring what works; how success is defined and by whom; how, as a university, we listen (or fail to listen) to Indigenous stories; and the difference Oceanic-based research makes for our teaching and learning. Our agenda is revitalising Indigenous methodologies and knowledges to transform higher educational institutions' ways of responding to our Indigenous learners. Employing our own Indigenous methodologies has emphasised our cultural ways of being, thinking, speaking and behaving. We wish to demonstrate how our ways of being and knowledge allow us to reclaim who we are and, more importantly, to chart our collective and desired future as citizens of Oceania.

show abstract