The Ruamano Project: Raising Expectations, Realising Community Aspirations and Recognising Gifted Potential in Māori Boys

Abstract

<jats:p>When gifted Māori students feel they belong and find their realities reflected in the curriculum, conversations and interactions of schooling, they are more likely to engage in programmes of learning and experience greater school success. This article reports on a teacher-led project called the Ruamano Project, which investigated whether Maker and Zimmerman's (2008) Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving model (REAPS) could be adapted successfully to identify talents and benefit the student achievement and engagement of Māori boys in two rural Northland, New Zealand secondary school contexts. The project aimed to implement Treaty of Waitangi-responsive and place-based science practices by improving home–school–community relationships through the authentic engagement of whānau and iwi into the schools’ planning, implementation and evaluation of a REAPS unit. As a result of this innovation, teachers’ perceptions of Māori boys shifted, their teaching practices changed, more junior secondary Māori boys were identified as gifted by way of improved academic performance, and iwi and community members were engaged in co-designing the inquiry projects. Our research indicated that the local adaptation of the REAPS model was effective in engaging and promoting the success of gifted and talented Māori boys.</jats:p>

A Practical Guide for Implementing the STEM Assessment Results in Classrooms: Using Strength-Based Reports and Real Engagement in Active Problem Solving

“…The REAPS model also has been successful as a way to identify exceptionally talented students who are not identified by other methods. Interest and involvement in solving a real-life problem that students are passionate about solving can help hidden talents to emerge (Gallagher & Gallagher, 2013;Riley et al, 2017;Webber et al, 2018). Support for this perspective can be found in several studies in which curricula and teaching strategies recommended for exceptionally talented students were effective in increasing the achievement of all students (Fraleigh-Lohrfink et al, 2013;Hallett & Venegas, 2011;Lee et al, 2009;Van Tassel-Baska & Johnsen, 2009).…”

“…Teachers agreed that understanding and honoring a multitude of ways of knowing and imparting knowledge was important. Furthermore, they agreed about the value of fully interacting with, developing strategies, and empowering students to work actively to solve problems that have a direct impact on their community, their family, and their lives (Webber et al, 2018). All three science teachers identified engagement in learning as the greatest change in their students, especially the Maori boys (Riley et al, 2017).…”

“…Real-life problems include both well-structured problems, such as gaining background knowledge or how to conduct field tests, and open-ended problems, such as creating solutions or communicating those solutions to stakeholders (Alhusaini & Maker, 2011). Student engagement increases as students struggle with real-life issues, learning content and skills as well as critical thinking (Riley et al, 2017;Webber et al, 2018). Because the problem continuum includes a variety of problem types, both structured and ill-defined or unstructured, students are guided through a process of moving from familiar academic-type problem-solving (a clearly stated problem with a right answer and specified methods) to the less familiar problem-solving in which they can propose an infinite number of solutions and choose a method they believe is appropriate.…”

“…Many students articulated that they felt a profound sense of community and a sense of belonging to the whakapapa (genealogy) of their environment, and that they had gained a new scientific understanding of the changes within their ecosystem. Some of the students communicated their belief in the importance of fieldwork and their desire to further the research about water quality in their local environment (Webber et al, 2018).…”

Exceptional talent in the 21st century context: Conceptual framework, definition, assessment, and development

“…To accomplish engagement, three different types of methods are proposed that are consistent with the definition of exceptional talent and the goal of wisdom: (a) Centers for Creativity and Innovation (Maker and Pease, 2008;Maker et al, 2015a); (b) Real Engagement in Active Problem-Solving (REAPS) (Gomez-Arizaga et al, 2016;Maker, 2016;Maker and Wearne, 2020;Maker and Zimmerman, 2008;Maker et al, 2015b;Riley et al, 2017;Webber et al, 2018;Wu et al, 2015); and authentic participation in real-world settings as in internships, service learning (Sisk, 2016), and mentorships. Because the two main approaches advocated have been described in various publications, and authentic participation is included in many different models, the focus of this section will be on the centers and REAPS, and summarized rather than described in depth.…”