“Ahakoa iti, ākona, kōrerotia. Learn a little, use a little.”

Last week we celebrated Maori Language Week. One thing that I have taken away from last week's celebration is the phrase that Whaea Kata shared with the staff -

“Ahakoa iti, ākona, kōrerotia. Learn a little, use a little.”

My interpretation of this is that the quality of what you are doing or saying is important. Sometimes we can stress that we have not done enough or what we have done is not enough. What “Ahakoa iti, ākona, kōrerotia" highlights is that we are constantly learning, learning at our own pace, learning and sharing what we have.

On Thursday September 20, I took ten Year 9 students and one Year 12 students to play table tennis with the Chinese elderly community at Grace International Hall in Glen Innes. This is a community initiative that is run by Constable Len. The students were given a crash course in Chinese greetings from Constable Len - "Ni Hao Ma" (hello/how are you?) & "Wo Jiao (I am). The students were worried about the language barrier and were concerned that they did not know enough. However once they met the folk, this 'little' greeting was more than enough. It helped to break the ice, connecting our young with the old.

“Ahakoa iti, ākona, kōrerotia. Learn a little, use a little” goes a long way.

Express Yourself

Rap/Hip Hop is an art form that has had a huge impact in popular music and culture. NWA's 'Express Yourself' from NWA's album 'Straight Outta Compton" (1988) is a song that encourages listeners, in particular teenagers, to feel comfortable in expressing their opinions and thoughts.

As I go through the creative writing unit with my Y9 class, 9KRo, we have spent time looking various creative short texts and the students have spent this week creating their own poetry.

I used this song, with the intention that the students will understand that rap is a form of poetry. We listened to the song and went through the lyrics, unpacking what the underlying messages are saying to us. The students were given a 3 Level Guide set of questions -

• Level 1 - Words/definitions 
• Level 2 - Finding examples/quotes from the text that highlight a particular theme/idea. Explain what these examples from the text highlight.
• Level 3 - Write a paragraph on a phrase from the song and what it shows

(Click on the link for the lyrics and 3 Level Guide activity)

This was a great exercise as this song also featured in the film that we have studied this term, Freedom Writers. The students were are asked to write a few sentences on a topic/issue that they feel strongly about. This will be part of their final spoken word piece. 

Getting Creative

Creative writing has never been one of my strengths. 9 years into my teaching career and this is one topic that I have struggled with.

I have decided to take a leap of faith and really get into poetry with my Y9 class, 9KRo. This week we have looked at poetry, in particular Glenn Colqhoun's 'Bred in South Auckland'. The theme of 'stereotype' is something that we have looked at with our film study of 'Freedom Writers' so this poem fit right into what we have been looking at, discussing and writing about in class.

It has been great exploring these ideas and getting into some healthy (sometimes heated but always good) conversations with my students over the idea of 'stereotype'. I used this resource from my colleague, Mr Spurdle, and added in a few other slides on poetry.

We are working towards a spoken word written piece that they will perform before the end of the term.
What I have learnt from this week is that text that are relevant, that connect or strike a chord with students, are texts that need to be utilized in the classroom.

Blogging with 9KRo: Reflecting on Tongan Language Week

Reflection and evaluation are two important parts of teaching practice. It is an important part of mine, however I am not good at recording it down. Which is why this blog is so necessary for my own practice.

I asked my students from 9KRo to write a reflection on what they learnt from Tongan Language week. It is important that we encourage our students to do the same, to reflect on what they have experienced, learnt and been exposed to.

Christian Aufai's reflection on Tongan Language Week

Siale Pulupaki's reflection on Tongan Language Week

Celebrating 'Tongan Language Week' at Tamaki College

FAKAKOLOA 'O AOTEAROA 'AKI A E 'OFA FONUA

Enrich Aotearoa with the love of duty and service to country, community and people

Tongan Language Week kicked off on September 3rd at Tamaki College. Throughout the week, our Tongan staff members shared and reflected on what the theme means to them. We had a choir competition, between all four House groups (Kowhai, Puriri, Totara and Rata), a Quartet singing competition and a speech competition. We finished the week off with a lunch and items from the students. 

We celebrate language(s) week every year from Samoan, Cook Island, Tongan, Maori and Niuean. This past week was something special. To see the young people get involved in the choir competition was the main highlight for me. Singing as a collective, in three part harmony is just the same as learning a set play for a rugby team. Everyone has a part to play, everyone's effort is crucial in making sure that the final product is complete. The young people did such a great job, especially those who are from different cultural groups or those who are not fluent in their own language - the singing, the song, the music - it brought everyone together. I have always said this to the students who I look after and tutor in the Samoan Group, but there is nothing more beautiful than singing in your own mother tongue. The Pasefika Education Plan 2013-2017 states that "Pasifika Success will be characterised by demanding, vibrant, dynamic, successful Pasifika learners, secure and confident in their identities, languages and cultures." The more we use language, the more we encourage and strengthen their identity, the more we acknowledge their cultural values, the more we bring our young people together like this - the more we are doing in strengthening their identity. 

Tamaki College Tongan Group 2018 - Performing the Maulu'ulu (2nd Place) at the ASB Polyfest 2018

The theme of the Tongan Language Week is a theme that is relevant to everyone. Service and love to our spouses, children, families, community, school, churches - is a service that should always be done in love. Thank you Tamaki College for bringing this theme and language celebration to life.

Blogging with 9KRo

This week I started to use blogging as a part of my film study with my Y9 class, 9KRo.

The students have been using blogs since primary school, many of them blogging during the school holidays. Throughout the year, I have had students asked me if they could post different activities from writing exercises, E Book creations and their reading results onto their blogs. I have always welcomed this but it never went any further than that.

As mentioned in my earlier post 'Why Blog' - the shift in our students' literacy levels and how this is linked to their regular blogging at school, at home, during the holidays - has only made me want to integrate this into their English program.

I am taking baby steps right now, but I am excited at how this could not only benefit my own practice but also benefit my students. As an English teacher, literacy (reading and writing) is everything, so anything that will keep the students engaged, learning, creating, sharing, reflecting with reading/writing is gold for me!

We are studying the film 'Freedom Writers' and have been focusing on the four main themes of Tolerance, Heroism and Trust. This week the students were asked to write a reflection what the theme means, which character shows the them and how is this shown in the film (evidence). Check out some of their responses below.

Leetia's Blog

Christian's Blog

Keleni's Blog

Thaisoni's Blog

Why blog?

I have only just started blogging.

Why?

For a while, I have felt this need to write my reflections and thoughts on my teaching practice. My Year 9 students have been blogging since primary school. During our PD, Lenva shared that students who were blogging during the summer break would return to school and when tested for reading and writing, shifted and moved up 12 months in their reading and writing level.

The students who have been blogging consistently, have shown a great growth in their literacy levels. My current Year 9 students are still blogging and always keep asking me if they could share the work that they are doing in my class, onto their blogs from their previous school. Blogging is becoming more of a increasing priority in my students learning.

• How can you ensure your students post and comment 2+ a week? 
• Fitting it in - when how? 
• Is it a priority? 
• What strategy is needed? 
• What could it look like? 
• How to ensure teacher comments without burning the midnight oil? 
• How to ensure peer comments? 
• How to ensure meaningful, complex tasks? 
• Could Tamaki College have a 'Learning Journey'?

Colleague, Ms Latu and I, will joining forces and find a way to incorporate blogging with our Year 9 students. Watch this space!