Culturally Relevant (Teacher) Education: Teachers Responding through Va in the Inter-cultural Space of Pasifika Education

Abstract

Education in an inter-cultural space is a feature of Aotearoa New Zealand: the education system is of European origin as are many in the teaching profession, while the student population is diverse. Within that diversity are Pasifika students, those with links to Pacific Island nations resident in Aotearoa New Zealand. This article offers insights into Pasifika education by focussing on a small-scale professional learning and development (PLD) programme based on Pasifika student and parent voice understood through Pacific concepts. A review of three strands of literature precedes a description of the PLD programme. Data from the programme is then discussed in terms of the kinds of knowledge teachers can develop through negotiating with va, a relational concept from the Pacific. This indicates that PLD which offers relevant student voice, concepts capable of challenging dominant world views, and socialisation into alternative ethics can provide a way forward in Pasifika education and, by implication, in other education spaces which have an inter-cultural profile.

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