Culturally Inclusive Teaching – Engaging Māori and Pacific Students in Business Education

Thursday 4 July: Conference day two, 2:15pm – 3:45pm parallel mini-workshop

Venue

Room 4 – 303-G16, Sem

Presenters

Dr Sisikula Sisifa
University of Auckland, New Zealand

Dr Parizad Mulla
University of Auckland, New Zealand

 Dr Ilaisaane Fifita
University of Auckland, New Zealand

Overview

The University of Auckland has the largest population of Māori and Pacific students in New Zealand and therefore provides a fruitful context to examine culturally inclusive teaching. Our presentation will outline the unique makeup of our cohort at the University of Auckland Business School, including a discussion of the ‘Appreciative Pedagogy’, a demonstration of the ‘Kakala framework’ and the results from our approach in enhancing Business Education for our Māori and Pacific students.

Target Audience

• Teachers

Intended outcomes for participants

• Develop an awareness of Māori and Pacific culturally appropriate teaching strategies.

Outline of activities

We propose running a mini workshop on culturally inclusive teaching through a Maori and Pacific lens. As the largest tertiary education provider in New Zealand’s largest and most culturally diverse city, the University of Auckland has a unique institutional context and is proud to be the alma mater for the largest population of Maori and Pacific students in the country. At the University of Auckland Business School numerous initiatives correlate to provide an inclusive learning environment for our Maori and Pacific student body. We propose that we will run a two-part workshop beginning with a 60-minute programme outlining:

• The composition of our cohort at the University of Auckland Business School, their unique cultural needs, and our initiatives to date;
• The social and pedagogic philosophies that underlie our approach to culturally inclusive teaching in a Maori and Pacific context, including a discussion of the ‘Appreciative Pedagogy’ and an applied demonstration of the ‘Kakala Framework’ through an audience-interactive Putiputi flax weaving experience that will metaphorically help to demonstrate how we weave distinct communities together in our classrooms, and finally;
• Our outcomes so far in enhancing experiences of Business Education for our Maori and Pacific students.

After these three points, we will pose the following three questions to the audience for a 30-minute directed debate and discussion:

• Why should we adopt culturally inclusive pedagogies?
• What does a culturally safe environment look like from a student’s perspective?
• How can we create and foster a culturally safe learning environment for our students?

Presentation topic

Mini-workshop 8