Effective writing pedagogy in Aotearoa New Zealand’s bicultural context: a review of literature

ABSTRACT

Reported trends signal that current approaches to teaching writing are not working as well as they could to engage all students. This review of literature focuses on a culturally responsive ethos for the teaching of writing in Aotearoa New Zealand, incorporating information from over 80 publications from 2000 to 2020. The new understandings generated through this analysis are presented in three sections guided by Indigenous Māori concepts: whakapapa, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga. This review indicates all writing practitioners should teach in ways that honour identity, language, and culture as foundational strengths from which to build in the teaching and learning of writing. Finally, some directions for teacher education and classroom practices are proposed.

KEYWORDS:

• Writing pedagogy
• culturally responsive pedagogy
• culturally relational pedagogy
• identity
• writing process

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Aotearoa is the Māori name for the land upon which New Zealand was established. As it is both, we use both terms when referring to the place.

2. A term used for non-Māori New Zealanders of European descent.

3. It should be noted that Te Tiriti o Waitangi is not a translation but a sister document, with some notable disparities, produced at the same time as the English-language Treaty of Waitangi.

4. A research centre focused on supporting educational success for Māori as Māori, founded in 1995.

5. The authors are grateful to Ngahuia Cooper (Ngāti Amaru, Ngāti Mahuta ki te Tai Hauauru) as a vital contributor to this work. Ngahuia, ehara koe i a ia!

6. Values, principles, ideas or plans agreed upon as a foundation for their actions.

7. Mauri is the life force of an individual. Tapu has several interpretations but is essentially interpreted as sacred or spiritual. Mana is a supernatural force in a person, place or object.

8. Assisting, aiding, helping, supporting or to show the benefits.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cheryl Montgomery

Cheryl Montgomery is an experienced primary teacher, currently teaching in a rural school in South Waikato. Cheryl’s research interests include the effectiveness of literacy practices that seek to engage all learners with an emphasis on culturally relational pedagogies in writing.

Jessica Cira Rubin

Jessica Cira Rubin is a senior lecturer in literacy teacher education at the University of Waikato. Jessica’s research interests include teacher education and the literacy practices of children and adolescents, particularly as those topics relate to priorities of nonviolence and social and ecological justice.