‘Found in Translation’ Māori, Samoan and Tongan bilingual teachers, and a re-visioning of the Professional Learning landscape in Education
Professional Development for teachers, including bilingual teachers, is important. Developing teachers is an essential role in the education system in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. The number of Māori and Pacific bilingual and immersion units in English medium schools has increased in the last decade as communities opt for more culturally responsive environments for their students. The particular issue within this thesis is that the majority of teachers, who work in bilingual and immersion units, often receive the same Professional Learning and Development (PLD) as other English-medium teachers. This can be a barrier to sensemaking for bilingual teachers. It is important to study this phenomenon because the public schooling system in Aotearoa New Zealand is designed to serve the dominant culture, which is Pākehā, and so is not suited to Māori and Pacific students and communities. Much has been written and studied about serving our diverse students in schools and developing more culturally responsive approaches in classrooms (Bishop & Berryman, 2006; McCarty & Lee, 2014; Macfarlane, Glynn, Grace, Penetito, & Bateman, 2008; Paris, 2012). There is little research focussed on Māori, Samoan and Tongan bilingual teachers in schools and the development of culturally responsive spaces in professional learning environments to address their needs. The aim of this study was to explore the ways Māori, Samoan and Tongan bilingual teachers, (in English-medium schools), make sense of new learning. The research investigated the PLD experiences of 22 teachers, using qualitative and culturally relevant methodological approaches, The title ‘Found in Translation’ acknowledges both the process that takes place during PLD and also the indigenous and heritage languages used by teachers and through the voices in this thesis. ‘Found in Translation’ also refers to the findings from the study where suggestions are made for PLD facilitators and what they need to translate or change in order to connect with bilingual teachers. The voices of teachers inform the proposed model to promote change in the area of Professional Learning and Development.
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