Martyn Reynolds and Cherie Chu-Fuluifaga, Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington
Enchanting the Mind: The Allure of Magical Thinking
Pacific students and their parents and communities are poorly served by education, a situation visible in achievement, representation, and experiences. In Pacific education, the silver bullet is a tempting approach to dealing with intergenerational inequities produced by educational structures, practices and thinking that do not deliver on the aspirations of Pacific people. But all change is costly and changing Pacific education takes commitment, hard work and heart – a desire to engage deeply.
The silver bullet. The impossibly simple solution to improve the situation. At the same time, we can’t help but wonder if it’s true. What if… if only… The allure of magical thinking lies in the fact that it requires so little effort: merely the selection of appropriate words at the appropriate moment. A simple, easy solution.
We have been searching with the Pacific communities and teaching staff of two Kahui Ako for a framework, a thought map that educators can adapt to their own environments to provide navigation for journeys that enhance Pacific education in their communities. It’s a relational journey – reconfigured relationships and improved mutual understanding can drive positive educational change. We were privileged to research with over a dozen teacher participants and many committed Pacific parents and community members across the two centres.
A framework, like a map, is not a formula that will apply in every situation. It’s magical thinking to suppose that all diverse Pacific peoples and schools could be well served by a single approach. Instead, a framework offers starting off points from which momentum can develop. We offer five framework elements that we have seen work to change hearts, minds, educational practices and, consequently, Pacific students’ educational experiences.
#1 Motivation
Our work quickly revealed that each of the teachers who participated in the research had their own motivations. Some had close relationships with Pacific people. Some had worked in distant locations with people who were not like them. Others were dissatisfied because they knew things could be better for their Pacific students but needed a fresh perspective. They always wanted their schools to be better. Personal motivation combined with perceived institutional need and reinforced by heart provides a powerful context for learning and subsequent action to better support Pacific students.
#2 Talanoa
You don’t know what you don’t know. But in Pacific education, talanoa is a way to find out. For Pacific peoples’ experiences and aspirations to drive change in Pacific education, their voices need to be heard and honoured. The Kahui Ako we worked with asked ‘cultural brokers’ – Pacific people already known to them – how consultation should take place. The answer was community talanoa.
Talanoa involves dialogic interaction in a safe, empathetic space where the views of all are respected. Relationships are warmed and consequently the interactive process is ongoing. Through their cultural brokers, the Kahui Ako organised fono – consultative meetings where food was shared and talanoa took place in small groups of Pacific parents. They were asked to talanoa about what they wanted teachers to know about topics such as Pacific families, aspirations, and success – and anything else they thought relevant.
Note takers recorded a whole range of comments that we subsequently organised under five broad headings: Pacific identity; School culture; Student–teacher relationships; Parent–teacher relationships; and Cultural norms. Pacific parents felt affirmed by the process saying: ‘This [fono] is a great concept’, and “[The fono] is wonderful and we applaud you [educators] for listening to us and using your ears.’
#3 Exposure to resources
The ‘voice’ gifted by Pacific parents at the community fono was introduced into professional learning and development (PLD) talanoa one category at a time. We were working in two very different contexts, one on each of Aotearoa’s main islands. Teachers were given information from their respective Pacific communities. Interestingly, the five overarching themes were beneficial in both locations, though parent expressions varied.
Teachers were asked to talanoa about what Pacific parents wanted them to know; to imagine what this might look like; try things out; reflect; and return to with questions, observations and further ideas. This process was repeated six times across a year.
Elements of Pacific theory such as the vā, an understanding of relational space, were introduced by the researchers to help teachers appreciate where parents might be coming from; and Pacific people attended the PLD talanoa from time to time as navigators, using their own stories to provide context, and answering questions. Responses of teachers included “This is a safe space” and “We are not scared of making mistakes here, you know, about cultural things”. More than one commented on the value of talanoa compared to the norm of front driven PLD formats.
#4 Sufficient opportunities to learn
The New Zealand curriculum says children’s learning takes time. Too often there seems to be a sense of the silver bullet about short PLD initiatives. As the research programme continued, it became clear that gaining ‘hearts and minds’ change and translating that into sustainable action in classrooms is a long process – a bumpy negotiation with accepted practice and the status quo.
Changes that teachers shared included rethinking the use of space and the understanding of time in their classrooms and schools; creating opportunities for student agency and supporting Pacific students to make the most of these; deliberate actions to form closer relationships with Pacific parents; recognising the expertise of Pacific parents and partnering to bring that into learning situations; normalising Pacific language use beyond annual ‘language weeks’; and embracing a wider basket of success to take notice of culture, wellbeing and Pacific visibility.
#5 A growth mindset
For all of us, education is a journey. Learning involves our vaka’s prow cutting through the waves of new information, misunderstanding, and challenge. Learning from the talanoa of local Pacific parents gave teachers confidence that they were grappling with what mattered in their schools. Learning through talanoa meant that every teacher’s experience was valuable in understanding and responding to the aspirations of Pacific parents.
At one point, a couple of teachers voiced the fear that they were ‘missing pieces of the puzzle’ by not developing the kind of special ‘silver bullet’ programme their principals had imagined. Such programmes have a start and end. A growth mindset affirms seemingly small, everyday changes as steps in a never-to-be-completed, long but sustainable journey, as appropriately valuable in the dynamic situation that is Pacific education. The value of a framework that centres relationships and relational ways of going about things is that relationships continue beyond the classroom and school, and school day and school year. Pacific parents are often willing and able to offer resources to enhance the progress of their children. A teacher whose mindset is invitational and who adopts a position of cultural humility will find their own learning and growth continues, fed through interaction, continually refined knowledge and new experiences.
Unlike the effortlessness of magic, this requires genuine effort and heart. However, the educators we’ve been working with insist that the positive effects of seeing one’s own development are worth the difficulties of changemaking and partnership. Our theoretical framework for navigating the ocean of learning confirms that teachers, parents, and, most importantly, the students all benefit when relationships are valued and nurtured in Pacific education.
Cherie Chu-Fuluifaga is an enthusiastic Pacific academic dedicated to activism and community development. My greatest passion lies in mentoring and inspiring young people, and I’m committed to advocating for justice and equity in my local Pacific communities. I wake up each day with a mission to make a positive impact on those around me, and I genuinely believe that even the smallest actions can leave big footprints!
Martyn Reynolds facilitates professional learning and development for educators and undertakes research collaborations, all in pursuit of changing education for the benefit of those communities not currently well served. Much of my work is based on my learning about what success means from Pacific boys and their parents during my doctoral work, and from my time living in PNG and Tonga. I enjoyed teaching and learning in secondary education for around 35 years and am now contracting for a living.
Ipu Kererū 