Senior Advisor, Teaching Council | Matatū Aotearoa
What is Unteach Racism? The first iteration of Unteach Racism was released in May 2021 with an aim to help teachers, identify, confront, and dismantle racism in education. The Teaching Council | Matatū Aotearoa partnered with the Human Rights Commission’s Give Nothing to Racism campaign to create conversations around racism in Aotearoa New Zealand. Teachers have a unique opportunity to shape the hearts and minds of children and young people, so Unteach Racism has been designed specifically for you. How does it work? Unteach Racism recognises racism is learned and therefore can be unlearned. Unteach Racism aligns to commitments in Our Code, Our Standards | Ngā Tikanga Matatika, Ngā Paerewa and presents a professional learning opportunity through: ■■
Unteach App — made up of eight key modules that sit across the concepts of identifying and confronting racism.
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A website — kaiako can access the app from the website as well as key resources to use during professional learning. Quarterly newsletters — including guest narrative, tips and updates on when new resources become available. Toolkit — including downloadable posters and social media graphics to support you and your colleagues to Join the Movement.
Modules currently available There are eight modules currently available, covering identifying and confronting racism. One example is Module 2, which is themed around low self-belief. This module guides kaiako through understanding intrapersonal racism and learner experiences of this. It guides kaiako through an activity ranking learner quotes, such as: ‘I’m really good at maths but my teacher just thinks I’m stupid so never gave me any time ‘cept to get me ‘n trouble. But if you’re Pākehā it’s all good.’ Leading kaiako to then consider a ‘where to next’ with this understanding of interpersonal racism and low self-belief. Examples of kaiako practice Here are some examples of practice where kaiako attempt to counter the negative perceptions of learners’ race. Consider these examples and the prompting questions below. Example one
Example two
As a junior school we are a culturally diverse team and our students come from all over the world. We had recently been thinking about restocking our reading room and purchasing some new readers. As we were looking through the older ones we realised how mono-cultural many of the texts were. We wondered if our students, who had been taught to read using them had even thought of themselves as being part of the story, part of the world of reading and writing. Our focus shifted from purchasing books simply to fill gaps in the levels to filling minds. We all make more conscious decisions about the texts we read, the stories we share and how we ensure our readers feel they too can be the hero or heroine in their own life story.
Our school only has a few Pacific Island students but we try to ensure that they are provided with the same opportunities for cultural connections as our bigger neighbours. We took a group of senior boys to Auckland to attend Polyfest, the boys noted that many of the schools had formal uniforms specifically for the Pacific Island boys. On their return to school, we supported our Pacific Island students to make a formal application to the board of trustees to change the uniform code at our school to include a formal lavalava (ie faitanga, sulu, tupenu) this means that when our boys have to represent the school at Pacific events they not only demonstrate respect for their school, but also respect to the expectations from their community. Our boys wear their uniform with pride.
Prompts for considering these examples further: In what ways are these kaiako supporting, or challenging stereotypes? In what ways might these environments be reminding learners of positive and/or negative perceptions of their race that exist in society? Where to from here? Every institution, organisation, community, and individual is confronted with racism. It is up to us whether we feed it, or we starve it. It might feel scary or uncomfortable at times, but it is more important than ever to forge ahead. Self-reflection and frank, open conversations grounded in Our Code | Ngā Tikanga Matatika is the first step. Unteach Racism has more to come; for now, here are some suggestions on how you can join the movement:
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Visit unteachracism.nz/foursteps and start your journey. Sign up to the Unteach Racism Newsletter.
We would love to hear how you have used the app or resources personally, or with your colleagues. Please tell us by emailing Letstalk@teachingcouncil.nz Ka rere manu ki uta, ka rere manu ki tai, ka rere tāwhangawhanga, ka tieke tī, ka tieke tā. ‘The bird takes flight inland, then takes flight to the shore. A flight that measures and plans from, and to different points.’ About the Author Rose-Anne London started her early childhood education experience as a part time holiday job in Papaioea. This led to a love of teaching and a career including professional leader roles across services throughout Kāpiti and Whanganui-a-Tara. Currently residing in Whanganui-a-Tara, she is a Senior Advisor in the Teacher Capability and Collaboration team at the Teaching Council | Matatū Aotearoa.
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Online Pedagogical Strengthening Tool
SLEUTH SLEUTH™ is a developmental tool. It allows teachers to identify their pedagogical strengths and weaknesses and provides solutions to implement and track progress to improve the identified pedagogical areas.
If you would like to know more about SLEUTH™ please contact either Tony / Andrew or any of the team as they will be more than happy to provide further details..
We have programmes specifically designed for educators in mainstream schools, specialist schools and for RTLB.
Tony Burkin
Andrew Ormsby
021 729 008 t.burkin@Interlead.co.nz
+64 3 420 2800 ext1 a.ormsby@interlead.co.nz
Te whakamana i ngā kaiwhakaako mō tētahi Aotearoa tautika. Empowering educators for an equitable Aotearoa. We believe in an equitable future where all learners in Aotearoa have learning success, regardless of who they are, where they live, or the challenges they face. Our mahi is shaped by our commitment to equity. It comes from our belief in the transformative effects of equitable access to learning opportunities. If your kaupapa is about supporting learning success for all, talk to us. We work alongside you in ways that are:
Tiriti-honouring | Inclusive | Responsive | Collaborative | Innovative
Visit the CORE stand at the New Zealand Principals’ Federation Conference in Ōtautahi 14-16 September 2022 – we’d love to kōrero with you!
Te panoni i te ako mā enei wheako tuihono. Transform teaching and learning with these online experiences. uLearn22 is a two-day online conference with a focus on challenging educational inequity. This year’s kaupapa is about shaping the future of learning through a range of innovative presentations. Delegates receive a wealth of tools and resources to navigate the journey to equity and beyond. Kaihautū | Keynote speakers
Valerie Hannon
Salā Pafitimai Dr Fa’asaulala Tagaoilelagi-Leota
Dr Keri Milne-Ihimaera
Kiringāua Cassidy
Book your spot by 2 September to get the earlybird rate. There’s also a discounted rate for groups of five or more from the same learning space.
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Extend your learning environment to reach people and places that are not normally accessible to tamariki. CORE’s online field trips, delivered by our LEARNZ team, are free for everyone and codesigned with partners and iwi providing a rich and authentic learning experience. Sign up for upcoming trips: Tsunami: lessons from Rēkohu (the Chathams) (live webinars 7&8 September 2022) Taonga tuku iho: keeping our heritage alive (live webinar 24 October 2022)
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