The hui was online and comprised a keynote and presentations. A post with .pdf and an article from our keynote speaker Prof. Angus McFarlane and Sonya McFarlane is available to download here. There are also a couple of videos of presentations from the event availble to view.
9:50am Opening, welcome and karakia
10.00 Keynote Address: Angus McFarlane
Engaging the dynamics of diversity in teacher education: Braiding global and local phenomena
Just as the importance of developing pragmatic and relevant research from practice phenomena in teacher education is more important now than ever before, so too is the compelling requirement of teacher education providers to maintain their attention to the emergent realities of Indigenous ways of knowing. This presentation describes the pivotal shift occurring in our national teacher education psyche in Aotearoa New Zealand whereby Indigenous epistemology is increasingly recognised as both valid and enriching. Two key contentions emerge from a description and discussion of this shift. Firstly, teacher education endeavours must continue to evolve to incorporate a wider knowledge framework, one which conscientiously locates Indigenous knowledge away from the margins, and which empowers educators to appropriately traverse the terrain of cultural diversity. The second contention argues that teacher educators do not necessarily relinquish existing values and practises; rather they are encouraged to draw discerningly from culturally inclusive epistemologies globally – as they design methodologies that support successful, practical outcomes, locally. However, this shift has not yet reached all parts of the Aotearoa New Zealand teacher education communities uniformly, and this presentation proposes He Awa Whiria (Braided Rivers) as a process that crosses geographical (TEFANZ and ATEA) and philosophical lines. Possible solutions are posed, and four pou (cultural markers) are offered as supporting pillars for teacher education futures.
Dr Angus Hikairo Macfarlane (Te Arawa) is Professor of Māori Research at the University of Canterbury (UC), Director of Te Rū Rangahau, the Māori Research Laboratory at UC, Co-Director of the UC Child Wellbeing Institute, and principal investigator on many national research projects. His research focuses on exploring Indigenous and sociocultural imperatives that influence practice within education and psychology. Avid about Indigenous advancement, he has pioneered several theoretical frameworks associated with culturally responsive approaches for professional practitioners working across these disciplines. Professor Macfarlane’s prolific publication portfolio and exemplary teaching abilities have earned him national and international standing in his field of scholarship.
10: 45 15 minute break followed by: Small group discussion of the keynote: what does this mean for our ITE programmes? (11:00am – 11:15am).
11:20 – 1:10pm. Three parallel sessions, each with four or five options. Each session is 30 minutes long – 15 minutes presentation and 15 minutes discussion – with a ten minute break between each session. You can change rooms between sessions.
1.10-1.15: Closing and farewell