Interdisciplinary Connections

Whakatauki:

Koinei nga whitiki whakairo e kaha ana.

It is the braided threads that are the strongest.

Current Collaborations

Chief Seattle said, “Man does not weave this web of life. He is merely a strand of it.  Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” I think that this is true of professional collaboration. We enrich ourselves when we interact and collaborate with others. The eyes of many on a shared topic or working together to support a colleagues, student or whanau holds great potential, promise and impact.

Through the Kāhui Ako I have seen powerful examples interdisciplinary collaboration. Secondary school teachers working interdepartmentally on common goals such as raising literacy, or with primary school teachers on transition and shared skill sets such as differentiated education. Group Special Education supporting teachers through a deeper understanding of behaviour management, narrative assessment,  and alternative approaches to learning is another example of interdisciplinary collaboration. These represent Andrews’ definition of interdisciplinary collaboration “when different professionals, possessing unique knowledge, skills, organisational perspectives, and personal attributes, engage in coordinated problem solving for a common purpose” (cited in Berg-Weger & Schneider, 1998). The common purpose being the progress of individuals and cohorts of students within our classrooms, or the development of skills within ourselves and our colleagues to benefit those students.

Focus Interdisciplinary Connection

Increased whanau engagement in student education will require an interdisciplinary connection. The empowerment of whanau, recognition of their cultural histories and rich layers of skill, experience and connection that they share with their children, must be a component of the developing relationship between them, the classroom teacher and the student. Developing the shared goals for the student, wrapping that student around with common language and shared attitudes and values, and supporting both the school and the whanau to meet shared goals is an ideal worth investing in.

A first step might be to enter into a reciprocal conversation with student and whanau and, working from a position of strength,  identify what the student already brings to their learning relationship, and what the whanau can bring to support that learning relationship. The next steps might be to identify the goals each contributor might have for the student.  

As in any action plan identifying the support structures and resources that are currently available or may need to be accessed for family would be a required step. This could also open up an awareness for whanau of the strengths that they already possess in relation to the growth of their child within the concept of hauora, a rich and all encompassing approach within Mātauranga Māori and applicable and enriching for all students.

Relationship: collaboration, connection and conversation deeply rooted within a rich understanding of the culture of each child and their whanau is the way forward for increasing whanau engagement in student education. Ako between whanau, school, and student, acknowledging that each party and their support systems has value and can contribute to the educational outcomes as a reciprocal relationship, this is the key to richer whanau engagement in student education,