Teaching STEMS^2 Unit, Lessons to Remember

This is particularly difficult for me to do as I am not a teacher currently and being able to deliver a lesson program out to students would require me to try and vet kids and run a spring break program when I have no break from work as DOE teachers do. Therefore, what I did learn in my dilemma although after the fact is I need to really make sure i'm developing my curriculum in a way that someone else can come along and teach my lessons for me.

I know without question that at times a teacher may not be present to teach a lesson as I had taught in a classroom years back and was an emergency hire. In my situation the teacher had been out the whole year with teachers or parents coming in and out to teach. Unfortunately and fortunately for me at the time I had no curriculum left behind so I had to create my own and teach the students the best I could trying to address standards in various subjects. However, if I ever needed a sub my lessons needed to be clear enough for that substitute to follow. In this program I've almost forgot that notion in trying to develop curriculum for my non-profit.  I think as a result of being so excited and wanted to get on the ʻāina and educate, I forgot that my capacity may not always allow me the luxury to be out doors educating the youth or community.  Therefore, I really need to develop plans where the knowledge set is not so heavily based on what I'm capable of teaching in that moment but what content as a whole could be taught by anyone so that the lessons don't stop after me but go beyond me.  This is a great reminder for me to keep focused on being as clear and promoting of student inquiry and exploration in bringing out learning.

I stand firmly in the beliefs of allowing students to think for themselves, inquire and learn. However, in this program, because of the University setting I found myself trying to fit my teaching style and background into these higher level education constructs.  In doing so I was completely foregoing bringing in any student exploration or inquiry but moreso the dang SAGE OF THE STAGE mentality...insert eye roll.  I had it brought to my attention and I remember feeling completely floored because here I was wanting all these things, but my actions in developing the curriculum was proving that the student learner role was almost non-existent because of the way I was organizing information.  Conversations like this have helped me to be mindful of how I educate outdoors and to not change that because of the way I'm developing curriculum and trying to utilize the specific academic constructs and teaching styles that exist.  As much as this was a small embarrassment for myself, I consider it a success because I didnʻt realize that I was talking one way in education but developing it out another way to line up with templates, constructs and styles I felt had to be followed or utilized to appear the curriculum was valid or effective. I have definitely felt more confident in approaching in an entirely “me” way but definitely with new found education knowledge and tools.

STEMS^2 Personal Research; Struggles, Challenges, and Support Needs

My personal STEMS^2 research is going rather well as far as finding information on topics of indigenous teaching frameworks.  There is a lot of information out there related to  Native American and other indigenous people throughout America and literary works coming out from Aotearoa as well. There isnʻt as much Hawaiian education framework discussion available as I thought there would be.  

Itʻs not to say that there arenʻt a good source of information on  various frameworks that people are looking at in Hawaiʻi.  However, I do feel that in some cases frameworks that exist to utilize Hawaiian indigenous knowledge tend to have more of a  “Hawaiiana” feel than being deeply rooted in traditional Hawaiian cultural knowledge or ʻike kupuna (ancestral knowledge) as the catalyst for education.  I feel like the Hawaiian cultural knowledge part in existing frameworks (not all) is used like salt on poke...sprinkled. An additive to a larger existence of stuff rather than the bulk of the learning or the foundation of the learning experience be the Hawaiian values, perspectives etc.  Hawaiian cultural knowledge is in no means surface or without the ability to bring about solid education if it is conducted and vetted properly.  I am really trying to get to  point where I can create effective and powerful curriculum for students to explore, learn and grow and become their own powerful, kind, grounded and contributing individuals.

The challenge for me at this point in my STEMS^2 research is that the way I'm thinking and what I'm envisioning as far as lesson plans and education isn't lining up with what is available.  The question and comments that have come up is that the framework might not exist and like others Iʻll have to create it.  I honestly think thatʻs a great way to move forward and I want to do that, but I feel like I need more practice in that arena.  I am going to try my best to embody and embrace what I am thinking and feeling is important to produce out and have it line up in a way that highlights Hawaiian indigenous teaching practices.  

The success I had is believing in the process of this STEMS^2 journey and the immense changes in my mind about education that has happened. I feel unlike others I have less of a formal education in EDUCATION and so I'm constantly learning and reading what word means what and if I even am making sense when I'm talking.  The inquiry and second guessing into things was making me uncomfortable but then I had a good conversation with my advisor.  I was assured that seeing that certain tools wouldn't suffice for my curriculum design  or not allow me to be dynamic in my teaching style was a sign of growth education wise.  I showcased that I can't force things to mold to each other if it doesn't and therefore, I do need to be observant and real and make the necessary changes so that I can truly honor my work I'm trying to create. So YAY!

My lesson plans are the kicker for me and should be as this is why I chose to do it because I want to increase that skillset and become effective at it. I need to utilize my advisor for feedback on my lessons and other curriculum development friends too so I can make sure I'm heading in a good direction.

Similar thoughts?

     As I mentioned in Blog 1 of this spring semester, I have ultimately changed my focus from doing a research design for my Plan B, to creating a curriculum design.  Therefore, in my research on Google Scholar, I was not particularly looking to see who out there has a similar research question as my own but instead I was looking at literature where people were approaching teaching in a similar way and design. 

     Scholars who were looking at the benefit and need of indigenous methods in teaching indigenous students were the type of articles I was searching.  Furthermore, I was also reading articles that covered topics on counter-storytelling as a tool for raising awareness amongst students about actual stories from their people versus a narrative from someone about a people that they do not live amongst nor come from the same cultural background.  This concept of a majoritarian story was how those stories told from an outside perspective could be defined.  They are also characterized as the story often told but not necessarily line up with the actual past or present situations of that place or its people.  Therefore, the use of counter storytelling will most often than not challenge that narrative majoritarian story. In my past readings, I haven't come across the term majoritarian story so I was happy to find it for use in my Plan B.  A particular portion of one article I found very useful was the view of how counter story telling can serve various functions.  

    The author Chillisa states in her book, Indigenous Research Methodologies, "[Counter stories] can serve at least four theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical functions: (1) they can build community among those at the margins of society by putting a human and familiar face to educational theory and practice; (2) they can challenge the perceived wisdom of those at society's center by providing a context to understand and transform established belief systems; (3) they can open new windows into the reality of those at the margins of society by showing the possibilities beyond the ones they live and demonstrating that they are not alone in their position; and (4) they can teach others that by combining elements from both the story and the current reality, one can construct another world that is richer than either the story or the reality alone."

    I feel like Chillisa sums up my feelings about why I’m focusing on counter storytelling for my curriculum design and why I feel my community knowing our real stories throughout Ko'olauloa is so important. I also felt like looking back into strength and deficit based model approaches because the perspective and utilization of it for individual and community enhancement and engagement ties in well with counter storytelling. I’m glad that there are a collective of scholars that I can learn from through their articles that are truly interested in seeing that the value of indigenous knowledge and methods is brought to the forefront as a powerful tool in education. 

     In closing, one line from one of the articles I read stood out to me.  I think this can be categorized within critical race theory, but it discussed how for a black man their writing would be considered folklore but yet a white man's writing could be considered literature.  The former being expressed as almost fairytale and the latter is being taken in as fact. I feel like stories within Hawaiian culture are very often portrayed as legends and superstitions rather than actual facts, even when the evidence of the story's ending is clear as day in a particular landscape etc. I hope that in sharing stories of areas within Ko'olauloa there is this sense of tying in natural phenomena with the story, proving its validity and place in factual information amongst our community and others. If our people can view stories as a way of what happened in the past to our land, people etc., we'll know how to navigate effectively going forward because of the lessons learned from the mo'olelo (stories). 

Spring 2017 Research and Project Design

Blog Assignment #1 SPRING 2017

Revisit your research/project design within the context of the assigned readings. Using the language of the assigned readings to explain your research/project design.

I initially had been working towards deciding what type of design I wanted to utilize for answering my research question. Early on I was not sure if mixed-methods or qualitative reserach was where I wanted to base my data collection from.  My research question was formerly based on my unit plan execution in Spring and the results of its efficacy in providing a body of knowledge that would allow students to have a good foundation of understanding themselves, their environment and community before being given more in depth learning into indigenous knowledge.  My research question was posed as "What topics within Native Hawaiian indigenous knowledge will build a firm foundation for youth towards a clear understanding of self, environment and community in Koʻolauloa, Oʻahu?"  

Choosing one specific research question was a little fuzzy in the beginning because of the various avenues of study I could follow in relation to my project goals after STEMS2.  Everything I am producing out now will be in one way or the other beneficial for my future projects after I graduate in this program. However, I had to suss out (figure out) what avenue can I vet right now that will be most beneficial directly after my program to help me push my overall goals into becoming a reality.  

Therefore, my decision for research design was a qualitative approach being that I was relying heavily on the experience students would have in their environment performing certain activities.  I also know with this design my approach would incorporate open-ended questions to allow them to share their perspectives and formulate for themselves what certain activities meant to them via their cultural, economical, social or political backgrounds.  Therefore, I specifically chose a social constructivist worldview where the research is more focused on "the complexity of views rather than narrowing meanings into a few categories or ideas."

Fast-forward to a week ago and I have now decided to not do a research design or answer a research question but instead focus on creating a curriculum design for my plan B.  Answering a question about the content of my unit’s applicability and efficacy on having students feel connected to themselves and others in their community is still very important to me.  However, for my immediate goals of project set up in the future, having a specific curriculum design that honors the collective perspective of our future program is crucial in developing.  It will also be great in getting community feedback and involvement in the services myself and others hope to provide on a community level.

Therefore, based on the 3 categories I placed lessons into from my unit plan, I am going to be focusing on developing a curriculum design specifically for the Hānau Ka ʻĀina portion and creating those lessons on a full extent. The effort will be to create a specific curriculum for this portion and present it to community at neighborhood meetings as a part of a larger proposal for a non-profit program in Koʻolauloa.  This will serve as a template for development of the other two categories of ʻike and the lessons that are expressed under each.