The June FLANZ webinar took place on 20 June 2023, and I had the honour of facilitating the conversation between Arapera Herewini-Card and Dr Rosina Merry from Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand. They, along with Dr Janis Carroll-Lind, are the editors of ‘Bicultural principles of teaching and learning online | Ngā mātāpono kākano rua o te mahi ako tuihono’, which was published by NZCER in 2022.
The book is the culmination of many years of teaching online and conducting research in the space at Te Rito Maioha who are a bicultural organisation in Aotearoa New Zealand. Eleven authors share their perspective on the topic, looking at different aspects of teaching online. They focus on principles and purposefully do not provide strategies, which Arapera and Rosina explain during our conversation because every organisation will have a unique cultural environment that should be taken into account for defining strategies to implement the principles.
While these principles were originally developed for and with kaiako at Te Rito Maioha, they are applicable in other tertiary contexts not only in Aotearoa but also other countries.
You can watch the recording (with subtitles), read the transcript, and purchase the book to learn more about the principles. Why not get together with colleagues and discuss if and how you are already embracing them, how you can ensure that your teaching and learning environments are equitable and invite all learners to participate? Along the way, you will learn how Te Rito Maioha embraced the principles and how they are already exploring future mahi in that area.