This workshop was presented by Aiono Manu Faaea, who looked at the concept of vā (relationship / relational space). She described 'Va Tapuia - sacred spaces' as follows:
- Separate by things (eg: va i moana, va i maunga, va i vao)
- Space between people
- Hostile space.
It was confronting to hear similar stories to my own experiences of how our Pasifika people have had to navigate without cultural awareness.
In education, our Pasifika document 'Tapasa' it highlights 'Le va' (the space in between) in relationship and relatedness.
So how does this relate to my teaching practice? The following questions from the Tapasa document stood out for me:
- What is my approach for encouraging Pacific learners to share their understanding of the va and its significance in social environments and/or spiritual settings?
- How do I create space for my learners to ensure balanced reciprocity of giving and taking?
- In what ways do I protect and preserve sacred space for Pacific learners in my school environment?
“There is a Samoan saying, ‘O le ala I le pule, o le tautua – the pathway to leadership is through service’.
I'm currently part of MIT cohort investigating "How do I support a large group of our Year 5 Emerging bilingual students who are reading 2+ years below their reading age?"
From this I'm able to think more clearer how can allow my learners to share their understanding, create a space for our learners to ensure balanced reciprocity of giving and taking. As well as protect and preserve.
My next steps is how do i bring familiarity/ traditional customs for our Emerging bilingual students to 'translanguage' with in building their reading? Still thinking ...
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