New online tool aims to bolster Pacific learner success

This week, Ako Aotearoa launched the Pacific Cultural Centeredness Pathway (PCCP) at the Pacific Tertiary Education Forum in Wellington. This free, online tool offers a great springboard for teachers and support staff to gain the cultural knowledge to enhance how they support their Pacific learners.

Driving this work is the need for the tertiary sector in Aotearoa to deliver high quality teaching and learning that is more culturally-appropriate for Pacific learners. This is particularly relevant for people working at the Foundation level of tertiary education (Levels 1-3) where literacy and numeracy skills are absolutely key to learner success and advancement.

This Pacific Cultural Centeredness Pathway includes seven interactive modules based on different Pacific nations: Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu.

Each module focuses on:

• The core values held by each Pacific nation.

• Participation in activities and reflection to help embed the values in your knowledge bank.

• Gaining practical tools to help you implement the values when engaging with Pacific learners.

Hosted on www.pathwaysawarua.com the PCCP is an offering from Ako Aotearoa’s professional learning and development kono (basket). Co-developer and Ako Aotearoa Pacific Advisor, Kolose Lagavale, is positive this set of resources can make an enormous difference to building confidence in connecting with Pacific learners.

“Staying connected to core values and indigenous heritage is paramount for Pacific Peoples in Aotearoa, New Zealand. These fundamental beliefs guided the development of the ‘Pasifika Cultural Centeredness Pathway’. The purpose of the PCCP is to enrich, support and strengthen cultural awareness among educators in the tertiary sector.”

Also available is the Māori Cultural Capability Pathway, which Ako Aotearoa launched recently at the Tuia Te Ako Hui. Both pathways are available free online on www.pathwaysawarua.com or via: www.akoaotearoa.ac.nz/cultural-pathways

More information:

Ako Aotearoa is the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, leading New Zealand’s tertiary sector in building educational capability for learner success. The pathway is part of a broader portfolio of work dedicated to fostering learner success, including high Māori and Pasifika aspirations, and identifying best practice to make it mainstream.

The Pathways Awarua website was developed by the Tertiary Education Commission to support adult and young adult learners to strengthen their literacy and numeracy skills in contexts that are relevant to New Zealanders. It is developed and managed by Education Technology.

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