Collaborating to Meet Language Challenges in Indigenous Mathematics Classrooms

Tamsin Meaney has worked as a teacher in many situations, which have made her consider the relationship between language and mathematics learning. These include working with ESL students at a Technical and Further Education College in Sydney; Aboriginal students at schools in remote communities in the Northern Territory of Australia; teachers in the Republic of Kiribati while writing junior secondary mathematics textbooks; and parents and teachers of a Maori immersion school in New Zealand. Her present research continues her work with the Kura Kaupapa Maori o te Koutu with the teachers on language issues in regard to mathematics education. She now works at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga. Tony Trinick has worked in a range of mathematics education developments in the medium of Maori. These include the development of the first Indigenous mathematics curriculum in the Maori language, a range of professional learning opportunities for pre-service and in-service teachers in Maori medium contexts and the development of the Maori medium mathematics register. These developments have highlighted the many linguistic challengers that impact on the teaching and learning of mathematics in the medium of Maori. He works at the Faculty of Education, the University of Auckland. His current research investigates the mathematics register usage in Maori medium contexts, the implications for learning and teaching and unique linguistic and cultural aspects of the register. Uenuku Fairhall has been principal and teacher of a Maori immersion school in Rotorua, New Zealand, since 1998. Previously he had been involved with kohanga reo (language nest early childhood centres) and secondary school immersion units. Uenuku, along with Tony Trinick, was part of the team that developed the Maori mathematics register and curriculum. He was also a coordinator and translator for senior examinations and standards. His other interests include the composition of Maori song lyrics and writing, having twice won the national prize for the writing of a short story in Maori. kohanga reo (language nest early childhood centres) and secondary school immersion units. Uenuku, along with Tony Trinick, was part of the team that developed the Maori mathematics register and curriculum. He was also a coordinator and translator for senior examinations and standards. His other interests include the composition of Maori song lyrics and writing, having twice won the national prize for the writing of a short story in Maori.

From the reviews: "This book is about mathematics in te reo Maori, the Indigenous language of Aetoroa New Zealand ... . The theoretical development is worthy of note by all mathematics educators ... . It provides a comprehensive coverage of how one large Indigenous language group nationally developed its mathematics register and met the challenges of implementing education in te reo Maori. ... it provides, for every mathematics educator, a strong recognition of the importance of ethnomathematics in current school education." (Kay Owens, Mathematics Education Research Journal, Vol. 25, 2013) "The book presents eleven self-contained case studies, each highlighting a different aspect of using te reo Maori in mathematics classrooms. ... The unprecedented comprehensiveness of this research does provide insights well beyond the particular case of te kura kaupapa Maori o te koutu. The book, therefore, will be of interest not only to the ethnomathematical specialist but to anyone interested in the teaching and learning of mathematics in a context of cultural difference." (Philipp Ullmann, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1242, 2012)

• Table of Contents.- Acknowledgement.- Glossary.- Chapter 1 Introduction to the book and themes.-The school and the data.- Using case studies.- The complexity of learning mathematics in an Indigenous language.- Meeting and overcoming challenges. Section A Meeting Political Challenges Maui.- Chapter 2 The development of a mathematics register in an Indigenous language.- Te wero no waho – the external challenge.- Te wero no roto – the internal challenge.- The process of expanding the mathematics register in te reo Mäori.- The Standardising Process.- Challenges to Te Reo Mäori from developing the mathematics register.- Meeting challenges.- Chapter 3 History of Te Koutu – the politicisation of a local community.- The history of Te Koutu.- Governance and whänau involvement in the school.- Meeting challenges in establishing and operating Te Koutu.- Chapter 4 It is kind of hard to develop ideas when you couldn’t understand the question: Doing exams bilingually.- National Certificate in Educational Achievement.- Making the exams bilingual.- Results from bilingual NCEA examinations.- Equivalence in Bilingual Education.- Improving the quality of the te reo Mäori examinations.- Students’ Responses to Doing Exams Bilingually.- Meeting the challenge of doing exams bilingually.- Section B Meeting Mathematical Challenges.- Maui.- Chapter 5 The resources in te reo Mäori for students thinking mathematically.- Resources in te reo Mäori.- Linguistic markers.- Transparency within terms. - Logical connectives.- Linguistic complexity.- The teacher’s role in supporting students’ spoken explanations.- Kanikani ängarau – dancing mathematics.- Meeting challenges around thinkingmathematically.- Chapter 6 Writing to help students think mathematically.- The role of literacy within a traditionally oral culture.- Writing to support reflection.- Types of writing in mathematics.- Writing in mathematics at Te Koutu.- Whakaahua.- Whakamärama.- Parahau.- Judging the quality of mathematical writing.- Students’ views about writing in mathematics.- Challenges in writing to support mathematical thinking.- Chapter 7 The case of probability.- Students learning about probability.- Learning to think about probability.- Developing the idea of likelihood in the beginning school years.- Developing ideas about the probability of events at the end of primary school.- Developing ideas about the probability of events in Intermediate and High School.- Meeting the challenge of using language for thinking probabilistically.- Section C Meeting Community Challenges.- Maui.- Chapter 8 Using the mathematics register outside the classroom.- Te reo Māori and broadcasting.- The use of the mathematic register on Māori television.- The use of te reo Mäori by students once they finish their Mäori-medium schooling.- Using te reo Mäori for further study.- Using te reo Mäori in the work place.- Using te reo Mäori for socialising.- Meeting challenges.- Chapter 9 Teachers as learners of the mathematics register.-Language knowledge as part of pedagogical content knowledge.- Initial teacher education for Mäori-medium teachers.- Learning on the job: The situation at Te Koutu.- Strategies for learning the mathematics register whilst at work.- Professional development for teachers of mathematics in te reo Mäori.- Meeting the challenges of teachers learning the mathematics register.- Section D  Meeting pedagogical challenges.- Maui.- Chapter 10  They don’t use the words unless you really teach them: mathematical Register Acquisition Model.- Mathematics Register Acquisition Model (MRA).- Kitenga/Noticing.- Taunga/Integration.- Putanga/Output.- Combining strategies for effectiveness.- Language acquisition strategies and year level.- The effect of the newness of the topic on strategy use.- Meeting the challenge of documenting how teachers supported students to acquire the mathematics register.- Chapter 11 “Mäori were traditional explorers”: Mäori Pedagogical Practices.- What are pedagogical practices?.- What are Mäori pedagogical practices?.- Te Aho Matua.- Pedagogical practices at Te Koutu.- Te Reo.- Ngä Iwi.- Te Ao.- Ähuatanga Ako.- Te Tino Uaratanga.- Meeting the challenge of working within Mäori pedagogy.- Chapter 12 “And that’s what you want to happen. You want the shift in classroom practice.”.- The teachers’ experiences of learning.-The wider societal structures as influences on the teachers’ learning.- Perceptions of themselves within the immediate context asinfluences on teachers’ learning.- Teachers’ sense of self as an influence on their learning.- Meeting the challenge of changing teachers’ practices.- Chapter 13 Collaborating to meet challenges.- The complexity of factors that interact when meeting challenges.- The stages in meeting challenges.- The features of collaboration that support meeting challenges.- Conclusion.