Ka Mau te Wehi (English medium multimedia reo Māori resource for year 7-8 teachers and students
This project involved the development of a multimedia resource (aligned to the Māori language curriculum guidelines), for the teaching and learning of te reo Māori in Years 7-8.
The resource comprised:
- A printed folder (as a guide for teachers) containing 20 units of work aligned to the curriculum
- A DVD showing:
- scenarios with a group of 5 friends in different settings
- explanations of culture and Māori grammar
- An audio CD of relevant waiata.
As senior policy adviser at the Ministry of Education, with responsibility for Māori language in schools, my role was to:
- conceptualise and write the specifications for prospective tenderers
- manage the tender process
- write the selection criteria and facilitate the selection process
- project-manage the creation of the multimedia resource, developed conjointly by CWA and Huia publishers
- launch the new resource, alongside the Māori Language Commissioner.
In managing this multimedia project over 18 months, I needed to draw on my:
- Comprehensive understanding of the Māori language curriculum guidelines, Te Aho Arataki Marau, to ensure alignment
- Relationship management skills e.g. managing the expectations of the Ministry and the two co-developers of the resource; understanding the different (and sometimes competing) priorities of print and Web
- Project management skills, to ensure a quality product (with a WOW factor to engage students), aligned to the curriculum, and at the same time delivered within budget and on time
- Proofreading and editing skills (in English and Māori), to provide quality assurance for the developers
- Previous experience as a primary school teacher
- Familiarisation with the prevailing research on the interests of pre-adolescent children (to inform the content and contexts of the multimedia resource)
- Facility in Māori language
- Masterate research in the teaching of te reo Māori using a communicative approach
- Background in teaching Māori as a second language in schools
- Public speaking ability e.g. to invited guests at the launch of the resource; to teachers, trainee teachers, and school advisers about how to maximise the resource
- Writing ability eg communications articles, to disseminate information about the resource and facilitate uptake.
The final product was received very positively in schools – due to it being a multimedia package. The teachers were particularly pleased with the user-friendly teachers’ guide and support material. The students were captivated by the ‘soap-opera’ approach taken in the video clips – which simulated real-life situations for young teenagers e.g. sport, kapa haka, school, marae, home, romance, shopping.