Last Friday I had the privledge of facilitating a tour of Tamaki, led by Matua Wade Harley from Ngāti Pāoa, for a Year 9 class at Tamaki College.
We travelled to five locations, Maungarei, Mokoia Pa (Panmure Bridge), Mauinaina Pa (Marist Rugby Club), Te Whanake (Point England Reserve) and Wai-o-rohe (Karaka Bay).
We learned the stories of the land, of arrival, of battles fought, the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and we looked to the future with the up coming construction of a new Marae for Ngāti Pāoa. This was the first time that Matua had taken a group of students out on such a Hikoi.
I had two main objectives of the tour. Firstly it was to listen and learn the stories of Ngāti Pāoa and the Tamaki Area. The second was to observe how learners engaged with the local histories. Can Trips to local historical sites provide valuable learning opportunities by increasing student engagement?
I have to say that the engagement levels for this class were outstanding. There were moments where the students sat silently and were moved by the stories being told. It was clear that the students enjoyed themselves.
I plan with the support of SLT to take more of these tours hopefully getting every year 9 student to attend at some point.
We went on a this hikoi too, and it was such an awesome, eye-opening experience. Growing up locally, and loving history it's only striking me now, unfortunately, how little I knew about Auckland's own history. I can't wait to start learning more about our local history through this NZ History curriculum. I'd love to talk more about how we can cross these over and strengthen the knowledge of the tamariki and whanau that our schools share. Keep up the great work Mr Mansell!
ReplyDelete