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Hawaiian language and culture in the middle level math class
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Content
HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IN THE MIDDLE
LEVEL MATH CLASS
by
Kim E. Terai
_________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
August 2010
Copyright 2010 Kim E. Terai
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge the following for the support I received during
this time of learning:
God. Without Him, I would not have been able to accomplish such a great
task. He put the right people in my life to encourage me and support me throughout
this time of my life. He gave me strength, desire, and ability to study and learn. He
heard my prayers as well as the prayers of those who prayed for me.
My family. Thank you for being there and supporting me throughout this
journey. I am glad you were there when I needed a break and I am grateful for your
understanding when I was not able to be there.
My dissertation committee, chaired by Dr. Melora Sundt, and also including
Dr. Dominic Brewer and Dr. Erin Wright, for their support and guidance throughout
this learning process.
The staff and students that I work have the opportunity to work with at
Kamehameha Schools. I am grateful for their support and for the part they played in
this study.
Our Princess, Ke Aliʻi Pauahi. I continue to be blessed by her gifts.
The 2007 Ed.D. Hawaiʻi Cohort for the support and friendship over the past
three years.
And finally, I am thankful for Sandi Tuitele. It was Sandi that encouraged
me to pursue this degree and as she promised, she was there to see me through it all.
iii
Thank you for being a teacher, role model, supporter and friend. I appreciate our
partnership in this learning experience and am so proud of your accomplishments.
Without the contributions of the above-mentioned persons, I would have
missed out on this learning experience. Thank you for being my teachers and my
supporters.
ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi.
All knowledge is not taught in one school
(one learns from many sources). (Pukuʻi, 1983)
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ii
List of Tables vi
List of Figures viii
Abstract ix
Chapter One: Overview of the Study 1
Mathematics Performance 2
History of KS 7
Background of the Study 12
Math and Culture 16
Role of the KS Teacher 17
Statement of the Problem 20
Purpose of the Study 21
Assumptions and Research Questions 22
Definitions 24
Organization of the Study 26
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature 27
Middle Level Education 28
Theoretical Frameworks 33
Research and Examples That Support Culturally Relevant 48
Pedagogy in the Classroom
Hawaiian Cultural Vibrancy at Kamehameha Schools 63
Conclusion 69
Chapter Three: Methodology 72
Research Design 73
The Ethnographic Study 75
Site and Participants 76
Data Collection 79
Instrumentation 81
Data Analysis 87
Role of the Researcher 87
Limitations of the Study 90
Ethical Considerations 91
Conclusion 92
v
Chapter Four: Findings 94
A Description of the Sample 95
Research Question 1: What types of HLC instructional strategies 101
are utilized by teachers and to what extent are these HLC
instructional strategies used?
Research Question 2: What HLC competencies do teachers need 123
assistance with in order to utilize CRP practices in the classroom?
Research Question 3: How does the incorporation of HLC 129
initiatives affect teachers and their pedagogy?
Conclusion 133
Chapter Five: Conclusion 135
Discussion 135
Summary of Results 137
Discussion of Findings 141
Recommendations 148
Limitations 155
Conclusion 156
Chapter Six: Epilogue 158
References 163
Appendices 169
Appendix A: Teacher Informed Consent Form 169
Appendix B: Informative Letter to School Administrator 171
Appendix C: Teacher Interview Protocol 172
Appendix D: Observation Protocol 176
Appendix E: Sample KMT Problem 180
vi
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Mathematics SAT Score Distribution 6
Table 2. Mathematics SAT Mean Scores by Group 6
Table 3. 16 Characteristics of Successful Schools for Young Adolescents 29
(NMSA, 2010)
Table 4. Comparison of Characteristics of Successful Schools (based 31
on select characteristics, NMSA, 2010), Culturally Relevant
Teaching Concepts (Ladson-Billings, 1994) and Indicators
of Hawaiian Indigenous Education Rubric (Kanaʻiaupuni, 2008)
Table 5. CRSB Essential Elements Chart 38
Table 6. Western Way of Learning versus Hawaiian Way of Learning 39
(from Benham & Heck, 1998)
Table 7. Mathematics Instruction Chart (Traditional model, Mason’s 57
model, KS model)
Table 8. CREDE Five Standards for Effective Pedagogy and Learning 62
(from CREDE)
Table 9. HLCPI: Communication 64
Table 10. KS Working Exit Outcomes (WEO), 2009 65
Table 11. Hawaiian Values (KS, 2004) 71
Table 12. Focus of Observation (based on the rubric from the observation 83
protocol)
Table 13. Interview Questions that Support Research Question #1 84
Table 14. Interview Questions that Support Research Question #2 85
Table 15. Interview Questions that Support Research Question #3 86
Table 16. Participant Information 97
vii
Table 17. Key Components of Culture-based Education 102
(Kanaʻiaupuni, 2008)
Table 18. Strategic Themes for Cultural Vibrancy vs. CBE (Demmert & 146
Towner, 2003)
Table 19. KMT and Components of Culture-based Education 155
viii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Achievement-Level Percentages (from NAEP, 2009 Hawaiʻi 3
State Report)
Figure 2. Trends in Percentile Rank of Average SAT-8 Math Score 4
within a Single Cohort of Public School Students by
Race/ethnicity (SAT-8, by grade level, selected years)
Figure 3. Trends in Achievement within a Single Cohort of KS 5
Elementary Students (SAT-9, percentile rank of average
score, by test subject, selected years)
Figure 4. Three Areas of Vibrancy (KS, 2009) 68
Figure 5. Results of HIER in the Category of Use of Heritage Language 103
in Teaching
Figure 6. Hawaiian Permission Questions 105
Figure 7. Results of HIER in the Category of Family and Community 107
Involvement
Figure 8. Results of HIER in the Category of Content (culture- and 111
place-based)
Figure 9. Parent Response to KMT Project 115
Figure 10. Results of HIER in the Category of Context 117
Figure 11. Results of HIER in the Category of Assessment and 122
Accountability
Figure 12. Parent Response for KMT Project 153
Figure 13. Parent Response for KMT Project 154
ix
ABSTRACT
The Kamehameha Schools (KS) is a private co-educational institution that
was established under the terms of the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop in
1887. KS operates three campuses Kapālama (Oʻahu), Pukalani (Maui), and Keaʻau
(Hawaiʻi island) that serves over 6,500 students from preschool through twelfth
grade. KS recently adopted a Hawaiian Cultural Vibrancy Policy (KS, 2009) that
will help meet the Schools’ Strategic Plan’s Goal #3 which states that, “KS will
cultivate, nurture, perpetuate, and practice ‘Ike Hawaiʻi (which includes Hawaiian
culture, values, history, language, oral traditions, literature, ad wahi pana –
significant cultural or historical places – etc.).” For many years, KS has been a
college preparatory institution that educated Native Hawaiian students using
traditional Western pedagogical strategies. Today, there is a current focus to
“indigenize” the pedagogical practices at KS to utilize more culturally relevant
teaching strategies.
This dissertation focused on the extent to which Hawaiian language and
culture (HLC), is utilized by teachers in the middle level math classes at KS-Oʻahu,
the kinds of professional development that has been and can be useful towards
teachers’ use of culture-based education practices as well as the effect that HLC
initiatives have on the attitudes, philosophy and pedagogy of the participants in this
study.
x
This qualitative study included observations and interviews of six current
middle school math teachers as the primary data sources of the research. The author
is also a middle school math teacher was a participant in the study.
This study represents a snapshot of the current state of KS-Oʻahu in regards
to use of Hawaiian Language and Culture in the middle level math classes during the
school year 2009-2010. This study represents the present. The author’s intention of
this study was to assist in the development and support of KS’s Hawaiian language
and culture initiatives in serving Hawaiian students now and in the future.
1
CHAPTER ONE
OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
“We believe that Kamehameha Schools as a Hawaiian institution and its
learners have a responsibility to practice and perpetuate ‘ike Hawaiʻi (knowledge of
Hawaiʻi) as a source of strength and resilience for the future” (Kamehameha, 2000).
This is the current philosophy of education for Kamehameha School (KS), a private
institution for compulsory school-aged students of Hawaiian ancestry.
The current trend at KS is to include more culturally relevant teaching
approaches to serve the Native Hawaiian students enrolled at the school. Since the
method of teaching in the past followed a western approach to learning as opposed to
a culturally based approach, the school is in the process of moving towards
becoming a Hawaiian Educational Institution.
The focus of this study is to learn about the types of Hawaiian Language and
Culture (HLC) instructional strategies that are used by math teachers and the extent
to which they are incorporating HLC in their classrooms. The study will also
explore the teachers’ perceptions of the impact of HLC on their teaching and what
areas of support teachers need in order to utilize culturally relevant pedagogical
practices (CRP) in the classroom.
2
Mathematics Performance
Mathematics Performance: Hawaiʻi v. National
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) produces a
document called “The Nation’s Report Card.” This document reports the findings of
the NAEP about the academic achievement of elementary and secondary students in
the United States. According to The Nation’s Report Card (NAEP, 2009), in a
national comparison from results in 2007 and in 2009, mathematics scores at grade 8
improved. The average score for public school students in the nation in 2009 was
282 (NAEP, 2009). In Hawaii, the average score of eighth-grade students was 274.
In fact, the average score of eighth graders in Hawaiʻi in 2009 was lower than those
in 40 states and higher that only six states (NAEP, 2009). The achievement level
according to the average score results were classified as below basic, basic,
proficient, and advanced. According to the NAEP report (2009), Hawaiʻi students’
scores were lower compared to the national average (see Figure 1).
According to the NAEP 2009 report, the following student groups were
options for students to choose from to report their ethnic background: White, Black,
Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native. There was
not a category for Native Hawaiian. Therefore, it is assumed that most Native
Hawaiian students will report as Asian/Pacific Islander. In Hawaiʻi, 68% of students
reported to be Asian/Pacific Islander and the other 32% were made up of White
(14%), Black (3%) and Hispanic (3%), and American Indian/Alaska Native (1%).
The other 11% did not respond to report which group they belong to.
3
Figure 1. Achievement-Level Percentages (from NAEP, 2009 Hawaiʻi State Report)
4
Native Hawaiian Students’ Mathematics Performance
Tibbets (2002) studied the same group of students over a period of five years
to track their math scores longitudinally. The scores were taken from the SAT-8 test
taken by Hawaiʻi public school students. Mathematics achievement scores of Native
Hawaiian students were found to be lower than those of other major ethnic groups in
Hawaiʻi as noted in Figure 2 below (Tibbets, 2002). She found that the mathematics
scores of Native Hawaiian students remained below those of other major ethnic
groups (Kamehameha, 2005).
Figure 2. Trends in Percentile Rank of Average SAT-8 Math Score within a Single
Cohort of Public School Students by Race/ethnicity (SAT-8, by grade level, selected
years). Source: Tibbets, 2002
5
According to the 2005 Native Hawaiian Assessment report by Kamehameha
(2005), achievement data for students of KS seem to confirm positive outcomes
among Native Hawaiian students attending private schools. They found that KS
students improved their performance on aptitude tests such as the SAT-9 (see Figure
3).
Figure 3. Trends in Achievement within a Single Cohort of KS Elementary Students
(SAT-9, percentile rank of average score, by test subject, selected years). Source:
Native Hawaiian Educational Assessment, 2005
Disaggregated data for the performance of Native Hawaiians as a specific
ethnic group is not available for the College Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
As mentioned previously, KS students as well as most Native Hawaiians are likely to
self-report on the SAT test as Asian or Pacific Islander. According to the College
6
Board (online), the national average mathematics score on the SAT for college
bound seniors in 2008 was 515. The average score for college bound seniors in the
state of Hawaiʻi was 502. KS college bound seniors in 2008 reported an average
mathematics SAT score of 569, well above the state and national average (see Table
1 below). Table 2 indicates the mean score for KS college-bound students compared
to other ethnic groups.
Table 1. Mathematics SAT Score Distribution
Score (out of
800)
Nation: 2008
college bound
seniors
State of Hawaiʻi:
2008 college bound
seniors
KS: class of 2008,
college bound seniors
(415 students)
600 or above 57% 54% 39%
500-599 25% 25% 40%
400-499 14% 14% 18%
Below 400 4% 7% 3%
MEAN SCORE 515 502 569
Source: College Board (online) and Kamehameha Schools, 2008.
Table 2. Mathematics SAT Mean Scores by Group
Group representing 2008 college bound seniors Mean SAT Mathematics score
KS, class of 2008 (415 students) 569
American Indian or Alaska Native 491
Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander 581
All (Nationwide) 515
Source: College Board (online) and Kamehameha Schools, 2008.
7
KS students SAT math scores (mean) are above those of Native Americans
and the nationwide average. Therefore, the data suggests that current instructional
practices at KS are prepare students to perform better than the national average and
the Native American sub-group on standardized tests.
If KS is to shift to using more culturally relevant teaching methods and
focusing more on Hawaiian language and culture, how will this affect the math
scores of KS students? This is what some teachers and students are concerned about
as the goal of many students is to graduate from KS and then attend a University or
college in Hawaiʻi or in another state. According to a report by KS (2008), 100% of
the class of 2008 (415 students) was accepted to a 4 year or 2 year college. If there
is a shift towards using more CRP practices in all KS classrooms, including math,
how will this affect the math performance results?
History of KS
KS is a unique entity, founded in 1887 in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi by
Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. In her lifetime, Pauahi witnessed the decline of the
Hawaiian population from 124,000 in 1831, the year of her birth, to 50,000 in the
1870’s (King, 2006). Pauahi bequeathed her estate, which included vast land
holdings across the Hawaiian Islands, to establish schools for Native Hawaiians
(Kanahele, 1986). In her will, Pauahi wrote:
8
I desire my trustees to provide first and chiefly a good education in the
common English branches, and also instruction in morals and in such useful
knowledge as may tend to make good and industrious men and women; and I
desire instruction in the higher branches to be subsidiary to the foregoing
objects.
Pauahi also directed her trustees to:
Devote a portion of each year’s income to the support and education of
orphans and others in indigent circumstances, giving preference to Hawaiians
of pure or part aboriginal blood (Bishop, 1883).
One hundred twenty-six years later, KS educates 30,000 Native Hawaiian
students on three campuses, thirty statewide preschools, and community-based,
outreach, and scholarship programs (KS, 2007). KS’s three campuses operate on
the islands of Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi and serve 5,000 students. The 600-acre
Oʻahu campus, founded in 1884, is the oldest and largest of the three KS campuses
and has an enrollment of 3,200 students (KS, 2007). KS-Oʻahu employs 245 faculty
members. The 180-acre Maui campus and 300-acre Hawaiʻi campus were both
founded in 1996 (KS, 2007). KS is maintained under the guidance of a chief
executive officer and a campus management team made of campus headmasters,
principals and educational support leaders. This team of educational leaders seeks to
unify and align as many educational decisions as possible (KS, 2007).
There was a time in the history of KS when students were expected to
assimilate, to become Americanized, neglecting their Native Hawaiian language
culture (King, 2006; Rath, 2005). Since that time, the philosophy of education at KS
has gone through different stages from vocational education to a college preparatory
curriculum. Just as there was an appearance of Hawaiian culture on campus in the
9
1960’s through the efforts of Gladys Brandt to allow the hula to be performed on
campus for the first time in the history of the school (King, 2006), today there are
more efforts to incorporate Hawaiian language and culture into the curriculum. In the
late 1990’s, KS was under investigation for misuse of the trust of Pauahi (King,
2006). In response to the stipulations set by the probate court, the Kamehameha
Schools Strategic plan 2000-2015 (Kamehameha, 2000) was published. Included in
this plan were efforts to address the concerns of the integration of Hawaiian culture
and language at KS.
Kamehameha Schools Strategic Plan Goal 3 states: “Kamehameha Schools
will cultivate, nurture, perpetuate, and practice ‘ike Hawaiʻi, which includes
Hawaiian culture values, history, language, oral traditions, literature, wahi pana
(sacred places) etc.” (Kamehameha, 2000). In response to this goal, KS is working
towards the concept of becoming Kula Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian School). Kula Hawaiʻi
will define and provide purpose for KS as a Hawaiian educational institution. KS
commits itself to the purpose of empowering Hawaiians to thrive as a people who are
grounded in their culture and committed to its practice, perpetuation, and growth
(Kamehameha, 2004). Kula Hawaiʻi will focus on three areas: 1) ‘olelo Hawaiʻi,
which will encourage Hawaiian language revitalization; 2) cultural hierarchy in
curriculum, which places value on curricula that is based on a Hawaiian cultural
foundation as opposed to a curriculum that is strictly western based; and 3) kuleana
kulāiwi (responsibility to native homelands), which encourages cultivating a sense of
10
responsibility in Hawaiian learners of all ages to ensure intergenerational change and
long-term Hawaiian vibrancy (Kamehameha, 2007).
Currently at KS, there are three specific initiatives that address the efforts
towards Kula Hawaiʻi. The first is the newest policy at KS, the Hawaiian Cultural
Vibrancy Policy. It involves system-wide efforts to incorporate more Hawaiian
language and culture throughout the KS system. The KS system includes all
educational school campuses and the operational divisions of the institution. The
second is a tri-campus standards development project called the Working Exit
Outcomes (WEO). According to the KS intranet website, “KS is currently
identifying student academic standards that will be infused with a Hawaiian world
view so that all KS graduates need to meet the same basic expectations; or efforts are
to ensure that a KS diploma is a KS diploma is a KS diploma” (KS, 2009). Finally,
the school has a incorporated a Hawaiian Language and Cultural Practices Inventory
(HLCPI) that is named Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu (Strive for the summit) which determines a
graduating student’s level of Hawaiian language and cultural competence. This
inventory measures KS students’ HLC competencies. Students must exhibit HLC
that are classified as developing, foundational and advanced prior to graduation. At
minimum, graduates must exhibit HLC competencies that are at the developing level.
According to the KS website (2007),
All students are expected to acquire the Foundational Level of competencies
prior to graduation. Foundational level is the initial stage of language
learning, likened to planting a seed. Developing level is based on the
foundational knowledge and helps to build personal understanding, much like
the seed growing into a bud. Advanced level fosters a deeper understanding
11
and appreciation for what it is to be a Hawaiian, similar to a bud blossoming
into a flower (Overview of KS Hawaiian Language Competencies).
All three of these initiatives will be explained in greater detail in chapter two.
Prior to the inception of the above-mentioned initiatives, the teachers that
were offering direct instruction in Hawaiian language and culture were the teachers
who taught Hawaiian language, Hawaiian culture and history and Hawaiian cultural
performing arts courses. With the HLC initiatives taking shape, how will this affect
all KS teachers who may teach classes that may not naturally include HLC?
In summary, the school is at the start of a new venture in the educational
offerings at the school. At the time of the inception of the school, the direction of the
school was to help students assimilate to the western world they were discovered by.
At that time, Hawaiian language and culture were admonished from the school
experience. From the 1970’s, the school took a direction to prepare students for
college. The focus was on preparing students to be academically successful.
College attendance following graduation was expected and SAT scores and
admission rates were high. Since the KS Education Strategic Plan (KS, 2000) the
school has continued to prepare students for success in a global society but has made
more efforts to focus on Hawaiian language and culture. Cultural knowledge and an
approach of using culturally responsive schooling will help to make learning more
relevant for students (Ledward & Takayama, 2009).
12
Background of the Study
According to Ogbu (1995), cultural boundaries are one mechanism developed
to separate the dominated from their oppressors. School learning tends to be
associated with the dominant group. The formal educational system in Hawaiʻi
developed after the arrival of the first missionaries to the islands in 1819 (Daws,
1968). Prior to the arrival of the missionaries in Hawaiʻi, education for Native
Hawaiians reflected the needs and functions of its people (Kamehameha, 2005, p.
26). According to Benham and Heck (1998), Native Hawaiians highly valued
education that was skill-based, practical, and place-based. Native Hawaiian children
observed and learned from the elders who included older siblings and adults who
were masters in their occupations in an informal manner.
For missionaries, schools were the most effective tool for converting
“heathen” and “savage” Hawaiians into civilized and Christian people
(Kamehameha, 2005, p. 27). The institutional structures that were developed
reinforced dominant views of the Americans who ran them. The influence of the
Protestant missionaries suppressed cultural practices such as hula among the Native
Hawaiians (Osorio, 2002). Hawaiians were also not allowed to use Hawaiian
language in schools during this time period and for most of the first half of the
twentieth century (Benham & Heck, 1998). Though the first missionaries learned
the Hawaiian language, schools in Hawaiʻi became English speaking and as time
went by and students were becoming Americanized, students were admonished for
speaking Hawaiian at school (Benham & Heck, 1998).
13
The influence of an Americanized style of teaching was evident at the start of
KS and continues to this day. Until the 1970’s, KS had little if any Hawaiian
language and culture integrated into the curriculum. While the school has gone
through various changes in its philosophy of education, only recently has the school
called for an inclusion of culturally relevant pedagogical practices through the
current strategic plan (KS, 2007). This shift towards the inclusion of HLC requires
an adjustment from the strict college preparatory curriculum based on dominant
culture teaching methods that KS provided for Hawaiian students in the past.
The mission of KS is to fulfill Pauahi’s desire to create educational
opportunities in perpetuity to improve the capability and wellbeing of people of
Hawaiian ancestry (KMS, 2008). For many years, there was an absence of Hawaiian
language and culture at KS (King, 2006; Rath, 2005). The first five trustees of KS
were all haole (Caucasian), Protestant, and in favor of Hawaiʻi’s annexation to
America as the best thing for Hawaiʻi. Even Trustee Charles Reed Bishop (Pauahi’s
husband), who cared deeply about the Hawaiian people, felt that Hawaiians needed
to Americanize themselves in order to survive (King, 2006).
KS at that time had two campuses, a school for boys and a school for girls.
The early decades of the schools found the purpose of education at KS to educate
students in the ways of America (Kamehameha, 2005; King, 2006). At the time KS
was founded, manual education was considered “a new and forward thinking
approach to education. (King, 2006, p. 41).”
14
In 1923, then KS president Frank Midkiff moved the school in a direction
towards preparing Hawaiian leaders and professionals (King, 2006). His goal was to
raise academic standards at KS. By 1934, Midkiff hired Homer Barnes from New
York to be the principal of the KS Boys School and together they pushed for higher
standards and expectations. According to King (2006),
Barnes stressed the connection between small numbers and high standards.
He also strongly supported making KS a boarding school, undiluted by day
students. Boarders could be supervised twenty-four hours a day, while day
students were subject to outside influences. Barnes’ thinking about the
benefits of keeping students on campus was not new. It had been a founding
principal at KS that the further Hawaiian students could be kept from
Hawaiian ways, the better their education would be, the better their education
would be, the better they would be, and the better Hawaiʻi would be. (p. 48).
The 1940’s and 1950’s brought changes to the school as more alumni were
hired as faculty, the enrollment grew, and the school became predominantly a day
school with few boarding students. Students no longer needed to “test” to get into
the school and a geographical basis for enrollment was established so that all parts of
Hawaiʻi were represented in the school population (King, 2006).
In the 1960’s, the separate boys’ and girls’ schools were merged to form a
single school. Another change at the school was that the school lifted the ban on the
hula being performed (King, 2006). The lifting of the ban represented the first
inclusion of Hawaiian culture practiced at the school. Prior to this, in keeping with
what was thought to be what Pauahi would have wanted, the first trustees of KS
banned the hula along with alcohol (King, 2006). The Protestants disliked the hula
for the connections to ancient Hawaiian religious practices and for its sexual
15
connotations. There were some members of the royal families who converted to
Christianity but continued to include the hula as part of their royal observances.
Pauahi was different. She did not dance hula, nor was it performed at her home
during times of entertaining others. It was seventy-eight years after the school’s
founding that hula, a representation of Hawaiian culture through dance, which had
been previously banned, was finally allowed at KS (King, 2006).
Fast forward to the 1980’s at KS. Enrollment at KS was granted to students
after taking an entrance exam, proving Hawaiian ancestry, going through an
interview process, and completing an application packet. KS was a college
preparatory school that employed college counselors to assist students with pursuing
post-high education either in Hawaiʻi or on the continental United States. Hawaiian
culture and language is evident on campus at the high school campus in particular, in
elective courses such as Hawaiian language, concert glee and hula and Hawaiian
ensemble classes.
Today, students continue to go through an extensive application process for
admission and are chosen based on their academic achievement among other criteria.
All students create a four-year plan, which includes graduation requirements that will
prepare students for post-high education. The popularity of learning Hawaiian
language is evident by the increased enrollment of the Hawaiian language courses
and hula and chant classes (KS, 2008). There are more curricular opportunities for
students to learn about HLC at all levels of education. These opportunities include
16
Hawaiian language, history, culture, and performance classes as well as extra-
curricular clubs and groups such as hula clubs on campus.
Another cultural practice is exemplified as all high school students participate
in singing Hawaiian songs through performance at the annual KS Song Contest.
This KS tradition began in the early 1900’s and to this day, classes compete for
trophies awarded to the top performances. This school-wide event is telecast on
statewide television and includes a Hōʻike, a performance of special songs and
dance. Selected students are chosen by the school’s performing arts department to
perform hula during intermission of the song contest and exhibit the beauty of hula
and Hawaiian songs.
Math and Culture
Of all the subjects in the school curriculum, the one that might be most often
considered culture-free is mathematics (Presmeg, 1999). The term ethnomathematics
is described by Ascher (from Presmeg, 1999, p. 41) as “the study and presentation of
the mathematical ideas of traditional peoples.” The goals of ethnomathematics
mentioned includes broadening the history of mathematics to one that has a
multicultural, global perspective. In doing so, it broadens mathematics as being
historically connected with the Western professional class to involving all kinds of
people. Mathematical ideas span across all cultures (Presmeg, 1999). In what ways
can Hawaiian language and culture be included in the math classroom? What
17
instructional methods and resources can math teachers utilize so that they teach in a
culturally relevant manner?
Role of the KS Teacher
There are three different ways of looking at the cultural effect on education:
culture based education, culturally relevant teaching, and culturally responsive
pedagogy. The Meriam Report of 1928 (Alaskool, 1928 Report) introduced culture-
based education as the incorporation of indigenous languages, cultural programs and
curriculum, used by Native teachers working in schools that served Native students.
Meriam hypothesized that if Native culture and languages were incorporated in the
school then Native American students would be more likely to find academic success
(Alaskool, 1928 Report).
According to Ladson-Billings (1995), culturally relevant teaching not only
encourages academic success and cultural competence, but also helps students to
recognize, understand and critique current social inequities. Culturally relevant
teachers know when to introduce relevant examples from their students’
backgrounds and experiences to make learning more meaningful (Ladson-Billings,
1998). Are teachers at KS using culturally relevant strategies? If KS is to carry out
its goals to cultivate, nurture, perpetuate, and practice ‘ike Hawaiʻi (Kamehameha,
2000), then there are many components that need to work together to achieve this.
One of the most important components of this endeavor is the teacher. Teachers may
18
or may not be familiar with HLC and therefore must become efficacious with HLC
in order to teach the students in a culturally relevant manner (Gay, 2000).
The current KS philosophy of education is based on eight guiding principles
(KMS, 2008). The first guiding principle states that “we believe that KS as a
Hawaiian institution and its learners have a responsibility to practice and perpetuate
ʻike Hawaiʻi as a source of strength and resilience for the future.” If I am a part of
the institution, then I believe it is my responsibility as well as all my peers to practice
and perpetuate ʻike Hawaiʻi.
KS provides support to teachers to grow in their knowledge of HLC. At KS,
there are professional opportunities throughout the organization to support the
school’s pursuit of becoming Kula Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian school) and to help teachers to
assist in the students’ level of HLC. Included among these support mechanisms are:
a) Hawaiian language courses for faculty and staff, b) The existence of ‘ike Hawaiʻi
(Hawaiian knowledge) committees to plan lessons to familiarize faculty and staff of
Hawaiian language and culture, and c) Huakaʻi (field trips).
For KS teachers, there is no requirement to learn the Hawaiian language,
however, Hawaiian language courses are offered to interested faculty and staff.
Three hour workshops called “Workplace ‘Olelo” are offered to employees who
desire to learn commonly used terms, greetings and phrases using Hawaiian
language in the classroom and at work. Those who desire to acquire Hawaiian
language proficiency may elect to enroll in classes taught at the University level.
Another option that has become popular among KS workers is a course called Ke
19
Ala Leo (the voice path). This course is taught by a kumu (teacher) and she meets
with four different Hawaiian immersion classes (approximately 25 employees each)
which each meets once a week for three hours in the evening to learn Hawaiian
language. This special language class involves the use of a hands-on method similar
to that of sign language.
In some circumstances, there is financial acknowledgement by KS of
enrollment that is offered to faculty who elect to learn language and culture through
formal university classes and other professional development opportunities.
Teachers fill out a tuition reimbursement form as they do for other professional
development conferences, workshops or classes.
Another opportunity available to assist teachers to learn more about HLC are
lessons that are presented by ‘ike Hawaiʻi committees at the elementary and middle
schools at the Oʻahu campus. The committee at Kamehameha Middle School,
(KMS) include teachers who volunteer to prepare and share lessons to assist other
faculty and staff to share more about Hawaiian language and culture with all faculty.
The committee is made up of teacher volunteers who receive no monetary
compensation for serving on the committee. The committee meets on a regular basis
to prepare lessons and activities to share with faculty and staff once a month during
faculty meetings and on occasion during in-service staff development days. Lessons
include language lessons in Hawaiian oli (chant) and pule (prayer); cultural practice
sessions on healing, types of Hawaiian medicines, use of plants, preparation of food,
arts and crafts, and special guest speakers on Hawaiian topics. This committee has
20
also prepared audio recordings for faculty and staff that have songs, chants and
Hawaiian language utterances that are familiar to the culture of the school. This
committee has also put up a blog so that teachers have resources such as Hawaiian
recitations, songs, and pule or prayers, available to them online.
The last opportunity provided by KS is huakaʻi (field trips). The huakaʻi are
offered to employees throughout the year. These half-day and daylong excursions
provide faculty and staff opportunity to visit places around the island. The trips are
intended to offer insight into the historical significance of specific places to the
Hawaiian people. Of the three support mechanisms mentioned, this might be
considered the least effective for the teachers at KS. While these excursions are
offered to all faculty and staff, it is usually held during the weekdays and therefore
the attendees are usually other staff members who work for the institution (off
campus) and not teachers who are teaching during the school day.
The support mechanisms of Hawaiian language courses, lessons from ‘ike
Hawaiʻi committees, and excursions provide staff with opportunities for teachers to
learn more about Hawaiian language and culture. While they are available, most all
are not required. How can the school ensure that teachers take better advantage of
the resources and opportunities available to them?
Statement of the Problem
KS serves over 5,000 students annually on its three campuses (KS, 2007).
Since KS has for many years been a college preparatory school (Rath, 2005), it is
21
evident that academic success is a priority. The math performance of KS students is
above the national, state and Native Hawaiian average on standardized math tests.
The introduction of new strategic goals at KS calls for a focus on HLC and in turn
indicates the intention of KS to encourage its teachers to use culturally relevant
pedagogical practices (KS, 2008). One of the strategic goals at KS is the
measurement of HLC competencies as a graduation requirement for students
(Kamehameha, 2005). So while students have done well academically in math, the
inclusion of HLC within the math content area has not been expected in the past.
This study will examine the current status of curriculum and instruction in the
middle level math classes at KS in regards to the perceptions and pedagogical
practices of Hawaiian language and culture initiatives. The goal of this study is to
examine the extent that middle level math teachers use HLC at KS. A quote by Gay
(2000) sums up the problem that will be investigated through the course of this
study, “all teachers, regardless of their ethnic group membership, must have the
courage, competence, and confidence to teach in a culturally relevant manner.”
Purpose of the Study
There are many labels to describe the connection of culture and schooling,
among them, “culturally responsive pedagogy”, “culturally relevant practices”, and
“culture based education.” The term culturally responsive pedagogy, is used by Gay
(2000). According to Gay (2000), teachers who practice culturally responsive
pedagogy are cultural organizers who understand how culture operates in daily
22
classroom dynamics. The learning environment is filled with cultural and ethnic
diversity while at the same time pursuing high academic achievement for all students
(Gay, 2000, p. 43). Ladson-Billings (1994) uses the term culturally relevant
practices to describe a method of teaching that links schooling and culture. Ladson-
Billings work on CRP is based on three criteria: 1) academic success of students, 2)
cultural competence, and 3) critical consciousness. The work on Ladson-Billings
focused on the effective teaching practices of teachers of African-American students.
Culture-based education refers instruction that is grounded in student learning that
includes the values, norms, knowledge, beliefs, practices, experiences, and language
that are the foundation of a(n indigenous) culture (Kanaʻiaupuni, 2007). All three
will be referred to in greater detail in chapter 2.
Since KS is moving in the direction of Kula Hawaiʻi, cultural connections to
schooling will be important to consider. Hence, the purpose of this study is to
determine the types of HLC instructional strategies that teachers incorporate into a
curriculum that is academically rigorous. It will also lead to discovery of what
impact HLC has on teachers in their instructional practices and what kinds of support
are required in order for teachers to be successful with incorporating more HLC into
their classroom.
Assumptions and Research Questions
This study is based on three primary assumptions: a) compared to their
counterparts, KS students do well academically in the subject of mathematics; b) KS
23
is committed to incorporating HLC as the school transforms from being a school for
Hawaiians to a Hawaiian school; and c) the teachers are willing to learn and utilize
culturally relevant pedagogical practices to support students in their HLC
competencies. The HLC initiatives are a recent development at KS as they were
introduced within the past 10 years. Teachers and administrators who were at KS
prior to the inception of these HLC initiatives are assumed to have come to
agreements that HLC competencies at KS is what is in the best interest of the
students.
Based on these assumptions, the following research questions are examined
in the course of this study:
1. What types of HLC instructional strategies, (i.e. content and context), are
utilized by math teachers at KS? And to what extent are these HLC
instructional strategies used?
2. What HLC competencies do teachers need assistance with in order to
utilize CRP practices in the classroom? And
3. What are teachers’ perceptions about the impact of HLC on their
teaching?
Culturally relevant pedagogy, adult learning theories and motivation theory
will be focused on through the course of this study to examine the extent to which
HLC is being utilized in the math classrooms at KMS. Based on these theories,
participants will be observed and interviewed to determine the extent to which CRP
practices are used in the math classroom specific to HLC. The study will also
24
determine the areas of HLC competencies teachers may need assistance with during
this time of school transformation. Finally, the researcher hopes to learn about
teacher perceptions regarding the impact of HLC on their teaching.
Definitions
The following are definitions of terms or frequently used acronyms, as used
in this study:
CBE: Culture based education is the grounding of instruction and student
learning in the values, norms, knowledge, beliefs, practices, and language that are the
foundation of an indigenous culture (Ledward, Takayama, & Kahumoku, 2008).
According to Ledward et al., there are five core elements: language, family and
community, content, context and cultural content.
CRP: Culturally relevant pedagogy or culturally relevant practices is the use
of instructional practices that will focus on students’ academic success, cultural
competence and socio-cultural consciousness (Ladson-Billings, 1995).
CRSB: Culturally responsive standards based teaching is described by Saifer
and Barton (2007) as a method to offers opportunities to make learning meaningful
through an innovative curriculum in any subject.
ʻIke Hawaiʻi: Hawaiian knowledge and understanding.
Hawaiian cultural vibrancy: The relative state of Hawaiian cultural health
and well-being as indicated by the frequency, intensity, richness, and authenticity
25
and pervasiveness of Hawaiian language use, cultural practices, and the application
of a Hawaiian worldview (KS, 2009).
Hawaiian worldview: Hawaiian perspectives of life and the world based on
spirituality, ancestral wisdom and knowledge, history, values and future aspirations
(KS, 2009).
HIER: Hawaiian Indigenous Education Rubric
HLC: Hawaiian language and culture
Hawaiian-Medium Schools: Hawaiian language immersion schools in which
the primary language used is Hawaiian.
KES: Kamehameha Elementary School (Oʻahu Campus)
KMS: Kamehameha Middle School (Oʻahu Campus)
KS: Kamehameha Schools, which consists of three campuses that each have
an elementary, middle and high school
KS system: the KS schools and other divisions and departments (support
services, investment, legal, public school support, human relations, etc.)
Nohona Hawaiʻi: A Hawaiian way of life, or living Hawaiian culture
PD: Professional development
Support Mechanisms: Existing or possible services, lessons, or resources that
are (can be) available to teachers and staff
Note: All Hawaiian translations are defined using either the Hawaiian
Dictionary, (Pukuʻi, 1996) or by the definitions provided by the authors of the
documents used for this study.
26
Organization of the Study
Chapter two is a review of the literature about the significance of culturally
relevant pedagogy and its influence on schools that serve indigenous populations.
This chapter focuses on literature in areas that will consider the theoretical
frameworks this study is based on, empirical research relevant to CRP, and examples
of opportunities that can provide teachers with assistance in utilizing CRP practices
in the classroom. Chapter three describes the design, methodology, and analysis for
the proposed study. Chapter four will report the discoveries of the interviews and
observations of the teachers, while chapter five reports the results and discussion of
the study. The findings will be reported, followed by a discussion of the findings
and recommendations for faculty, administrators and researchers to consider as a
result of the findings of this study.
27
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
ʻO ka hoʻonaʻauao Hawaiʻi, ʻo ia ka hoʻonaʻauao nana e kākoʻo,
hoʻoikaika, a hoʻomōhala I ka ʻōlelo, ʻohana, moʻomehau, noho
kaiaulu, a aloha e Hawaiʻi ai ka Hawaiʻi; ʻoia nō hoʻi ia e hoʻolako
ana i ka poʻe Hawaiʻi nā mākua e kū ikaika ai i waena o kēia ao kau
ʻāina e noho nei.
Hawaiian Education is education that supports, strengthens, and
develops the language, family, culture, community orientation, and
aloha that makes a Hawaiian – Hawaiian; at the same time that it
provides the Hawaiian people with the knowledge and skills
necessary to stand in a position of strength in the present international
world. (Native Hawaiian Education Council, 1997, from Meyer,
2003)
This definition of Hawaiian education can help KS in its pursuit to become
Kula Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian school. It recognizes the importance of valuing ones culture
and language but acknowledges the significance of preparing students to contribute
to the global environment they will live in.
There are four main sections in Chapter 2: 1) a discussion of the tenets of
middle level education; 2) the theoretical frameworks for this study that include
culturally relevant theories (Ladson-Billings, 1995; Gay, 2000) and adult learning
theories (Merriam, Cafarella & Baumgartner, 2007); 3) empirical research and
examples of indigenous language and cultural instructional practices that support
culturally based educational practices in the classroom; and 4) a report of the
Hawaiian cultural vibrancy efforts at KS to become Ke Kula Hawaiʻi.
28
Middle Level Education
A call for action in 1963 by Dr. William Alexandar, who was then a
superintendent of the Winnetka (Illinois) Public Schools, proposed to implement a
new “middle school” that would be taught by specifically prepared educators who
would implement a relevant curriculum and essential learning process that were
developmentally appropriate for students within this age range. He challenged
educators to focus on “the importance of implementing schools that openly address
both the academic and personal development of every young adolescent” (NMSA,
2010, p. 4). Middle level education serves a distinct developmental period of
students who are going through many changes. According to NMSA (2010), there
are four essential attributes that successful schools for young adolescents must be: 1)
developmentally responsive; 2) challenging; 3) empowering; and 4) equitable.
NMSA believes that those four attributes can exist through sixteen identified
characteristics. They are grouped into three categories, Curriculum, Instruction, and
Assessment; Leadership and Organization; and Culture and Community. Although
only some of the characteristics relate to the purpose of this study, all are
interdependent on one another and thus should be implemented in concert with each
other (see Table 3).
29
Table 3. 16 Characteristics of Successful Schools for Young Adolescents (NMSA,
2010)
Curriculum, Instruction, and
Assessment
Leadership
and Organization Culture and Community
Educators value young
adolescents and are prepared
to teach them.
A shared vision developed
by all stake holders guides
every decision.
School environment is
inviting, safe, inclusive and
supportive of all
Students and teachers are
engaged in active,
purposeful learning.
Leaders are committed to
and knowledgeable about
this age group, educational
research and best practices.
Every student’s academic and
personal development is
guided by an adult advocate.
Curriculum is challenging,
exploratory, integrative, and
relevant.
Leaders demonstrate
courage and collaboration.
Comprehensive guidance and
support services meet the
needs of young adolescents.
Educators use multiple
learning and teaching
approaches.
Ongoing professional
development reflects best
educational practices.
Health and wellness are
supported in curricula,
school-wide programs, and
related policies.
Varied and ongoing
assessments advance
learning as well as measure
it.
Organizational structures
foster purposeful learning
and meaningful
relationships.
The school actively involves
families in the education of
their children.
The school includes
community and business
partners.
KMS operates as a middle school and teachers at KS are provided the NMSA
document, “This We Believe.” It is the document that reports the characteristics of
successful schools for young adolescents as reported in table 3. The mathematics
curriculum at KS has allowed for academic rigor, and academic excellence that has
resulted in above average math scores as reported in chapter 1. Since the emphasis
30
on HLC at KS has increased in recent years, the incorporation of more culturally
relevant or culturally based education practices in teachers’ classes may be
intimidating to teachers who have taught in a more Eurocentric or traditional manner
that has been culture-free. Table 4 shows some detail as to how the characteristics of
successful schools (NMSA, 2010), connects to the concepts of CRP (Ladson-
Billings, 1994) and the indicators of culture based education (Kanaʻiaupuni, 2007).
While it may seem that the characteristics of successful schools (NMSA,
2010) are simply good practices, the study about culturally relevant practices (CRP)
by Ladson-Billings (1994) and the work of Kanaʻiaupuni and Kawaiʻaeʻa (2008)
regarding culture-based education (CBE) provide evidence as to how they all
connect. CRP and CBE will be discussed in greater detail in the next section.
31
Table 4. Comparison of Characteristics of Successful Schools (based on select
characteristics, NMSA, 2010), Culturally Relevant Teaching Concepts (Ladson-
Billings, 1994) and Indicators of Hawaiian Indigenous Education Rubric
(Kanaʻiaupuni, 2008)
Characteristic of
successful schools
(NMSA)
Culturally Relevant Teaching
(Ladson-Billings, 1994)
Hawaiian Indigenous Education
(Kanaʻiaupuni & Kawaiʻaeʻa, 2007)
• Educators value
young adolescents
and are prepared to
teach them.
• Teachers with culturally
relevant practices (CRP) believe
that all students can succeed.
• Effective teaching involves in-
depth knowledge of both the
students and the subject matter.
• Teachers ultimate goal in working
with student is to preserve and
perpetuate Hawaiian culture for
generations to come.
• Students and
teachers are engaged
in active, purposeful
learning.
• Real education is about
extending student’s thinking and
abilities.
• Teachers use ʻolelo Hawaiʻi to
communicate with students
• Teachers incorporate learning
environment and daily practices that
are grounded in fundamental
Hawaiian beliefs and native
spirituality.
• Curriculum is
challenging,
exploratory,
integrative, and
relevant.
• The focus of the classroom must
be instructional.
• Culturally relevant teaching is
passionate about knowledge.
• Culturally relevant teaching
helps students develop
necessary skills
• Culturally relevant teaching sees
excellence as a complex
standard that takes student
diversity and individual
differences into account.
• Teachers use Hawaiian language
materials in class
• Teachers use the community as a
setting for student learning that is
responsive to community needs and
grounded in the Hawaiian knowledge,
practices, and history associated with
place.
32
Table 4, Continued
Characteristic of successful
schools (NMSA)
Culturally Relevant Teaching (Ladson-
Billings, 1994)
Hawaiian Indigenous Education
(Kanaʻiaupuni & Kawaiʻaeʻa,
2007)
• Educators use multiple
learning and teaching
approaches.
• When teachers provide instructional
“scaffolding,” students can move
from what they know to what they
need to know.
• Teachers with CRP see teaching as
“digging knowledge out” of students.
• Culturally relevant teaching views
knowledge as something that is
continuously re-created, recycled and
shared.
• Teachers embed Hawaiian
knowledge, practices, values,
behaviors, language, and
spirituality into the content of
the class.
• Students are assessed through
projects of performances that
may be culturally purposeful
and useful.
• The school actively
involves families in the
education of their
children.
• The school includes
community and
business partners.
• Teacher helps students make
connections between their
community, national, and global
identities.
• Culturally relevant teaching involves
cultivation of the relationship beyond
the boundaries of the classroom.
• Teachers with CRP see themselves as
part of the community, see teaching
as giving back to the community, and
encourage their students to do the
same.
• Teachers integrate ʻohana,
community members, and
kūpuna into the learning
experience.
• Teachers work close with
ʻohana to support their
children’s growth in and out
of school.
• Teachers get to know student,
families and community
through interactions outside of
school.
• Students are encouraged to
lead community projects and
promote greater community
well-being.
• School environment is
inviting, safe, inclusive
and supportive of all
• Teachers with CRP have high self-
esteem and a high regard for others.
• The teacher-student relationship in
the culturally relevant classroom is
fluid and “humanely equitable”
• Teachers with CRP encourage a
community of learners.
• Culturally relevant teacher
encourages students to learn
collaboratively and expects them to
teach each other and take
responsibility for each other.
• Students are encouraged to
teach and learn from each
other.
33
Theoretical Frameworks
Prior to the introduction of HLC initiatives in 2000, KS was following
Western methods of teaching as the school prepared students to attend college (Rath,
2005). As KS goes through this transformation of becoming Kula Hawaiʻi
(Hawaiian School), there are HLC initiatives that are being implemented that affect
the teachers and their pedagogical practices, namely the content and context of their
curriculum. There are two general theoretical frameworks that this literature review
will focus on as it relates to the efforts at KS; a) culturally relevant educational
theories (Ladson-Billings, 1995; Bennett, 2001); and b) adult learning theories
(Merriam, Cafarella & Baumgartner, 2007).
Cultural Education Theories
National statistics reveal that the population of the United States is becoming
more ethnically diverse. The reality is that many students come to school with
cultural, ethnic, linguistic, racial, and social class backgrounds that are different from
that of their teachers (Coffey, 2010). Ogbu (1995) asserts that it is important for
teachers to recognize the students’ cultural frame of reference. This refers to the
common practices and beliefs within a culture (i.e., beliefs, preferences, practices,
customs, attitudes and symbols of a particular culture). His theory distinguishes
between voluntary and involuntary minorities (Ogbu, 1995). Voluntary minorities
are described as people who have moved to the U.S. of their own choice while
involuntary minorities are people who were brought to the U.S. against their will.
34
Native Hawaiians fall into the category of involuntary minorities due to the U.S.
overthrowing the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. A socio-cultural approach to teaching Native
Hawaiian students is important to consider as there are current events and ideas that
are politically charged regarding sovereignty issues. The teachers’ approach to
sensitive issues regarding culture can make a significant impact on students
(Kawakami, 2004). Freire (1998) challenged teachers to take time to be reflective in
their teaching and to focus on engaging learner’s own curiosity with lessons that are
useful and purposeful in the socio-cultural environment (as cited by Kawakami,
2004, p. 113).
The significance of making connections to students’ home culture and the
school has been described by researchers in several ways: among them include
culturally relevant teaching (Ladson-Billing, 1994; Bennett, 2001), culture-based
education (Demmert & Towner, 2003; Ledward, et al., 2008; Kanaʻiaupuni, 2007)
and cultural responsive standards based teaching (Saifer & Barton, 2007).
Culturally relevant pedagogy framework of Ladson-Billings (1995)
establishes the importance of student achievement and cultural competence while
helping students recognize, understand, and critique social inequities. Ladson-
Billings formulated this theory in her 1988 qualitative study of eight (8) exemplary
teachers of predominantly low-income, African-American children in an urban
school district in California.
According to Ladson-Billings (1995), there are three broad propositions of
CRP that include: 1) conceptions regarding self and others; 2) conceptions of social
35
relations; and 3) conceptions of knowledge. A listed summary that describes each of
these propositions follows.
Conceptions of self and others: Some of the characteristics/traits that Ladson-
Billings observed of the exemplary teachers in her 1988 study included:
• a belief that all students are capable of academic success
• they saw their pedagogy as art – unpredictable, always in the process of
becoming
• saw themselves as members of the community
• saw teaching as a way to give back to the community (Ladson-Billings,
1995, p. 478)
Conception of social relations: Culturally relevant teachers create social
interactions that may include the use of cooperative learning, cross-aged, muti-aged,
and heterogeneous ability groupings while also employing the CRP criteria of
academic success, cultural competence and critical consciousness. Basically, the
teachers:
• Maintain fluid student-teacher relationships,
• Demonstrate a connectedness with all of the students, develop a
community of learners, and,
• Encourage students to learn collaboratively and be responsible for one
another (Ladson-Billings, 1995a, p. 480).
36
Conception of knowledge: Students listen and learn from one another as well
as the teacher. Ladson-Billings describes the culturally relevant teachers’ beliefs
about knowledge:
• Knowledge is not static; it is shared, recycled and constructed.
• Knowledge must be viewed critically.
• Teachers must be passionate about knowledge and learning.
• Teachers must scaffold, or build bridges, to facilitate learning.
• Assessment must be multifaceted, incorporating multiple forms of
excellence (Ladson-Billings, 1995a, p. 481).
Another tenet of Ladson-Billing’s work asserts that for indigenous and
minority students to be academically successful, there is a cultural fit between
students’ home culture and their school culture (Ladson-Billings, 1995a).
Bennett’s comprehensive study of multicultural education (2001) indicates
that one genre of equity pedagogy is cultural styles in teaching and learning. Bennett
suggests that teachers must understand certain aspects of ethnicity because the
tendency in US schools is Eurocentric in orientation. Eurocentric refers to something
that “centers on Europe or emphasizing the values, history, perspective, etc. of the
European tradition, sometimes so as to exclude other cultural groups within a
society” (online dictionary). This creates inequity in our schools for language
minority children, low-income children and children of color who are less familiar
with mainstream culture (Bennett, 2001, p. 188).
37
According to Demmert and Towner (2003), “One of the major tasks facing
Native American communities (American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native
Hawaiians) is to create lifelong learning opportunities that allow all the members to
improve their quality of life, and to meet their tribal responsibilities through
meaningful contributions to the local, national and world communities in which they
live and interact” (p. 1). Culture based education is based on teaching and learning
using culturally relevant content, contexts, assessments that also includes the family
and community and home language within the learning experience (Demmert &
Towner, 2003; Ledward & Takayama, 2009). The Hawaiʻi Cultural Influences in
Education (HCIE) study examined the relationship between Hawaiian culture-based
educational strategies and student outcomes. The study found that the use of culture-
based educational approaches had a positive effect on the cultural knowledge and
skills of students (Ledward & Takayama, 2008).
Culturally responsive standards based (CRSB) teaching can offer
opportunities to make learning meaningful through an innovative curriculum in any
subject. There are six essential elements of CRSB teaching: 1) it is always student
centered; 2) It has the power to transform; 3) It is connected and integrated; 4) It
fosters critical thinking; 5) It incorporates assessment and reflection; and 6) It builds
relationships and community. Table 5, indicates these essential elements and suggest
examples that can be employed at a school that is incorporating cultural responsive
standards.
38
Table 5. CRSB Essential Elements Chart
CRSB Essential
Element Example
It is always student
centered
Cooperative learning, group projects, peer teaching
It has the power to
transform
Students can learn about ways in which they can help their
community (volunteering, civic activities, etc.); intergenerational
learning (kūpuna (elders) lessons)
It is connected and
integrated
A field trip to the taro patch can be built around an integrated unit in
which many content areas contribute to the learning; historical
significance of place and context can be incorporated into the
visit/lessons
It fosters critical
thinking
Teachers pose questions that probe student thinking. How does math
relate to your everyday life? Real life current events relative to
cultural concerns can be applied into the curriculum.
It incorporates
assessment and
reflection
Teachers use a variety of authentic assessment measures to monitor
progress throughout the year and make mid-course adjustments;
students and teachers pose rich questions to reflect critically on
lessons learned.
It builds
relationships and
community
Teachers get to know their students, students’ families, and the
communities they serve and use what they learn to inform what they
teach; they help students get to know other people in the community
and communicate with parents about ways to become involved in the
classroom/school.
39
Taken out of context, the elements of CRSB listed above are no different
from what can be considered good teaching. However, during the latter part of the
1800’s, the government passed laws to provide education for all children in Hawaiʻi.
Schools were “thought to offer Native Hawaiian children the opportunity to improve
their ability to live and compete in the Western world” (Benham & Heck, 1998, p.
111). The educational policy at that time had a negative impact on Native
Hawaiians’ academic, economic, and social standing (Benham & Heck, 1998). The
Hawaiian ways of learning were in direct opposition to each other (see Table 6).
Table 6. Western Way of Learning versus Hawaiian Way of Learning (from
Benham & Heck, 1998)
Western school structure Hawaiian ideas of education
Children are placed in grade levels and
required to learn certain tasks according
to age
Children are taught according to ability, not age
or prescribed curriculum.
Assessment based on an abstract
grading system (such as letter grades)
Mana: a talent or spritual gift that obligates each
person to always work toward excellence;
provided immediate feedback of a person’s
work.
Students are encouraged to show
confidence and inquisitive.
Students are to nana i lalo (to look downward)
and to never be mahiʻoi (bold) by asking
questions of adults.
School became the primary place of
learning and in Hawaiʻi, eventually
took learning away from the ʻōhana.
ʻŌhana (extended family unit) was the primary
teachers of the child.
Competition viewed as a profitable
exercise that benefits the individual.
Competition was a healthy activity that
stimulated achievement and excellence.
Work and leisure: strict 40 hours of
school a week, work hard.
Ukupau – “get the work done, then play.”
40
The Western school structure led to the eventual separation of the Hawaiian
people and the Hawaiian traditions and ways. Speaking Hawaiian was shunned and
therefore there were fewer children learning the native language due to the social
pressures of the time (Benham & Heck, 1998). With the decline of the Hawaiian
population due to disease and intermarriages, and the negative impact on Hawaiian
ways, practices, culture, and beliefs, the Hawaiian population was endangered by the
turn of the century in the late 1800’s (Benham and Heck, 1998).
Today at KS, as in the state of Hawaiʻi, there is an effort towards Hawaiian
cultural vibrancy (KS, 2000). Students and families can be drawn into the
curriculum by acknowledging their home culture, making connections to support
their learning and understanding (Saifer & Barton, 2007). A change to instructional
and curricular methods towards more culturally responsive pedagogy can help
strengthen the partnerships between school and home. Saifer and Barton (2007),
report of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory’s practice of CRSB
teaching. Unlike multicultural education, which incorporates world and ethnic
diversity within the curriculum, CRSB teaching focuses on the specific culture of the
representatives of the school. So at a Hawaiian school, this would mean that
Hawaiian culture would be embedded and woven in the teaching at the school.
Adult Learning Theories
The challenge of the American teacher in one-roomed schoolhouses more
than a century ago was to divide time and energy teaching the young student who
41
was new to reading and writing and teaching the advanced, older children (Lortie,
2002). The teacher of today faces a similar challenge of the one-roomed
schoolhouse in the spectrum of today’s school systems. Today teachers are faced
with teaching learners of varying ability who represent a diverse background, and
preparing lessons that include standards, integration of technology, and other
initiatives that are the focus of their educational system’s focus. According to
Merriam et al., (2007), the nature of society determines what one will want to learn,
what is offered in learning and the ways in which one learns (p. 5). For example,
computer technology affects the way in which our society operates and in turn,
people are learning more about computers and technology for professional and
personal knowledge (Merriam et al., 2007).
Culturally responsive schooling (CRS) for indigenous youth has been touted
as a strategy that will improve the academic achievement of American Indian and
Alaska Native students in U.S. schools (Castagno & Brayboy, 2008). According to
Castagno and Brayboy (2008), CRS will require a change in teaching methods,
curricular materials, teacher dispositions and school-community relations. How are
teachers to learn about HLC competencies and how do they learn about HLC
instructional strategies that can be utilized in their classrooms? There are a five
learning concepts that are relevant to a school going through institutional
transformation to help the adults (the teachers) to learn: 1) Andragogy; 2) Theory of
Margin; 3) Organizational learning; 4) Self-directed learning; and 5) Sociocultural
appproach.
42
Andragogy: Knowles (1968) proposed the term, andragogy, referring this
word to adult learning as opposed to the term pedagogy (pre-adult schooling). Thus,
andragogy can mean, “the art and science of helping adults learn” (Knowles, 1980,
as cited from Merriam, 2007, p. 84). According to Knowles, andragogy is based on
the following four assumptions:
1. As a person matures, his or her self-concept moves from that of a
dependent personality toward one of a self-directing human being.
2. An adult accumulates a growing reservoir of experience, which is a rich
resource for learning.
3. The readiness of an adult to learn is closely related to the developmental
tasks of his or her social role.
4. There is change in time perspective as people mature – from future
application of knowledge to immediacy of application. Thus an adult is
more problem centered than subject centered in learning. (Knowles, 1980,
pp. 44-45, as cited by Merriam, 2007, p. 84)
The teachers who are unfamiliar with CRP practices and or HLC instructional
strategies will need to learn about it in order to carry it out in their teaching. The
learning will be affected by the degree of self-directedness and what the adult is
already familiar with. The change in the teacher’s role and the teachers’ status will
affect the way in which they will respond to the required learning in order to learn
more about HLC. For example, it may be more difficult for teachers who are nearing
retirement to be willing to make adjustments to their pedagogical style. The younger
43
teachers that may potentially be working at the institution longer may be more apt to
learn HLC as it will affect their role and their knowledge in CRP practices.
Theory of margin: McClusky’s Theory of Margin (1963) is grounded in the
notion that adults will go through periods of growth, change and integration that
requires a balance between the amount of energy needed and the amount available
(as cited from Merriam, 2007). The balance is the ratio of the “load” of life (L) and
the “power” of life (P). According to Hiemstra (1993),
The load represents normal life requirements (family, work and community
responsibilities) and other expectancies that are create by people (aspirations,
desires, expectations). Power comes in the form of external resources (family
support, social abilities, and economic abilities) and internal skills and
experiences (resilience, coping skills, and personalilty) (as cited by Merriam,
2007, pp. 93-94).
When the Margin has a Load factor that is greater than the Power factor, the
expected outcome (learning) is susceptible to failure or breakdown. Conversely,
when the Power factor is greater than the Load factor, the learner is better equipped
to “engage in exploratory, creative activities, and is thus more likely to learn.”
(McClusky, 1970, from Merriam, 2007). Adult learners must maintain some margin
of power in order to engage in learning.
Organizational learning: KS is an educational organization that is going
through change as it transforms into a school with a curriculum that ensures that
students will meet certain HLC competencies. The trustees, vice-presidents,
44
headmasters and other policymakers are developing initiatives and writing policies
for KS that will help with this transformation. However, it is the teachers at KS are
faced with assisting with this transformation as it relates to instructing students.
It is assumed that all teachers support this transformation and will work at
meeting these educational goals. But how is the organization (KS) to carry out these
goals? Organizational culture is a determinant of how things get done.
Organizational culture is a way to describe the core values, goals, beliefs, emotions,
and processes learned as people develop over time in our work environments (Clark
& Estes, 2002, p. 108). Clark and Estes contend that organizational culture affects
the improvement initiatives of an organization. They also go on to say, “Too many
organizations fail to make the connection between high-level organizational goals
and specific team/individual goals” (Clark & Estes, 2002, p. 23). The policies and
initiatives regarding HLC were written and developed by the administrators and
decision makers at KS has not been modeled at the team/individual level in order to
carry out the goals of the institution. Ultimately, it is up to the teachers, who are in
direct contact with the students, to carry out the HLC initiatives. These adults, the
teachers, are charged with teaching the students and may need to learn more about
HLC in order to carry out these initiatives.
According to Merriam et al. (2007), organizational learning refers to the
learning that goes on in organizations as a response to changes in the internal and
external environments of the organization. Organizational learning entails that
individuals do the learning but in service to the organization so that it can adapt to
45
the environment (Merriam et al., 2007). Organizational learning will foster learning
communities that are open to change and new practices (Meriam, 2007).
Organizational learning for teachers looks like professional development
opportunities that are ongoing each school year that will contribute to school and
district initiatives. It may involve individual meetings with teachers and teacher
coaches (administration, curriculum coordinators, etc.). Other opportunities for
learning could include small group or large group learning during faculty meetings,
team planning times, or in-service days.
At KS, the curriculum coordinator has the opportunity to plan how to best
utilize the time allowed during the school year to foster the learning process of
teachers to support initiatives. In addition to staff development planned by the
curriculum coordinator, there is a committee of teachers who help with staff
development regarding Hawaiian language and culture. In planning out how to
incorporate lessons to all teachers regarding HLC, the ʻike Hawaiʻi committee
assists in the planning of 20-30 minute lessons on HLC. These lessons are presented
at scheduled faculty meetings once a month. The lessons provide teachers with
opportunities to learn together. As teachers are familiarized with HLC through these
lessons, there are some teachers who desire to extend their learning. Some teachers,
who choose to learn HLC independent of school provided mechanisms, may pursue
self-directed learning opportunities, such as Hawaiian language classes or
workshops.
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Self-directed learning theory: The next learning concept is self-directed
learning theory. Being self-directed is a natural part of adult life (Merriam, et al.,
2007). Following formal schooling, adults continue to learn whether it involves
personal learning such as fixing the sink in your home or professional learning. The
self-directed learning theory of Spear (1988) is most applicable to the situation of
self-directed learning of KS teachers learning HLC. Spear proposed a model that
presents three elements: a) the opportunities people find in their own environments,
past or new knowledge, and chance occurrences (reported in Merriam et al., 2007).
There are learning opportunities that KS provides such as Hawaiian language
classes that are made available throughout the year. Language classes are offered to
KS staff and faculty in varying degrees. There are workshops that are offered
multiple times throughout the school year. The human resources office provides
these voluntary workshops that can meet after school for three hours to learn about
commonly used Hawaiian language terms and phrases. Other teachers have enrolled
in weekly lessons. These lessons meet once a week on campus for three-hour
blocks. In addition to these formal meetings, learners have formed study groups to
practice and review what they learn in class.
There are chance occurrences of learning that teachers have experienced.
Informal learning opportunities outside of work have occurred when teachers met
socially to go hiking and they learned more about the places and Native plants of
Hawaiʻi. Other chance occurrences can include the learning that takes place when
one is using the internet for research or the learning that happens when talking with
47
kūpuna or Native Hawaiian experts to learn more about Hawaiian language and
culture.
Sociocultural approach: Finally, the sociocultural perspective is defined by
Ormrod (2008) as a “theoretical perspective emphasizing the importance of society
and culture in promoting cognitive development” (p. 39). While Ormrod’s
description of Vygotsky’s Theory of Cognitive Development refers to the
sociocultural perspective dealing with the development of children, the sociocultural
perspective can also be applied to adult learners. The sociocultural approach to adult
development recognizes that what exists in the social environment will have an
effect on the development of the adult learner (Merriam, 2007). As KS becomes a
Hawaiian school and the role of the teacher is more carefully defined to be familiar
and promote HLC, “learning programs could be built to address these competencies
for adults going through role changes or wishing to become more competent in their
current role” (Merriam, 2007, p. 314). The Ke Ala Leo courses that are promoted
and supported by KS to its faculty and staff allow for adults to get together in a
learning environment to learn Hawaiian language. Other opportunities for adult
learning may exist in the form of professional learning communities and
interdisciplinary teams creating project based learning units.
Teachers who are to learn something new, such as Hawaiian language and
culture, need to have a method of learning. Whether teachers learn more about HLC
through formal or informal opportunities, the learning process is continual.
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Individual teachers are at different levels of HLC competencies and may or may not
exhibit and utilize their HLC competencies in the classroom through culturally
relevant pedagogical practices. According to Pajares (2002), “teacher’s self-efficacy
beliefs also affect their instructional activities and their orientation toward the
educational process” (p. 9). Thus, teachers who are more familiar with HLC, will be
more apt to utilizing HLC in the classroom.
Research and Examples That Support Culturally Relevant
Pedagogy in the Classroom
Since 1820, upon the arrival of the first missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands,
schools in Hawaiʻi functioned as a way of socializing the populace toward Western
ways of thinking and behaving. The result was the degradation of the Hawaiian way
of life (Benham & Heck, 1998, p. 102). While the students at KS are Hawaiian and
indigenous to the islands they hail from, the school has traditionally taught students
in the western-European ways as introduced by the American missionaries in the
1800’s. Consequently, the majority of the students in Hawaiʻi are not fluent in their
native language and the majority of the students’ first language is English. KS
students as well as students in the state of Hawaiʻi have been instructed using
western methods for most of the history of formal schooling in the islands. Omizo
and Omizo (1998) argue that Hawaiian students are more groups oriented as opposed
to individualistic. By contrast, the American culture encourages independence,
autonomy, and competition (Omizo & Omizo, 1998).
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Ladson-Billings work asserts that for indigenous and minority students to be
acadmically successful, a cultural fit between students’ home culture and their school
culture is beneficial. Since KS has provided educational opportunities in the past
that have demonstrated academic success and the many studies of CBE (Ledward &
Takayama, 2008) and CRP (Ladson-Billings, 2005) have been significant for those
who have been underserved and low performing, the inclusion of HLC initiatives at
KS are not specifically to advance the academic status of the students. KS students
were already performing above the level of the other Native Hawaiian student
population and other groups. The efforts of KS towards becoming a Hawaiian
Educational Institution and meeting KS Strategic Goal Three (KS, 2000) is the
impetus for the various HLC initiatives in place.
The Native Hawaiian Education Council in 1997 defined Hawaiian Education
as “education that supports, strengthens, and develops the language, culture,
community orientation, and aloha that makes a Hawaiian – Hawaiian; at the same
time that it provides the Hawaiian people with the knowledge and skills necessary to
stand in a position of strength in the present international world” (as cited from
Meyer, 2003, p. 191). Kamehameha Schools’ definition of a Hawaiian institution
“is an extended family that manifests its identity through beliefs and practices rooted
in an ancestral Hawaiian worldview” (KS, 2002). In a 2002 handout to KS entiltled
“Kamehameha Schools as a Hawaiian Institution,” it gave further bullet points:
• Purpose of a Hawaiian Institution: The purpose of a Hawaiian
institution is to empower Hawaiians.
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• Purpose of a Hawaiian Educational Institution: The purpose of a
Hawaiian educational institution is to facilitate learning that empowers
Hawaiians to thrive as a people who are grounded in their culture and
committed to its practice, perpetuation, and growth.
• Kamehameha Schools commits itself to the purpose of a Hawaiian
educational institution.
• Kamehameha Schols affirms its identity as a Hawaiian Educational
Institution by promoting and exemplifying the following attributes from
an indigenous perspective:
o Spirituality
o ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi
o KS genealogical identity
o Human relationships in the learning and working environments
o Use of resources (e.g. people, land, knowledge, wisdom, and
money
o Educational philosophy and practices
o Cultural beliefs and practices
o Decision-making / governance / policy
o Systems of measurement and evaluation (KS, 2002)
According to Merriam-Webster (online), curriculum is the set of courses
offered by an institution and pedagogy is the art, science and profession of teaching.
Thus if the curriculum and pedagogy at KS is to serve the purpose of KS identifying
51
itself as a Hawaiian Educational Institution, it is vital for the teachers to be on board,
willing and able to offer coursework and present it in a manner that reflects the
desired outcome of empowering Hawaiians in Hawaiian cultural practice,
perpetuation and growth.
This section will examine and analyze research and examples of the role of
the culturally relevant teacher, culturally relevant practices in the non-culture
specific classroom, and the support of teachers.
The Role of the Culturally Relevant Teacher
According to Gay (2000), there are three major categories of the roles and
responsibilities of culturally responsive educators: cultural organizers, cultural
mediators, and orchestrators of social contexts for learning.
As cultural organizers, teachers are to provide opportunities for students of
different backgrounds to have free and cultural expression through the learning
experience. The dominant, Western style of teaching in Hawaiʻi schools led to a
practiced curriculum that often negated and denied Hawaiian language, culture and
ways of learning (Benham & Heck, 1998; PASE, 2003). As a school specifically for
Native Hawaiian students, KS makes efforts to provide a learning environment that
allows Hawaiian children to succeed. Students contribute to the learning
environment by bringing their experiences and learning styles (PASE, 2003).
As cultural mediators, teachers provide opportunities for students to
participate in critical dialogue about conflicts among cultures. There are many
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controversial topics that can be discussed with the Native Hawaiian students at KS.
One example is the admissions policy. Recently, there was a court case that alleged
that the KS admissions policy of accepting only students of Native Hawaiian
ancestry was unconstitutional (Rath, 2006). Had the admissions policy been found
unconstitutional, it would impact the school’s mission to serve Native Hawaiian
students. The conversations that KS teachers have had with students impacted their
perspective on this conflict. There are many controversial topics that affect Native
Hawaiians. According to Gay (2000), “teachers help students clarify their ethnic
identity, honor other cultures, and avoid perpetuating prejudices, stereotypes and
racism. The goal is to create communities of culturally diverse learners who
celebrate and affirm each other and work collaboratively for their mutual cusses,
where empowerment replaces powerlessness and oppression” (p. 43).
Finally, as orchestrators of social contexts for learning, teachers are to
recognize the importance and the influence that culture has on learning and make
certain that the learning opportunities are compatible with the socio-cultural contexts
of ethnically diverse students.
Professional learning communities and reflective practice are popular buzz
terms used in education today. Teachers have responsibilities not only to the
students but also to themselves and other teachers. The Kamehameha Early
Education Project (KEEP), is described by Demmert and Towner (2003), as among
the best-described educational programs in history, having generated hundreds of
published articles and included in numerous research projects. KEEP began as an
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applied research and development project in 1970 with a mission to develop ways to
meet the needs of Native Hawaiians to become academically successful (Jordan,
1995, p. 83).
KEEP hypothesized that Native Hawaiian students’ lack of academic
achievement was due to a mismatch between home and school culture. The program
took a socio-cultural perspective of teaching and learning. Some of their program
modifications included a change in classroom organization to allow for peer teaching
interactions; participation structures in the classroom to encourage discussion of text
ideas; and small group sessions with students to make connections of the basal reader
textbook to student lives. This model was incorporated after substantial in-service
teacher training and collaborative curriculum refinement.
The project’s social context became the setting for developing, not only
student competencies, but also teacher knowledge, skills and professional
dispositions. The creation of a community of learners among teachers was a critical
component of the program (Kawakami, 2004). This finding contributes to the notion
that efforts to improve student achievement require teachers to make a commitment
to improving their practice through learning.
The teachers are on the frontline and have daily contact with the students. An
important facet of professionalism and of effectiveness in the classroom is a
teacher’s dedication to students and to the job of teaching (Stronge, 2002, p. 19).
Effective teachers are informal leaders who are willing to effect change. Effective
teachers will model life long learning by attending workshops and participating in
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professional development and taking coursework. The learning seems endless
because it is.
Professional growth happens when a teacher takes time for reflection.
Farmer, Hauk and Neumann (2005) presented a culturally responsive professional
development of math teachers at their university-based professional development
plan. In it they worked with math educators to integrate Process Standards of math
as culturally responsive teacher educators. They found that one of the obstacles that
needed to be addressed was in order to obtain a vivid experiential understanding of
the Process Standards in action, and how they relate to instruction, it is worthwhile
for teacher participants to experience, reflect on, and discuss the mathematical
processes in the role of the learner (Schifter, 1998, from Farmer et al., 2005).
This model allowed educators to be put in the place of learner in order to
learn methods of culturally responsive teaching in a math classroom. It was an
activity based professional development design, which allowed for simulation of
classroom strategies that addressed the math Process Standards and allowed for
collaboration and stimulated sustained professional learning (Farmer, et al., 2005).
One of the lessons they learned was that “putting teachers into the role of learner can
provide a powerful new perspective” (Farmer, et al., 2005, p. 69). This allowed
teachers to be challenged to learn to use mathematics Process Standards in new
ways.
This shift in perspective is important to encouraging culturally responsive
pedagogy in K-12 classrooms for the following reasons: 1) To acknowledge and
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value the experiences, teachers need to recognize how an authentic, real life learning
situation may differ from what is presented in a textbook; 2) Teachers need to see
how what they teach can recognized, value and address different learning styles; and
3) Cultural relevance can be in the classroom using various assessment methods
(Farmer, et al., 2005).
The other lesson learned that is applicable to this research is that
“collaboration and support are key elements in professional learning as well as
student learning” (p. 70). Professional learning and was supported through the
creation of supportive environments and caused a reduction of professional isolation.
Interpersonal relationships were developed and non-threatening environments and
valuing diversity were important aspects in this effort. These findings are not far
fetched as KS practices Hawaiian values of laulima, working together, and mālama,
caring for one another.
Culturally Relevant Practices in the Math Classroom
Traditional mathematics instruction involves whole group lessons in which
teachers describe ways in which to solve problems while students listen to the
lecture. The teacher then assigns problems from the textbook, which is similar to
those examples from the lecture. This teacher directed model of instruction is typical
of most math classrooms. Tate (1995) refers to this traditional approach to
mathematics instruction as “foreign” pedagogy. Tate reviewed specific studies
regarding the performance of African Americans in mathematics. What Tate finds is
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that “many scholars contend that the curriculum and pedagogy of mathematics have
been and continue to be linked to Eurocentric precepts that exclude the African
American experience” (Anderson, 1990; Apple, 1992; Joseph, 1987; as cited in Tate,
1995, p. 168). In his research, Tate describes the work of a teacher, Sandra Mason,
in a predominantly African American middle school located in an urban district in
the southwest. Tate studied Mason’s pedagogy and conducted an ethnographic
interview to learn about her background, pedagogical philosophy and perspectives on
curriculum, administrative support and parent and community involvement. Mason
developed a curriculum that incorporated an awareness of the problems African
American children face in education and society. Through applications of math and
problem solving related to their community and environment, students become
confident problem posers, problem solvers and communicators. The table below
(Table 7) compares Sandra Mason’s pedagogy with a more traditional mathematics
instructional model (Tate, 1995, p. 171). The table is modified to include a third
column that suggests how math instruction might look like at KS.
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Table 7. Mathematics Instruction Chart (Traditional model, Mason’s model, KS
model)
Focus
Traditional Math
Instruction Model Sandra Mason’s Pedagogy
KS model of math
instruction
Problem Solving
• Solving routine,
well-defined
problems
• Investigating open-
ended problems
• Formulating questions
from problem situations
• Representing real
situations verbally,
numerically, or
graphically
• Persuading others with
mathematics
• Students work
collaboratively on
real life problems and
solutions
Communication
• Requires only
yes, no, or one
answer
• Providing multiple
responses to a question
• Allows student to
explain thought process
• Allows for small
groups to discuss
together before
sharing answer with
the large group
Reasoning
• Relying on
teacher or book
• Reasoning with ratios
and proportions
• Reasoning with tables,
graphs and charts
• Reasoning with one
another
Connecting
• Learning skills
out of context,
following the
chapters of the
textbook
• Connecting mathematics
to other disciplines and
to the world outside of
school
• Making connections
with math and real
life situations in their
culture and the
environment
Statistics
• Memorizing
rules
• Using statistical methods
to make decisions
• Using statistical
methods to inform
and apply to real life
situations
Social Action
• No political
action
• Attempting to
implement problem-
solving strategies
• Recognizing the
teachable moments
and taking time to
discuss real life
problems
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The culture that is incorporated into the math class will more often appear
contextually. Boaler (2002) conducted a 3-year study of 300 students at two
different high schools with different mathematics teaching approaches in England.
At one school, mathematics was taught using an open-ended approach while at the
other school a more procedural, skill-based approach was used. Both sites were
schools whose population was primarily white and working class. The school that
used an open-ended approach achieved scores in math that were significantly higher
and reduced the inequalities that typically correlate with gender or social class. The
open-ended instructional approach is described as one that encourages small group
and large group discussion. Explorations in mathematical topics and student
communication are incorporated into the math classroom. Reform-oriented teaching
not only focuses on the process of mathematical topics and skills but also on the
actual learning (note-taking, communicating thinking or interpreting numerical
answers). While some textbooks offer real world problems, real world solutions
must also be considered (Boaler, 2002, p. 251). Problem based curriculum in
mathematics allows for students to relate mathematics to issues and topics in their
own life.
At Kamehameha, there are teachers who have taught in a traditional manner
for all or most of their career and may not be familiar with how to incorporate these
reform-oriented teaching strategies and approaches. Support for teachers may be
required for change to take effect at KS.
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Support for Teachers
The shift of KS to become more of a Hawaiian school after following the
educational development in Hawaiʻi that provided a primarily Western, dominant
culture style of teaching will require institutional transformation to occur (Benham &
Heck, 1998). This shift involves the implementation of HLC initiatives that are to be
carried out by institutional agents, namely the teachers, to support student learning
and use HLC. The HLC initiatives are in addition to other content specific
curriculum and institution wide initiatives separate from HLC efforts. If it is the
intention of KS to educate native Hawaiian students who possess HLC
competencies, how can the organization support teachers to implement culturally
relevant pedagogical practices at KS? Ongoing professional development that is
culturally relevant is vital in order to increase the cultural knowledge of teachers
(Yamauchi, et al., 2005).
If teachers are to support reform in a school or a system, there needs to be
support and resources available to them (Farmer, et al., 2005). Laguardia et al.
(2002) report that teacher preparation is a significant factor in school reform (p. 5).
The ambitious goals set by the institution must be balanced with leadership that
provides resources and supports teacher efforts to carry out such goals. Resources
can include professional development opportunities such as workshops, in service
training, professional learning communities, online and technology-supported
resources to support Hawaiian language and culture (Gay, 2000).
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In Washington State, the implementation of the Washington State Education
Reform plan found that support for professional development was a vital component
of school reform (Laguardia et al., 2002, p. 5). This support included the
establishment of “Regional Learning and Assessment Centers” that provided
assistance to school districts and schools, a variety of professional development
opportunities and training related to classroom based assessment strategies. Other
support mechanisms mentioned was the addition of professional development days
added to the school calendar to allow teachers to focus on the improvement of
student learning and to meet the goals for reform that were set (p. 5).
Professional relationships in the school setting among teachers are another
form of support that is mentioned researchers as significant for institutional reform
(Farmer, et al, 2005). Good collegial relationships among a school team are vital
when a school is going through change. A school cannot function properly without
the institutional agents (teachers, staff, and administrators) working collaboratively
to achieve goals that will lead to student success. Each plays an important role in the
implementation of professional development. Collegiality and professionalism refer
to the manner in which the staff members in a school interact and the extent to which
they approach their duties as professionals (Marzano, Waters & McNulty, 2005, p.
88). They suggested that this factor involves professional development that is
focused, skill-oriented, and cohesive from session to session and year to year.
Relationships should be professional in nature while being cordial and friendly.
There are three action steps that are suggested with this factor: establish norms of
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conduct and behavior that engender collegiality and cooperation, establish
governance structures that allow for teacher involvement in decisions and policies
for the school, and provide teachers with meaningful staff development activities
(Marzano, et al., 2005, p. 89).
The Hawaiian Studies Program (HSP) at a Hawaiʻi public high school is an
example of an academic program designed to contextualize learning within the
Hawaiian culture (Yamauchi, et al., 2005). HSP served 60 to 90 students on a team
so that the students stayed with the same teachers. The program gave students and
teachers the opportunity to participate in service learning projects that included
Hawaiian culture (i.e., native plant restoration, canoe construction, health promotion
activities and study and care of stream environments) in their community. HSP
founders believed that student learning and motivation would be enhanced if
instruction incorporated the students home culture (Tharp & Gallimore, 1988). HSP
teachers worked to contextualize their instruction by incorporating Hawaiian values
and making connections between the relationships between Western and Hawaiian
concepts. The teachers were provided support from community agencies and annual
retreats with community partners allowed discussion of long range planning for the
school and community. The Center for Research on Education, Diversity and
Excellence (CREDE) was one of the community partners that promoted
contextualization through a three-year study. During this time, teachers were
involved in professional development which required weekly meetings for two years
and biweekly for a third year. Teachers watched videotaped segments of their own
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and other’s teaching and to consider contextualization as well as the four other
Standards of Effective Pedagogy (see Table 8). In addition to meetings, teachers
kept journals about their use of the standards, conducted classroom research on how
to incorporate the standards, developed portfolios to show the standards within their
curriculum, and made professional presentations to others about their enactment of
the standards. The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent to which
professional development experiences may have influenced HSP teachers’
contextualized instruction (Yamauchi, et al., 2005). What they found was that
teachers who participated in the study group were successful at implementing
contextualized instruction. HSP professional development included many aspects of
study groups that have found to be effective to reform efforts. The result of the study
suggested that a study group is an effective way for teachers to learn how to
contextualize their instruction for Hawaiian students (Yamauchi, et al., 2005, p. 184).
Table 8. CREDE Five Standards for Effective Pedagogy and Learning (from
CREDE)
Joint Productive Activity Teacher and Students Producing Together
Language Development Developing Language and Literacy Across the Curriculum
Contextualization Making Meaning: Connecting School to Students' Lives
Challenging Activities Teaching Complex Thinking
Instructional Conversation Teaching Through Conversation
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Research from the HSP example is an uncommon type. Further research is
needed to determine whether participation in a study group would help teachers of
Hawaiian students to contextualize their instruction.
Hawaiian Cultural Vibrancy at Kamehameha Schools
There are three specific efforts in place at KS to promote Hawaiian cultural
vibrancy: 1) Kūlia I Ka Nuʻu, (Hawaiian Language and Culture Performance
Indicators, HLCPI); 2) Working Exit Outcomes (WEO); and 3) Hawaiian Cultural
Vibrancy Policy.
The HLCPI is a tool used at the exit level of the KS student to measure the
level of Hawaiian Language and Cultural competence each student possesses prior to
graduation. There are four categories for this tool: 1) communication; 2) customs
and traditions; 3) society; and 4) community, land and the sea. Students are placed
on a continuum upon showing knowledge or ability of the indicators in each
category. Students are classified as foundational, developing or advanced. Examples
of the indicators in the category of “Communication” are shown in Table 9. This
represents just one of the four categories that is measured to determine students’
level of competence in Hawaiian Language and Culture. Students complete a survey
at grades six, eight, and twelve. This data is being used to determine the percentage
of students who leave KS at the three levels of competency.
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Table 9. HLCPI: Communication
COMMUNICATION: 1) interpersonal communication 2) listening and reading
skills and 3) oral, written and visual presentations, all conducted in Hawaiian
language.
Value: Honor ancestors and elders, family, school, self, protocol and the Hawaiian
oral tradition.
Foundational Developing Advanced
Trace genealogy (at least 3
generations; use lineal
descent).
Present genealogy orally
and/or in writing (at least
three generations).
Present genealogy
tracing as far back as
possible.
Interpret body language
correctly (head level for
respect, eye contact when
spoken to or when scolded,
putting hand on head for deep
thinking, etc.).
Use formal greetings and
closings.
Interact with Hawaiian
speakers using more
complex Hawaiian.
Develop correct
pronunciation and
enunciation.
Interact with Hawaiian
speakers using basic
Hawaiian (e.g. teachers,
kūpuna, visitors and
family)
Read, listen to and view
authentic materials with
comprehension.
Use greetings, leave-takings
and courtesy expressions (e.g.
How are you?; thank you;
apology; greetings, etc.).
Read with
comprehension basic
materials in Hawaiian.
Deliver prepared and
impromptu speeches on
topics important to the
self and for protocol.
Give and follow simple
instructions (e.g. come inside,
sit down, listen…).
Deliver prepared
presentation.
Express in written form
complex ideas and
thoughts (e.g. letters,
essays, research paper).
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The Working Exit Outcomes (WEO) is the framework that KS has adopted to
focus on the learning and teaching of the students. It was born from a tri-campus
development team that met to develop common exit outcomes for all graduates of
KS. The WEO includes the areas of development in growth, global, knowledge and
wisdom and relationships. It was first shared with KS faculty and staff in the 2008-
2009 school year and feedback was requested. One significant feedback was that the
Hawaiian culture and perspective was a consistent theme that had positive feedback
from the group. The feedback allowed for the design team to come up with the
current version of the WEO (see Table 10). Since this document is in its rookie year,
the extent to which the campuses are using it varies.
Table 10. KS Working Exit Outcomes (WEO), 2009
Ke Ao Hoʻoūlu –
GROWTH
Ke Ao Pilina –
RELATIONSHIPS
Ke Ao Lani, Ke Ao
Honua – GLOBAL
Ke Ao ʻImi Naʻauao –
KNOWLEDGE AND
WISDOM
He Hawaiʻi au
mau a mau – I am
a Hawaiian now
and forever.
Hilinaʻi i Ke Akua –
Trust in God.
Kū i ke ao – Be of the
world. To be like the
world in which one
lives.
Nānā i ke kumu – Look to
the source.
Embrace my
identitiy as a
Hawaiian
Live a life reflective of
Christian values.
Live in interdepence
with all that surrounds
me physically,
spiritually,
emotionally, and
intellectually.
Utilize various sources (i.e.
kūpuna, kumu, loea,
moʻolelo, wahi pana,
moʻomeheu) to foster
inquiry and seek knowledge.
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Table 10, Continued
E lawe i ke aʻo a
mālama e ʻoi mau
ka naʻauao – He
who takes his
teaching and applies
them increases his
knowledge.
ʻIke nō i ka lā o ka
ʻike; mana nō I ka
lā o ka mana –
Know in the day of
knowing; mana in
the day of mana.
E hoʻōki i ka hoʻina wale
o hōʻino ʻia mai ke kumu
– One should never go
home without some
knowledge lest his
teacher be criticized.
Ua lehulehu a manomano
ka ʻikena a ka Hawaiʻi –
Great and numerous is the
knowledge of the
Hawaiians. We create,
share and apply knowledge
in purposeful and relevant
ways.
Grow by identifying
strengths and needs
and pursuing
appropriate actions.
Adapt successfully
to various kūlana
(roles).
Embrace the collective
experience in Hawaiʻi
and the Pacific as a
foundation for relating to
the diversity of the
world.
Engage in critical thinking
to apply traditional
knowledge to my
contemporary context.
Ka ʻike a ka makua he
hei na ke keiki – The
knowledge of the parent
is (unconsciously
absorbed by the child.
Lawe i ka maʻalea a
kūʻonoʻono – Take wisdom
and make it deep.
Nurture and value my
identity as a source of
understanding, purpose,
meaning, and connection
to others.
Transform my knowledge
through the blending of
imagination, intuition and
intellect.
Mōhala i ka wai ka maka
o ka pua – Unfolded by
the water are the faces of
the flowers.
He aupuni palapala koʻu;
ʻo ke kanaka pono ʻo ia
koʻu kanaka – Mine is a
kingdom of education: the
righteous man is my man.
Promote and utilize
Hawaiian perspectives
and practices to enhance
my well-being and the
well-being of my ʻohana,
kaiāulu, lāhui, and world.
Seek and apply knowledge
ethically.
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In June 2009, a new policy went into effect at KS called the Hawaiian
Cultural Vibrancy Policy 740[C] (KS, 2009). This policy supports the Hawaiian
cultural revitalization efforts KS has been working towards since the 2000 Strategic
Plan (KS, 2000). According to the report by Hoʻokāhua (Hawaiian Cultural
Development) department (2009),
It is the first cultural policy of its kind and is a result of many years of work
by individuals from all KS divisions and groups.” The purpose of the policy
is to Address KS’s belief in the importance of revitalizing and promoting
Hawaiian cultural vibrancy in achieving its mission and KS’s commitment to
Hawaiian cultural vibrancy among its leadership, staff, and learners system-
wide, and other target audiences, as it creates, fosters, and promotes
educational opportunities to improve the capability and well being of people
of Hawaiian ancestry, the Lāhui Hawaiʻi.
There are three areas of vibrancy that are indicated in this policy – Nohona
Hawaiʻi (living Hawaiian culture), ʻIke Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian knowledge and
understanding), and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), see Figure 4.
Nohona Hawaiʻi: KS will learn and practice the attributes of Nohona
Hawaiʻi, a living, vibrant Hawaiian way of life – one that embodies a kuana
ʻike Hawaiʻi (a Hawaiian worldview), expresses a sense of pili ʻuhane
(spirituality), values launa (social interaction and relationships) and is
characterized by a spirit of ʻoluʻolu (kindness) and hoʻokipa (hospitality).
ʻIke Hawaiʻi: KS will value, cultivate, nurture, perpetuate and apply ʻike
Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian knowledge and understanding, in ways that honor the
depth and breadth of it many forms and expressions within our Hawaiian way
of life.
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi: KS will cultivate, nurture, perpetuate, honor, and engage in
the proper and regular use of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi – the native language of its
founder and beneficiaries. KS understands and believes that the revitalization
of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is critical in order for the Native Hawaiian way of life to
survive and thrive in perpetuity (KS, 2009).
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Figure 4. Three Areas of Vibrancy (KS, 2009)
The policy also declares that all levels of KS leadership will 1) be expected to
plan, and manage their own personal Hawaiian cultural growth and self-
development; and 2) ensure that there are opportunities for learning and practicing
Hawaiian culture for all staff. The level of Hawaiian cultural vibrancy will be
assessed and reported annually to the CEO and Trustees. Some of the reporting
methods suggested are 1) information from Nohona Hawaiʻi Data Base that indicates
the number of activities for cultural learning and practice and the percentage of
participation by staff members; 2) achievement of each divisions’ Hawaiian cultural
goals; and 3) results of staff surveys (annually).
In conclusion, the efforts of KS towards incorporating more HLC in the
classrooms and throughout the institution are pieced together to contribute to a
Hawaiian community that is connected to the Hawaiian language and culture.
69
Conclusion
While KS has been Hawaiian students for academic success for the most part
of its existence, the efforts towards Hawaiian cultural vibrancy and the emphasis on
HLC suggests that teachers must understand certain aspects of ethnicity (Bennett,
2001). In the past, Native Hawaiian students at KS have done well compared to their
public school counterparts (Kamehameha, 2005). The premise of CRP establishes
the importance of student achievement with a focus on cultural competence and
student awareness of the social inequities that exist (Ladson-Billings, 1995). The
incorporation of CRP practices will allow teachers to be culturally responsive
educators who will be cultural organizers, cultural mediators, and orchestrators of
social contexts for learning.
Some teachers are self-directed and contribute to the initiatives of the
institution on their own accord, while all teachers are directly affected by
organizational learning efforts through staff development opportunities like in-
service workshops and professional learning communities.
Teachers working in professional learning communities (PLC) can support
one another in culturally responsive professional development. PLC has been found
to be an effective way to implement institutional change as exemplified in the KEEP
program (Kawakami, 2004). In an example of PLC, Farmer, et al., (2005) found that
teachers who were put into the role of learner developed interpersonal relationships
in non-threatening environments. An important lesson learned by this was “that
70
collaboration and support are key elements in professional learning as well as student
learning” (Farmer, et al, 2005, p. 70).
KS desires to become Ke Kula Hawaiʻi, a Hawaiian school (Kamehameha,
2004). At KS, new teachers are introduced to seven specific Hawaiian values during
the orientation session they attend before they enter the classroom (see Table 11).
The KS philosophy of education states that “all members of the Kamehameha
community that includes, learners, staff, families and alumni are role models and will
demonstrate attitudes and behaviors consistent with Hawaiian and Christian values”
(Kamehameha Middle School, 2008). Teachers’ praxis that demonstrates the
Hawaiian values and incorporates CRP practice will help students attain academic
success and will acknowledge and support students HLC competencies. The degree
to which this is being carried out is the basis of this research. The next chapter will
explain the methodology of this study.
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Table 11. Hawaiian Values (KS, 2004)
Hawaiian Value Definition
Aloha Love, affection, compassion, sympathy
ʻImi naʻauao To seek enlightenment, wisdom and education
Mālama To care for, to protect, to maintain, to attend to
ʻIke pono ʻike – to know, to see, to feel, to understand, to comprehend, to
recognize
pono – righteous, appropriate, moral, goodness, proper, fair
Kuleana Privilege, responsibility, area of responsibility
Hoʻomau To persevere, to perpetuate, to continue
Haʻahaʻa Humility, humbleness, modesty
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CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
The goal of this study was to examine the extent to which culturally relevant
pedagogical practices are used in the math classrooms. The pedagogical practices
will include a focus on the content that is taught and the way in which it is delivered.
In the first two chapters, I established the initial purpose for the study and
reviewed literature regarding pedagogy, culturally relevant pedagogy, and learning
frameworks. I provided examples and reviewed the significance of empirical
research that exhibited the use of culturally relevant pedagogical practices. In this
chapter, I present the methodology that was employed in this study. The major
sections included in this chapter are: 1) research design, 2) site and sample, 3)
instrumentation, 4) data procedures and data analysis, and 5) ethical considerations.
The purpose of this study was to learn about the extent to which math
teachers are utilizing CRP practices in the classroom to promote HLC at KS. This
study also determines what kinds of support might assist teachers to utilize HLC
more. Finally the study probed the perceptions of teachers of the effect of HLC in
the content and context of their curriculum and learned about what motivates
teachers to use CRP practices in their classroom.
Research questions: The strategic goals of KS have led to the development
of HLC competencies as a graduation requirement for students. In order for all
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teachers to be contributors towards supporting students’ HLC competencies, the
study will examine the following research questions:
1. What types of HLC instructional strategies (i.e. content and context) is
utilized by math teachers at KS? And to what extent are these HLC
instructional strategies used?
2. What HLC competencies do teachers need assistance with in order to
utilize CRP practices in the classroom?; and
3. What are teachers’ perceptions about the impact of HLC on their
teaching?
Research Design
“The classic qualitative-quantitative debate has been largely resolved with
recognition that a variety of methodological approaches are needed and credible, that
mixed methods can be especially valuable, and that the challenge is to appropriately
match methods to question rather than adhering to some narrow methodological
orthodoxy” (Patton, 2002, p. xxii). Quantitative methods employ the use of
standardized measures so that the sample group may be large and limited to a set of
questions. One of the benefits of the quantitative approach is that the data can be
compared and aggregated to allow for a broad generalized conclusion. Qualitative
methods on the other hand employ the use of fieldwork such as observation and
interviews that might result in open-ended questions being answered. The number of
74
cases and situations considered in a qualitative study is much smaller than that of a
quantitative study.
Because the topic of study I chose is regarding the role of the teacher in
regards to culturally relevant pedagogy in the math classroom and the number of
participants was limited to the middle school math teachers at KS, the research I’ve
employed was of the qualitative nature. I chose a qualitative research approach for
four reasons. First, I conducted a comprehensive review of the literature that
revealed there was few qualitative research studies devoted to examining the role of
the math teacher in a culturally based school setting. Second, I wanted to observe
and learn about what kinds of culturally relevant pedagogical practices are being
utilized by math teachers at KMS. I wanted to discover how my peers were applying
HLC into the content and context of the math class. Third, the number of people that
I interviewed was limited to the number of math teachers at the study site (KMS). I
interviewed teachers to learn about their experiences, expectations, concerns,
successes, challenges, hopes and feelings regarding their role as teachers to
indigenous learners who are expected to be competent with HLC. Fourth, I was able
to document the responses from those interviewed and observed and compare their
results to those of myself since I am also a math teacher and part of the participant
group.
Patton (2002) describes a type of qualitative study called program evaluation.
It is the systemic collection of information about activities and programs currently in
use and making judgments about the program and program effectiveness that can
75
inform decisions about future programming. The current shift at KS to become more
of a Hawaiian school includes the implementation of initiatives currently being
employed at the school. These initiatives will be examined in this study to determine
its effectiveness towards the goal of KS becoming a Hawaiian school.
The Ethnographic Study
I chose a qualitative analysis approach to study HLC initiatives at KS and the
role that the math teacher plays in supporting students’ HLC competencies. Because
of the nature of the research questions, the instruments used in the study, and the
focus on Hawaiian Language and Culture competencies, this study will be an
ethnographic case study. The notion of culture is central to ethnography (Patton,
2002). An ethnographic study presents a socio-cultural analysis in a unit of study. I
used this approach to study the relationship of Hawaiian language and culture in the
math classes at KMS as utilized by KMS math teachers within the content and
context of their curriculum and instruction.
Ethnography is defined as a form of qualitative research used to study human
society and culture (Merriam, 1998). Ethnography first emerged as a method to
understanding other cultures (Patton, 2002, p. 84). When an ethnographer studies his
or her own culture and are studying his or her own culture and self as part of that
culture, it is called an autoethnography. Wolcott (2008) explains that the term
autoethnography was first introduced by Karl Heider and more fully described by
David Hayano.
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Heider studied among the Dani. Hayano studied among his fellow card
players in Southern California’s legitimate card rooms. The self was not
central to either of their accounts except in conveying how the researcher was
poised within the group being studied. But the term autoethnography exudes
a certain self-explanatory air about it—one really ought to be able to figure
out what it means. It was incorporated into the research lexicon without its
earlier attachments, to become a reporting style dealing with the lived
experience of researchers themselves. That is more or less the state it is in
today, free of its roots except for an implied connection to anthropology.
This writing style is intensely personal, often passionate and confessional and
usually of excellent quality. It is hardly a coincidence that some connection
with ethnography is suggested in the use of the term “autoethnography.”
There is nothing preventing self-proclaimed autoethnographers from making
fuller use of cultural context in their stories, acknowledging that their
accounts take place in a cultural setting and placing their accounts and
themselves, squarely within it (p. 211).
Because I carried the role of researcher and also am part of the participant
group and work at the site of the study, this research was be completed as a form of
autoethnography. One of the strengths of this type of study is that it allows the
researcher to be included as a member in the participant group. The personal
experience of the researcher allows for introspective evaluation of the topic being
studied (Patton, 2002). A concern of autoethnographic writing is that it is difficult to
do. The researcher will be vulnerable to revealing him/her self to being critiqued.
There are ethical issues that come about of it as well including researcher bias.
Site and Participants
In the state of Hawaiʻi, there are 393,344 students enrolled in 121 private
schools (HAIS). KS has three campuses and had an enrollment of 5388 students
during the 2008-2009 school year (HAIS). As mentioned in chapter one, KS is a
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private institution that limits enrollment to students of Native Hawaiian ancestry.
The tri-campus institution was founded in 1887 by the will of Princess Bernice
Pauahi Bishop. The Oʻahu campus has the largest enrollment of 3,192 students in
grades K-12. The campus has three schools, Kamehameha Elementary School
(grades K-6), Kamehameha Middle School (grades seven and eight), and
Kamehameha High School (grades 9-12).
Kamehameha Middle School (KMS) and Kamehameha Elementary School
(KES) on Oʻahu were the sites of the focus of this study. The seventh and eighth
grade mathematics teachers at KMS and the sixth grade mathematics teachers at
KES are the participants of this study.
KMS was formed in 2002. Prior to the formation of the middle school,
grades seven and eight were part of the Kamehameha Secondary School (grades 7-
12). When KMS was established, the school followed the philosophies of middle
level education. One of these philosophies includes the concept of teaming. This
concept allows for a group of students to be students of a common core group of
teachers (usually consisting of a math, English, social studies, and science teacher).
At KMS, there are three seventh grade teams and three eighth grade teams. Each
team consists of approximately 108 students with four core area teachers (English,
mathematics science and social studies) and one exploratory teacher (industrial arts,
art, keyboarding, choral music, speech, and health). In addition to their core and
exploratory courses, students at KMS take physical education class and one elective
class. Among their choices are Japanese language, Spanish language, Hawaiian
78
language, orchestra, band, yearbook, or Hawaiian chant and dance (KMS, 2008).
There are six KMS math teachers who teach seventh and eighth grade math. Each
KMS math teacher teaches five sections of math with anywhere from 17 – 24
students in a section.
KES is made up of 752 students in grades Kindergarten through 6
th
grade.
The sixth grade, which at some schools, are part of the middle school, is situated at
the elementary. The six teachers at the sixth grade level use a term called “elem-
middle” to describe their organization of splitting the 144 students into two teams in
which three teachers work with the 72 students on the team. The team concept that
is used at the middle school is familiar to the sixth grade students as they rotate to the
three teachers for math, English and social studies classes. The two sixth grade math
teachers were observed and interviewed for this study. The sixth grade math teachers
teach three sections of 24 students.
Since the focus of the study was to study the extent to which culturally
relevant pedagogical practices are used in the math classrooms, the participants of
the study were five KMS math teachers (including myself) and two KES sixth grade
math teachers. There was one KMS math teacher that decline the invitation to
participate. Therefore, six out of the seven middle level math teachers at KS
participated in this study.
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Data Collection
The study focused on the math teachers using classroom observation,
interviews and artifacts. The focus of the interviews and fieldwork was on the use of
culturally relevant pedagogical practices in the math class and the teacher’s views of
and participation in professional development opportunities specific to HLC at KS.
A request for participation letter was sent out to all math teachers in the second week
of October 2009.
I conducted classroom observations of the math teachers two times during the
later part of October and part of November. I asked the math teachers to invite me to
a class in which they preferred to be observed. This allowed for me to observe class
that included full instruction time as opposed to visiting their class unannounced. I
used a classroom observation protocol to record what was observed as well as took
notes during the visit of things observed. Each observation was not less than 30
minutes and not more than 50 minutes.
Upon completion of the observations, I interviewed each math teacher. I used
the interview guide approach to format questions that were used with each
participant (Patton, 2002, p. 342). Using this method provided consistency in
covering topics for each individual interview but allowed me the option to probe and
explore and ask more specific questions regarding a specific subject area. Using this
guide allowed for the interviews to be semi-structured with open-ended questions,
which helped ensure all questions were addressed in the interview. I also had the
80
opportunity to expand on topics that could be explored more in depth as the
questions were answered.
Interviews were completed by the third week of November 2009. The
interviews took on average about 45 minutes. Interviews were audio-recorded and
transcribed in order to keep accurate account of the responses of the participants.
Finally, the teachers were asked to fill out the Hawaiian Indigenous
Education Rubric (HIER) to assess the extent to which HLC is a part of their
pedagogy and curriculum. The HIER was developed as a result of the study by a
community-based participatory research project that included the efforts of Hawaiʻi
Department of Education, several Hawaiian organizations, and Native Hawaiian and
other charter schools in the state of Hawaiʻi (Kanaʻiaupuni & Kawaiʻaeʻa, 2008).
This study is known as the Hawaiian Cultural Influences in Education (HCIE) study
whose goal is to improve student outsomes by sharing best practices of culturally
relevant education (Takayama & Ledward, 2009). Kanaʻiaupuni and Kawaiʻaeʻa
(2008) identifies the five critical components of culture-based education as 1)
language, 2) family and community, 3) content, 4) context, and 5) assessment and
accountability.
These five components are explored to answer the first research question in
relation to data collected from personal interviews, observations and self-assessment
using the HIER.
As mentioned earlier, one of the assumptions of this study is that because this
was an autoethnography, there would be some research bias in the report of the
81
analysis. Thus, I documented my answers to the questions of the interview to record
my viewpoint prior to my interviewing the other math teachers.
Instrumentation
This study used observations, personal interviews and a self-assessment to
collect data. I used an observation protocol, an interview protocol and the HIER.
The self-assessment allowed me to gather data regarding teacher perception
regarding Hawaiian Indigenous education. Artifacts were also used to document the
types of professional development sessions that have been provided to the teachers at
KS. Other artifacts include student and parent responses regarding a math project.
The HCIE study involved ongoing research that assessed the effects of
culture-based educational strategies on the outcomes of Native Hawaiian students. A
common research question of the HCIE study: “What kinds of teaching strategies are
being used in Hawaiʻi classrooms?” (Ledward & Takayama, 2008). The SPI group
used a 70 questions survey called the Culture Based Education Teacher Tool
(CBETT). This tool was used to select questions for the interview protocol. The
questions used addressed the research questions of this study.
The observation protocol was modified from one developed by Frances
Lawrenz (University of Minnesota). The observation protocol included pre- and
post-observations questions that were asked of each teacher. Asking questions
before the observation allowed the teacher to share about what might be seen and to
share general information of the class and lesson. Follow up questions included
82
asking about whether the lesson went as expected and to learn of any challenges that
teacher had to engage students in mathematical discourse.
The HIER was used as a self-assessment to compare the participants’
perspective of themselves and what was observed and learned from the interviews.
The HIER was developed to determine the level at which a teacher includes
Hawaiian indigenous teaching strategies in the classroom. Thus, the results of the
HIER helped to report the findings to research question one.
Observation protocol: The observation protocol also included a basic data-
gathering instrument so that I could report general data about the observation (i.e.
number of students, length of observation and the set up of the room). Finally, a
rubric for summarizing classroom observations allowed me to focus on HLC / CRP
instructional strategies and academic achievement observed during the visit (see
Table 12). There are nine areas that were observed.
Interview protocol: The interview protocol allowed for the use of a semi-
structured interview instrument. The questions on this interview were based on the
theoretical frameworks that support the study that helped to support the research
questions. Some of the questions were modified from the surveys that are created by
the research department of Kamehameha Schools.
The following items (Tables 13, 14, and 15) were found on the list of
interview questions that were asked of each participant. The questions are listed here
83
according to how each aligns with the research questions of this study and its
frameworks.
Table 12. Focus of Observation (based on the rubric from the observation protocol)
HLC/CRP instructional strategy
observed
Academic achievement practice
observed
#1 Students had the opportunity to speak
Hawaiian.
#2 Students had the opportunity to
engage in higher order thinking about
the content.
#3 Students had the opportunity to
interact with central ideas of the
discipline in depth, showing
interconnections and relationships.
#4 Students had the opportunity to
communicate knowledge by the
following: logical explanations or
arguments well-articulated explanations
or arguments multiple representations.
#5 Students had the opportunity to make
connections between their knowledge of
the concepts and public problems or
personal experience.
#8 Students had the opportunity to learn
accurate vocabulary and content
essential in understanding the topic.
#6 Students had the opportunity to work
together as a learning community to
learn math.
#7 Students were accommodated in an
equitable manner based on their gender,
race/ethnicity, ability, etc.
#9 Students had the opportunity to
demonstrate what they have learned
through different types of authentic
assessment.
Source: modified from Newmann, Secada & Wehlage, 1995
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Table 13. Interview Questions that Support Research Question #1
Framework and
RESEARCH
QUESTION(s)
Culturally Relevant Pedagogical Practices
What types of HLC instructional strategies (i.e. content and
context) are utilized by math teachers at KS? And to what
extent are these HLC instructional strategies used?
Interview
question 4
What kind of role do you believe parents / family play in the
success of native Hawaiian students? How would you
describe the kinds of relationships you’ve had with parents
of students you’ve taught?
Interview
question 5
From your experience, what kinds of supports for students
make a difference in their ability to learn math?
Interview
question 6
What kinds of things have you done in the classroom that
have facilitated to the academic success of native Hawaiian
students?
Interview
question 9
What relationships do you see, if any between using
Hawaiian language and culture and learning / teaching
math?
Interview
question 10
10a. In what way do you incorporate Hawaiian Language
and culture into the classroom?
10b. Does this hinder or help you in your teaching of
indigenous students?
10c. How does HLC affect your curriculum and instruction?
(content and context)
Interview
question 11
What kinds of culturally purposeful and useful assessments
have you used in the context of your course?
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Table 14. Interview Questions that Support Research Question #2
Framework and
RESEARCH
QUESTION(s)
Adult Learning Theories
What HLC competencies do teachers need assistance with
in order to utilize CRP practices in the classroom?
Interview
question 2
What Hawaiian language and culture experiences and skills
do you possess?
How would you describe your Hawaiian language ability?
What kinds of things can you do to show your level of
fluency?
Interview
question 12
What kinds of support would help you make a difference in
students’ HLC proficiencies?
Interview
question 13
If the point is to help you become stronger at facilitating
learning, what HLC professional development activities
have you found to be useful and applicaple to your
classroom?
Interview
question 14
If you could plan the types of training new teachers at KS
would have in preparation to work with students you work
with, what would be the five most important things they
should know and be able to do, if they are to facilitate
learning in math for these students?
Interview
question 15
How much of what you know about teaching native
Hawaiian children did you learn as a result of teacher
training in service?
Interview
question 16
Based on your experience in education, what kinds of
strategies would you recommend to other teachers to better
reach teaching indigenous students?
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Table 15. Interview Questions that Support Research Question #3
Framework and
RESEARCH
QUESTION(s)
Cultural Education Theories
What are teachers’ perceptions about the impact of HLC on their
teaching?
Interview
question 3
How would you describe your philosophy of teaching? What do
you believe “works”?
Interview
question 6
What kinds of things have you done in the classroom that has
facilitated to the academic success of native Hawaiian students?
Interview
question 7
How do you handle classroom management? Are there special
things that teachers of native Hawaiian students should know
about classroom management?
Interview
question 8
It has been reported that culturally relevant pedagogy helps native
Hawaiian students to learn better. To what extent do you agree
with this statement? In what ways do you utilize this concept into
your curriculum?
Interview
question 10
10a. In what way do you incorporate Hawaiian Language and
culture into the classroom?
10b. Does this hinder or help you in your teaching of indigenous
students?
10c. How does HLC affect your curriculum and instruction?
(content and context)
Interview
question 17
What role do you play at KS in students’ learning about Hawaiian
language and culture?
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HIER: The HIER was given to each participant to fill out. This rubric was
divided into the five components of: language, family and community involvement,
content, context and assessment and accountability. The questions on the rubric
allowed the participants to report what they feel they are doing in their class that is
considered Hawaiian Indigenous teaching strategies.
Data Analysis
Data results of the fieldwork observations and interviews as well as the
results of the HIER allowed for triangulation of sources. This allowed me to
determine the consistency in the findings of this study (Patton, 2002, p. 556). I
interviewed six math teachers and therefore, I will be able to compare the different
points of view of the respondents to those of myself. Other sources that were used
included program documents and other written evidence that can confirm what
interview participants report.
Role of the Researcher
I am a proud graduate of KS. I attended KS at a time when the focus was on
college preparation and not so much on Hawaiian language and culture. I have a
small blood quantum of Hawaiian ancestry, which allowed me to attend this school
for Hawaiians. My father is of Japanese ancestry, and my mother is half Japanese
and the other half Hawaiian, Portuguese and Chinese. This makes me mostly
Japanese and it is the culture that I practiced growing up. The extent of my
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Hawaiian language and culture in my youth included the songs we sang at school
and the Hawaiian food that I loved to eat. I have always watched but have never
taken lessons or learned the significance of the dance to the Hawaiian culture. KS
prepared me to attend college and I fared well at the University of Wisconsin-
Madison where I studied mathematics and elementary education. My professional
career as a teacher includes 16 years of teaching experience teaching grades 2-12,
most of them in secondary mathematics instruction. I began my teaching career in
Texas where I worked with students of Mexican American ancestry. The multi-
cultural teaching experience allowed me to live and work with a culture other than
my own. Just as I was teaching students about my culture in my pedagogical
practice, I was also learning about their (Mexican) culture too.
It was five years ago when I returned to Hawaiʻi to teach at the school I once
attended only to find that the Hawaiian language and culture are now more prevalent
compared to when I attended KS. Although I share the same ethnic background as
most of the KS students I am teaching, my 16 years away from Hawaiʻi and lack of
knowledge of the Hawaiian culture put me right back into a situation of learning
about culture all over again, this time, my own (Hawaiian culture). In the five years
of service at KS, I have taken advantage of opportunities to learn more about
Hawaiian language and culture. I have taken 2 semesters of university level
Hawaiian language courses, attended voluntary sessions on Hawaiian cultural
practices of lomilomi (massage), and hoʻoponopono (reconciliation), participated in
Hawaiian sovereignty marches, learned about my Hawaiian genealogy and am
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currently attending weekly Hawaiian language sessions with other teachers. I serve
on our school’s ‘ike Hawaiʻi committee which plans monthly teacher training
sessions on Hawaiian culture and language for all teachers at KMS. I do not serve
on the committee as an expert in Hawaiian language but more as a proponent of
teaching others who lack HLC knowledge, like myself, of the HLC that we want to
impart to our students within the school setting.
As for my teaching duties as a middle school mathematics teacher, I have
learned to incorporate the Hawaiian language and culture into the content and
context of my curriculum through interdisciplinary projects and content specific
projects. I have learned more about the Hawaiian language and culture in the five
years I have worked at KS through school provided professional development as
well as voluntary learning experiences I have participated in. I believe that these
experiences have had an effect on my pedagogical practices and a positive effect on
both me and my students. With this in mind, that is the kind of bias I had prior to
this study. Patton (2002) describes the hermeneutical circle of interpretation, which
are used by constructivist analysts who may analyze and reflect on how their
perspective interacts with the perspective they encounter. Therefore, as mentioned in
chapter one, the nature of this study assumed that researcher bias would be inevitable
due to my involvement in this study as a researcher and part of the participant group.
Since I was the primary instrument of investigation in this qualitative study, I
had to maintain integrity and sensitivity to maintain high ethical standards. Because
I am a peer to the participants in the study, consideration was given to the
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relationships I maintain with them. I am grateful that the math teachers I work with
were willing to be observed and interviewed for my ethnographic study. My desire
was for all teachers, including myself, to recognize what our role is in regards to
supporting Hawaiian language and culture competencies of the students we serve.
I held myself responsible for keeping the participants informed of my
findings along the way and will make them upon completion of this study. Because I
was the primary instrument in this qualitative study, my prior experience and training
as a math teacher, and my connections and feelings about HLC affected the
perspective I presented in my analysis.
Limitations of the Study
The purpose of this study was to examine culturally relevant pedagogical
practices in the math classrooms at KMS. There were three main limitations of this
study. First, the amount of time allowed for this study to occur was limited, thus
making this a non-longitudinal study. Interviews and fieldwork were collected over
the period of 3-4 months. Since I was teaching classes at the same time as those to
be observed, I was required to take personal time off to perform and complete some
of the observations and interviews. Second, there were limitations of the
observations and interviews that were conducted. Limitations of observations
included the possibility that I (as the observer) affected the situation being observed.
Interview limitations included the possibility of distorted responses due to personal
bias regarding a situation or topic (Patton, 2002, p. 306). A third limitation of this
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study was the limited, homogeneous sample since only part of the KS institution
were participants, namely, the math teachers. The sample is limited to the six middle
school level math teachers at the sample site and myself. Investigating the math
teachers at the two other middle schools in the KS system would have allowed for
more comparison and analysis of the data collected but was not be feasible for this
study.
In conclusion, it must be noted that my research was intended to be a study of
the use of culturally relevant pedagogical practices currently found in math
classrooms and its effects on faculty. It was never intended to be an evaluation of
the individuals who participated in this study.
Ethical Considerations
The methods of a qualitative study allowed for potential ethical concerns.
Responses to interview questions might have revealed opinions and answers that
might otherwise go undocumented. In order to ensure ethical research practice, the
identities and identifying characteristics of all participants, excluding myself, will be
kept confidential. The data collected were kept on file for personal use of the
researcher only during the time of the study and will be destroyed upon completion
of the research. Further measures to ensure ethical practice included the securing of
all materials generated through observations and interviews for the duration of the
study.
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Interviewing of the participants presented certain ethical considerations. The
design of the study required the participants, in this case the math teachers, to
consent to being a part of this study. The limited number of math teachers who are
the focus of this study prevents absolute anonymity from being possible. Therefore,
responses that are sensitive in nature will not be linked to specific participants to
protect their anonymity. I was careful to follow the guidelines set by the Institutional
Review Boards.
Conclusion
This chapter described the methodology, sample population, and rationale for
using an ethnographic method of study. The methods used in designing and
implementing this study involved classroom observations and personal interviews of
math teachers. Triangulation of data sources maintaining confidentiality of materials
and assuring anonymity was followed throughout this study. The data sources came
from observations and interview responses. I was careful to maintain positive
relationships with my peers as I looked not only at my own pedagogical practices but
those of others I work with. Although there were several limitations of this study
such as the time involved as well as the focus of a small part of the KS system, it is
hoped that the study will maintain internal validity. In chapter four, I will provide a
narrative account of the current status of the CRP pedagogical practices based on the
findings of the collected data. Chapter five summarizes the recommendations made
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by respondents concerning efforts to better define the math teachers’ role in regards
to supporting students’ HLC competencies at KS.
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CHAPTER FOUR
FINDINGS
Every Tuesday night, I sit in room 207 at KES. During the day it is a
fifth grade classroom, but on Tuesday evenings for three hours, it is
our Ke Ala Leo classroom. It is silently filled with 24 adults who are
listening and watching Kumu ‘Ipo as she speaks and instructs in
Hawaiian. This is the class that I have been attending for the past
twelve months. I have been making efforts to incorporate more
Hawaiian language and culture into my math classroom and have
enrolled in Hawaiian language classes. Learning a new language
has never been easy for me. Despite my linguistic challenge, I
continue to invest my time and money and remain in the class. As a
KS teacher, I believe that it is important for me to learn Hawaiian
language and culture in order to be able to support the efforts of the
school towards becoming a Hawaiian school.
- Kim Terai
After being a school for Hawaiians since its inception in 1887, the
Kamehameha Schools is working towards being Kula Hawaiʻi (a Hawaiian school)
that intends to prepare students who possess competencies in Hawaiian language and
culture upon high school graduation. This study focused on the middle level
mathematics teachers at KS and the role they play in the effort towards KS’s goal of
becoming Kula Hawaiʻi. Through a combination of classroom observations, a self-
assessment and individual interviews of six middle school math teachers, and my
personal self examination (since I too am a middle school mathematics teacher), I
explored the following three research questions: 1) What types of HLC instructional
strategies used? 2) What HLC competencies do teachers need assistance with in
order to utilize CRP practices in the classroom? And 3) How does the incorporation
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of HLC initiatives affect teachers and their pedagogy? In this chapter, with a start of
a description of the sample, I reported the findings following the order of the above
stated research questions.
A Description of the Sample
The Participants
The participants of this study included six KS middle-level math teachers and
myself. I interviewed and observed six of the seven middle-level math teachers.
The seventh teacher did not accept the invitation to participate in this study. Two of
the participants teach sixth grade math at KES, two teach seventh grade math and
two are eighth grade math teachers. Six of the teachers are female (myself included)
and one is male. To ensure the confidentiality of responses, the teachers were given
pseudonyms.
The youngest participant (myself) was 39 years old and the oldest was 60
years old. The average age was 47 years. Their teaching experience varied from 8
to 32 years in the classroom with an average of 21 years of teaching experience. The
number of years spent at KS of these seven teachers ranged from 1 to 31 years of
service. I have taught at KS for five years and prior to that worked with students
from grades two through twelve in the public school system in the state of Texas for
11 years. In contrast, the oldest teacher has spent all but one year of her teaching
career at KS. Of the seven participants, four of them have worked only at KS (with a
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year or less of teaching experience at another school). All but one participant is a
graduate of KS, and in fact, all but one is Native Hawaiian.
Table 16, below, indicates the number of years the participant has taught and
the number of years taught at KS. The table also describes the level of Hawaiian
language and cultural knowledge the participant has. There are three general levels
described: novice, familiar, and advanced. These descriptions are based on their
self-assessment of their ability in Hawaiian language. The novice teacher possesses
limited knowledge of Hawaiian language and cultural practices. They have not taken
any Hawaiian language courses. Familiar describes those teachers who have in the
past or present learned Hawaiian language in a formal class setting such as a
university course or from being in a hula halau. They can understand many phrases
or words but cannot speak the language fluently. Finally, the advanced level teacher
is fluent in Hawaiian.
The teachers in the study are named ʻEkahi, ʻElua, ʻEkolu, ʻEhā, ʻElima, and
ʻEono. Each will be introduced according to their professional and cultural
background.
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Table 16. Participant Information
Participant
# of years teaching/prior
teaching experience
(before KS)
Hawaiian
Language Skills
Hawaiian culture
experiences
# of
years at
KS
T1 ‘Ekahi 25 years at KS (One year
on Molokai)
Familiar
(University
courses)
Lauhala weaving 24
T2 ‘Elua 8 years Long term
subbing at KS
Novice Limited exposure.
Plays guitar, speaks
pidgin English
8
T3 ‘Ekolu 23 years Educational
assistant for three years
and then hired by KS
Familiar (hula
classes,
language
classes)
Hula, crafts 23
T4 ‘Ehā 18 years 10.5 years as
public school elem.
Kumu, 7 years as instr.
specialist
Novice Limited exposure 1
T5 ‘Elima 32 years Worked as a
substitute teacher one
year at public school
Familiar Hawaiian
astronomy,
conversational
Hawaiian classes
taken
31
T6 ‘Eono 20 years Public school
experience
(elementary/middle)
Familiar 3 years
Hawaiian in
high school, two
years in college
Dances hula Family
genealogy
9
T7 Kim 16 years 2-12
th
grade Texas public
schools (11 years)
Familiar 3
university
courses, Ke Ala
Leo course
Limited exposure 5
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ʻEkahi has worked at KS for well over twenty years. ʻEkahi’s experience is
primarily at KS (having worked only one year at a school other than KS). ʻEkahi
attended KS and went on to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the
University of Hawaiʻi (UH). ʻEkahi holds degrees in liberal studies with an emphasis
on Pacific Island studies and in secondary education with an emphasis on middle
school mathematics. ʻEkahi has taken formal Hawaiian language classes but
mentioned, “If I don’t practice it, I do not retain it.” ʻEkahi has done lauhala weaving
in the past.
After graduating from KS in the 1980’s, ʻElua went to a small private college
in Washington State and received two Bachelor’s degrees, one in computer science
and the other in mathematics. ʻElua is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at UH in
middle level education. ʻElua’s teaching experience began at KS as a long-term
substitute and was hired as a middle school math teacher eight years ago. ʻElua’s
HLC experiences and skills are self-reported as “minimal” but can pray Ka Pule a Ka
Haku (The Lord’s Prayer) and sing songs in Hawaiian. ʻElua had never taken any
formal Hawaiian language classes but attended at least one KS sponsored workshops
on conversational Hawaiian.
ʻEkolu graduated from KS in the 1970’s and went on to attend UH-Hilo and
UH-Mānoa and holds a professional degree and a degree in Elementary education.
ʻEkolu began working at KS after college, first as a teacher’s aide for two years and
then was hired as a fifth grade teacher. The majority of this teacher’s more than
twenty years at KS was spent teaching at KES before transferring over to the middle
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school three years ago. ʻEkolu’s Hawaiian language ability was reported as limited
but has Hawaiian cultural experience in dancing the hula and making Hawaiian
crafts. This participant also plays the ʻukulele.
ʻEhā is a proud graduate of KS and then attended UH and received a
bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in mathematics and a
professional diploma with an emphasis in math. ʻEhā began teaching in the Hawaiʻi
public school system teaching at an elementary school. ʻEhā was a math specialist at
a private school before gaining employment at KMS. This is ʻEhā’s second year at
KS. ʻEhā reports that HLC experiences included only what was learned at KS while
a student in the 1980’s and what was learned while employed at KMS. This
participant’s Hawaiian language ability was described as “minimal” with
comprehension of only a few Hawaiian words or phrases.
ʻElima is the only participant that did not attend KS. ʻElima attended UH and
University of Arizona and hold’s a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree. This
participant has taught at KS for over thirty years and self-reported that HLC
familiarity is “limited”. ʻElima has taken conversational Hawaiian classes and has
taught a Hawaiian astronomy class for KS summer school for a number of years.
ʻElima is familiar with and uses Hawaiian protocols with students.
ʻEono is a graduate of KS and went on to college in Washington State. ʻEono
returned to Hawaiʻi and sought a professional degree at the UH and holds a K-8
teaching certificate with an emphasis in mathematics. This teacher worked in the
Hawaiʻi public school system for eleven years before working at KS for the past nine
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years. The majority of ʻEono’s teaching profession has been as a mathematics
teacher at the middle level. ʻEono took three years of Hawaiian language in high
school and two years at UH. ʻEono danced hula since childhood and continues to
dance hula currently. ʻEono is also familiar with family genealogy. ʻEono can oli and
pray Ka Pule a Ka Haku. This participant reported to be at the beginning level of
Hawaiian language ability because “if you don’t use it, you lose it.” This participant
also said, “when I hear it (Hawaiian language), I can put words together but the level
that I use is probably sparse, maybe just phrases.”
I am a graduate of KS. I received my bachelor’s degree from the University
of Wisconsin-Madison and my master’s degree is from St. Mary’s University. My
first years of teaching were in San Antonio, Texas. The students I worked with there
were primarily Mexican-American and of Mexican descent. I taught mathematics
for eleven years in Texas to students in grades two through twelve. After living
away from Hawaiʻi for sixteen years, I returned to Hawaiʻi when I was offered a job
to teach eighth grade mathematics at my alma mater. During the years that I was
attending KS, I had little experiences with HLC and received none from home since
my parents raised our family from the Japanese cultural perspective. When I was
hired to work at KS a few years ago, I was surprised by the increased focus on HLC
and was intimidated by the thought of having to use it in my classroom. In the years
that I have worked at KS, I have learned a lot about HLC. I am more comfortable
speaking Hawaiian after taking two semesters of a university level Hawaiian
language course and being enrolled in Ke Ala Leo for the past year. I can oli, pule
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and am able to understand more Hawaiian words and phrases. I have also been
exposed to cultural practices and ways such as oli, hula, lomilomi, and
hoʻoponopono.
Research question 1: What types of HLC instructional strategies
are utilized by math teachers at KS and to what extent are these
HLC instructional strategies used?
In December 2009, the Cultural Vibrancy Document was emailed to KS staff
which includes the recently approved Hawaiian Cultural Vibrancy Policy (KS,
2009). According to the Cultural Vibrancy Document (KS, 2009), Kula Hawaiʻi
refers to a tri-campus initiative representing an agreement to develop and maintain
KS as a Hawaiian School. Under this initiative, all KS campus staff and students
commit to learning that supports the vibrancy of the language and culture of
Hawaiʻi’s indigenous people. Considering these efforts at KS, all teachers are called
to promote HLC. The extent to which mathematics teachers are utilizing HLC
instructional strategies was the focus of the first research question. This question is
answered in this section using the five components of the HIER (see Table 17) and
comparing the self-assessment to what was reported in the interviews and what was
found upon observations of the participants.
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Table 17. Key Components of Culture-based Education (Kanaʻiaupuni, 2008, p. 75)
Language Recognizing and using native or heritage language
Family and
Community
Actively involving family and community in the
development of curricula, everyday learning, and
leadership.
Content Making learning meaningful and relevant through
culturally grounded content and assessment.
Context Structuring school, classroom, and other learning
interactions in culturally appropriate ways.
Assessment and
Accountability
Gathering and maintaining data using various methods to
ensure student progress in culturally responsible ways.
Language
This component refers to the extent in which native language is used in the
classroom either in written or spoken form. None of the seven participants are fluent
in the Hawaiian language. In fact, five are familiar with the language while two are
novice. The five participants who are familiar with the language have taken some
formal classes in Hawaiian language. All desire to become more familiar with the
language.
The HIER measured teachers on a continuum at four levels, none, emerging,
developing and enacting. Figure 5 indicates the results of the self assessment in the
category of language that each participant completed. The results of the participant
self-assessment in the category of language included a) the integration of Hawaiian
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language in classes, b) Hawaiian language materials and resources used, and c)
philosophy on language.
Figure 5. Results of HIER in the Category of Use of Heritage Language in Teaching
Use of Hawaiian language in class
The Hawaiian language was rarely used in the math classes that I observed.
According to the self-assessment using the HIER, four teachers use simple Hawaiian
words and / or songs to expose studnets to Hawaiian langugae and three teachers
indicate that they speak and display Hawaiian language in the class. In the
observations of the teachers, I observed only two teachers who spoke using Hawaiian
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words to the students. Teacher ʻEkahi used the commanded the students to “hamau”
(be quiet) at a point in which the volume of the class was rising. During this same
observation, this teacher also used the words ae (yes) and aʻole (no) to respond to
students’ questions. Another teacher, ʻEkolu, reminded students “Don’t forget that
we practice mālama and we are practicing “kākou efforts.”
Use of Hawaiian language materials and resources
All participants had posters around the room that included Hawaiian
language. The Ke Ala Pono values posters were on the walls of the classrooms as
well as the Hawaiian permission questions (see Figure 6). According to the HIER,
one participant claimed that there is no use of Hawaiian langauge materials or
resources used in the classroom and six participants claimed to use Hawaiian
language materials occasionally. All participants have Hawaiian language
dictionaries and three of the participants had the date written on the board in
Hawaiian. It was not determined whether or not the Hawaiian dictionaries were
used in the math class for any reason.
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Figure 6. Hawaiian Permission Questions
Philosophy on language
According to the HIER, the KES teachers philosophy on language holds that
all students should be proficient in Hawaiian language in order to achieve the vision
of this group for a Hawaiian speaking community. The other five participants are the
KMS teachers who felt that it is important for all students to be exposed to the
Hawaiian langauge. The KMS teachers were at the “emerging” stage on the HIER
continuum while the KES teachers reported to be at the “enacting” stage. One of the
KMS teachers said, “I don’t think there is anything special we have to do just
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because they (the students) are Native Hawaiian.” This same teacher went on to say
that “I don’t believe HLC (strategies) are needed for any student to learn math but
because our school places a heavy emphasis on ʻike Hawaiʻi, then incorporating
some HLC into my curriculum could help increase interest in the math and I do some
of that. I don’t want HLC to take away from my math curriculum. So I incorporate
it in bits and pieces.” This same teacher told me about a unit that requires students to
apply knowledge of spelling out the numbers in Hawaiian which is taught in the
begining of the year in math that math class.
Summary on Language Use
The KMS School Goals (KS, 2008) includes the goal: “KS will cultivate,
nurture, perpetuate, and practice ‘Ike Hawaiʻi (which includes Hawaiian culture,
values, history, language, oral traditions, literature, wahi pana, etc.).” Despite this
goal, the amount of Hawaiian language being used in the middle level math classes
are minimal. Although all teachers have posters with Hawaiian words, phrases and
sentences around their rooms, teachers were not observed using Hawaiian words and
sentences frequently with their students. Another finding regarding language is that
the sixth grade teachers philosophy on the use of Heritage language was higher than
that of the KMS teachers.
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Family and Community
Family and community is the second component measured using the HIER.
The areas in which the particpants assessed themselve in for this area included a)
integration of family/community in curriculum, b) communication between family
and teachers, and c) relationship between family and teachers. The findings
regarding the component of family and community involvement are reported based
on the results exbited in Figure 7.
Figure 7. Results of HIER in the Category of Family and Community Involvement
Integration of family/community in curriculum
In general, while all participants indicated that parents played an important
role in the success of Native Hawaiian students, most did not involve family and
community in the curriculum. There were only two teachers who reported
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developing homework assignments and activities that required the active
participation of family members. Teacher ʻElua stated, “I think it is a good thing for
parents and families to play in the success of Native Hawaiian students but I haven’t
fully utilized them. I mean I try to by communicating with them here and there but I
think there could always be more. If they can be more involved, I think that would
be more effective.”
Communication between family and teachers
Communication between family and teachers occurred through the use of
notes, signing progress reports and tests, email correspondence, phone conversations
and personal communication at school functions. All KMS teachers are required to
keep a log that tracks positive contacts to parents. Teachers are required to make at
minimum, four positive parent contacts each month. There is currently no
requirement to keep a general parent contact log (for communication that may not be
“positive”). All but one of the participants are in the developing stage of the
continuum on the HIER as they report to frequently contacting family members
about a variety of student matters, both good and bad. There was one teacher who
was at the emerging stage who reported contacting parents when the student had
problems in class.
Face to face contact is made at least once a year at KMS and twice a year at
KES. Parents of KMS students come to the annual “Back to School” day in the fall.
Parents escort their child to all classes and meet all the teachers while experiencing a
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typical school day at KMS. KES parents are required to attend two parent
conferences each school year. Events like this allow parents and teachers to get to
know one another.
Relationship between family and teachers
All participants reported having positive relationships with family members
of their students. However, only two self-reported on the HIER to be in the
“enacting” stage for this area. Teacher ‘Elua and myself reported that we work hard
to get to know students, their families, and their community through interactions
outside of school. Teacher ‘Elua attends many of our students’ athletic events,
concerts and other acivites in support of the students. Other math teachers do not
regularly attend extracurricular events if they are not required to supervise.
One participant informed that they invite students’ family members into the
learning environment to create a sense of ‘ohana (unity, family). Unfortunately, this
was not explained in detail through the interview responses or observations. The
other four reported that they talked with students about their home lives but maintain
appropriate physical and emotional boundaries.
ʻEono reported the importance of parents having a big role in the success of
Native Hawaiian students, however, this teacher also reported that the team does not
have much parent involvement on their team. According to ʻEono, “we want
students to be separate and independent from their parents.” The example that was
shared was that when the team takes their annual trip to the neighbor island, they
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allow only faculty and staff to chaperone the students and do not ask for parent
volunteers.
Personally, I value communicating with parents and involving them in the
learning process. In the next section, I describe the Kamehameha Math Trail Project
that is used in my curriculum that includes parent and community involvement.
Summary of family and community involvement
According to Saifer and Barton (2007), an important element in culturally
responsive standards based (CRSB) teaching is that it builds realationships and
community. The teachers who apply this type of teaching will get to know the
students, their families and community and will use what they learn to inform what
and how they teach. The learning becomes more meaningful to the students as the
home culture and the school culture match (Demmert & Towner, 2003; Ledward &
Takayama, 2009). The extent of family and community involvment at KES and
KMS is the one or two face to face meetings and the occasional email, note or
signature. According to Benham and Heck (1998), the difference between the
western school structure and the Hawaiian ideas of education is that school is the
primary place of learning in the western model while the ʻōhana (extended family
unit) was the primary teachers of the child in the Hawaiian idea of education. In
summary, the limited communication and development of relationships between the
home and school indicate that currently, KS is utilizing the western school structure
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as the learning is taking place and there are few opportunities for family and
community involvement.
Content
The HIER component of content refers to the following three areas: a) the
inclusion of culturally based curriculum and materials; b) place-based content and
strategies; and c) the overall philosophy about culture at school. The findings about
the content the participants using in their classes are reported based on the results
exhibited in Figure 8 and explained in further detail in this section.
Figure 8. Results of HIER in the Category of Content (culture- and place-based)
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The inclusion of culturally based curriculum and materials
All KMS teachers are using vendor-developed textbooks as the main source
of the mathematics curriculum. In addition to using textbooks, the two sixth grade
teachers also used other supplementary resources to teach mathematics. The results
of the HIER about the inclusion of culture based materials were represented at all
stages of the continuum. While the majority of the participants reported to be at the
emergent stage, there was one that reported that there is no inclusion of culturally
based curriculum and materials. This teacher reported, “I don’t find it easy to
integrate HLC into math. I could use Hawaiian language for the more daily phrases
in a more effective way, but not always in the math content area.”
The majority of the participants (four) reported using readily available
curricula and materials and they also try to interject Hawaiian or “local” examples
whenever it is relevant. ʻEkolu said, “For me, I change up the word problems
sometimes. Instead of a train leaving the station, I might say a canoe is leaving the
harbor. You know, instead of Joe and Megan, I might change it to Keoki and Kalei.
I try to put the problems with distance to places they know, like Kapolei and
Kahaluʻu…to try to make it more relevant to the students. How much it helps, I am
not sure.” This type of comment was stated by at least two other teachers in the
study and indicates and effort to make the math more meaningful.
The use of culturally based curriculum and materials was more evident in the
sixth grade math classes where they included some Hawaiian cultural content in their
curriculum. According to a sixth grade teacher, “The sky is the limit with math. It’s
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pretty cool what you could do with math (and culture). Math must have been a huge
part of the survival of our Native Hawaiian ancestors. There is a history there that
we could really use.” During my visits to the sixth grade classrooms, I noticed that
there were posters around the room that showed a budget for the planned trip to the
neighbor island. Students carefully planned out costs for travel, lodging and meals.
They also had to write about and justify their budget for this trip. This real life
application of math connects the content to an event in their life to show the
significance of math.
Place-based content and strategies
There was no common theme found in the area of place-based content and
strategies. One teacher claimed to use strictly textbook-based lectures and
discussions in class while there were two participants each at the emerging,
developing and enacting stages. At the highest end of this continuum, there were
two teachers, myself and one sixth grade teacher, who reported using the community
as a setting for student learning that’s responsive to community needs and grounded
in the Hawaiian knowledge, practices, and history associated with a place. For me,
it is through the incorporation of a year-long project called The Kamehameha Math
Trail (KMT) project. I modified this project from Kay Tolliver’s National Math
Trail Project (Tolliver, 2006). The KMT project is one that challenges students to
identify the significance math in the learning environment of KS. Students create
math problems based on building, places and events of KS for their KMT problems
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(see appendix). In addition to learning about the hisory of the school and exhibiting
knowledge of math concepts, the students also learn from the field trips connected to
this project and from the interview portion of this project. The field trips we take are
purposeful in learning more about the land assetts, investments and business ventures
that are directly connected to KS. The interview portion of this project includes the
“community” that is made up lawyers, communication specialists, accountants,
statisticians, bus drives, dorm advisors, athletic directors and trainers, trustees and
many other KS staff members. Over 50 KS staff members have participated
annually in this project. They are interviewed by our students and tell of their job
duties as well as how math is applicable in their life and job.
Another component of the KMT project is the parental involvement of this
project. The work that is produced by the student must be proofread for grammar.
Parents are asked to help with the improvement of the writing and the creative layout
of the KMT problems that students create. This gives parents the opportunity to see
the work their child is producing and allows the parent to participate in the learning
process (see Figure 9).
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Figure 9. Parent Response to KMT Project
The overall philosophy about culture at school
The KMT has allowed me to incorporate more Hawaiian language and
culture in my class. We have learned oli and made lei in preparation for field trips.
We have discussed hoʻokipa (hospitality) and aloha (care, love) as we prepare to
welcome the staff members and guest speakers to our school We have learned about
the history of Hawaiʻi and our school as we learn more about who the buildings are
named after. Finally, I value this project for the Hawaiian values that are instilled in
students as they go through the journey of their Math Trail project.
As for the commonalities in the responses of the participants in the area of
philosophy on culture in the math class, the results were evenly distributed and the
KES teachers were on the higher end of the continuum, just as they were for their
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philosophy on language. The KES teachers and myself placed higher value on
working with students with the intent of preserving and perpetuating the Hawaiian
culture for generations to come. The other KMS teachers reported to support the
diverse cultural backgrounds of the students but did not make attempts to incorporate
Hawaiian culture in the content to better engage studetns.
Summary of content
In summary, the content that is covered in the math class remains to be free
of HLC for the most part. Presmeg (1999) argued that although many believe that
math is culture-free, mathematical ideas span across all cultures. Most teachers in
this study reported to be using vender-developed textbooks and materials. Most
teachers reported that they would like to learn more about how to incoroprate HLC
into the math content area. All participants are willing to teach more HLC but it
seems that they do not know how to do so.
Context
Context is the fourth component measured using the HIER. This is the
“how” part of teaching. How is math being taught? How is HLC included in the
math class? The areas in which the particpants assessed themselves in this area
included a) culturally grounded context, b) culturally relevant community of
learners, and c) community well-being (kuleana). The findings regarding the
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context of using HLC in the classroom are reported based on the results exbited in
Figure 10.
Figure 10. Results of HIER in the Category of Context
Culturally grounded context
The responses of the participants using the HIER indicated that KMS
teachers were at the emergent stage while the KES teachers and myself reported that
we were at the developing stage as we integrated Hawaiian practices, rituals, and
protocols as part of the learning experience for students. ʻElima stated, “I think that
at our school, we really emphasize the whole idea in getting a good education, being
successful academically is part of taking pride and having pride in who you are is
important. When the students do oli, one of the things I tell them is in the very
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beginning, you know, we don’t look down. We stand proudly.” During my
observation of this class, I noticed the pride the students exhibited during the oli.
ʻElima in turn welcomed them with an oli kahea. While there was the use of
Hawaiian protocol with the oli, this class observation also included the students
taking a quiz independently. So the presence of what might be considered
“culturally appropriate” (oli) existed just as an assessment that might be considered
more “Eurocentric” (an individual quiz). It is evident that the context of math
teaching at KS is offered in both indigenous as well as Eurocentric ways.
Culturally relevant community of learners
According to the HIER, all seven participants reported that they are at the
developing stage and that they encourage students to teach and learn from each
other. All teachers agreed that student success was very important. All classrooms
had desks that were arranged in groups. Teachers verified that at times, they have
students working together on assignments and projects. Some teachers even allowed
for partner or group quizzes such that they can work on a quiz together. As one
teacher put it, “I allow students to work in groups because I want them to seek help
from each other but also to come to me for tutoring if they do not master something.”
Though the responses indicated that all teachers claim to encourage students
to teach and learn from each other, the observations of classrooms indicated that
most teachers are spending the majority of the time leading the class discussion or
teaching in a lecture style. One exception was found on one visit to ʻEhā’s class.
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The students were assigned to groups and each group was charged with teaching a
lesson to the class. The lessons were prepared according to a grading rubric that was
provided by the teacher in order for students to prepare a successful teaching and
learning experience for their peers. The student presentations were well delivered
and well received. Experiential learning occurred as the groups had to become
familiar with the material and become able to teach it to their peers.
Another peer learning experience was observed in ʻElua’s class. On both
visits, the start of class found students on the whiteboards at the front and back of the
class with all students showing work to the assigned homework problems. Students
took great care to show the work for the problem they were in charge of providing an
answer for. The students who struggled on their problem found help either from the
teacher, who floated around the room, or a classmate. Students exhibited that they
were aware of their role as a peer tutor.
Community well-being, kuleana
The last indicator for the context of culture in the classroom refers to
community well-being and kuleana (responsibility). Five of the participants felt that
they teach students to recognize their responsibilities and communitcate the
importance of their roles. This could be as simple as reminders to students about
picking up trash around campus to making announcements of a community clean up
project. There was one teacher who expected the students to not only recognize their
responsibilities but also to carrry out their roles and responsibilities independently.
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There was one teacher who fell at the highest end of the continuum and indicated
that the community service projects they are involved with throughout the year
encourages students to initiate their own projects. One such project involved the
raising of money for a local charity. Students show that they value their role in the
community and are willing to work towards positive outcomes.
Summary on context
The context represents the “how” in the incorporation of HLC in the
classroom. Participants in this study reported to be “developing” in the area of
encouraging students to be a community of learners. This would indicate that there
would be frequent opportunities of peer teaching and learning opportunities.
However, while the desks in all classrooms were set up in groups of four, group
learning was not always observed. What was observed most were classrooms in
which teachers taught by lecturing or leading the class discussion. Participants self-
assessed to be even lower on the continuum in the areas of culturally grounded
context and community well-being. Most teachers attempted to incorporate
universal values based on Hawaiian values such as ʻohana and lōkahi (unity and
harmony) but struggled to integrate Hawaiian practices, rituals, and protocol as part
of the learning experience for students. Finally, while all teachers taught students
about their responsibilites and roles in the community in which they live, teachers
found it difficult to take it a step further in leading community projects that promote
community well-being.
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Assessment and Accountability
The final area measured using the HIER is assessment and accountability.
The responses to the self-assessment on the HIER (see Figure 11) indicated that five
of the seven participants reported to be at the developing stage of the continuum
while two were at the emerging stage. Teachers assessed students by having them
engage in projects or performances that required a range of knowledge and skills.
Students demonstrate meaningful understanding of the material including the ability
to solve problems and creatively adapt knowledge to different situations. This was
exemplified at the sixth grade level with their budget project that was a connection to
their trip to the neighbor island. In my class, students demonstrate knowledge of
mathematical concepts in the Kamehameha Math Trail project as they make
connections to math in the learning environment. Students use higher level thinking
skills to create math problems to exhibit knowledge of math concepts that we cover
in class.
When asked the interview question, “What kinds of culturally purposeful and
useful assessments have you used in the context of your course?,” a common
response was that they allow students to work together on quizzes. Teacher ʻEha
responded, “As far as assessments, I do allow them to work in pairs on quizzes
because I do believe that since they are working in groups on assignments, that is
their culturally preferred and more natural work style. It also gives them an
opportunity to discuss the types of things that they may or may not understand. I
also have them do presentations with and provide opportunities to be creative as a
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means of assessment.” Teacher ʻElua found that having students work in partners
was helpful. “Even afterschool, I have them ask other students for help before they
ask me. And if that person cannot help them then I will help both of them.”
Teacher ʻEkahi reported, “One culturally purposeful assessment I have used
is having the students write out the numbers on a part of the tests in Hawaiian.
Students are required to spell the numbers properly including the proper use of all
diacritical marks.”
It is interesting to note that while students were allowed to do partner quizzes
and have other assessments, the teachers were observed using chapter tests as a
measure of students’ knowledge and skills in math independent of one another.
Figure 11. Results of HIER in the Category of Assessment and Accountability
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Summary of the Findings of Research Question One
The self-assessments that participants completed allowed for the researcher
(myself) to be able to compare what teachers reported doing to what was observed
and discovered through a personal interview. The KES teachers reported at the same
level in most of the categories and reported higher than the KMS teachers
consistently. According to the results of the HIER, KS teachers are working towards
using more HLC instructional strategies and this was confirmed based on the
observations and the interviews with each participant.
Research Question 2: What HLC Competencies Do Teachers Need Assistance
With in Order to Utilize CRP Practices in the Classroom?
Teachers need support in order to utilize CRP practices in th classroom. The
two questions posed during the interview were 1) What kinds of support would help
you with HLC? And 2) How much of what you know did you learn as a result of
teacher prepartion or in-service trainings?
The reponses for the first question fell into three themes: a) teachers want to
learn more Hawaiian language; b) teachers want clear explanation of what is
expected of them and a clear definition of what their role is in the efforts of Kula
Hawaʻi and c) teachers want a bank of resources accessible to them.
The support that all teachers felt would help in was assistance in learning
more Hawaiian language. Proficiency in the language may allow teachers to be
more comfortable with using it in class with the students. ʻElua stated, “I think that
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language classes for teachers would help. I did take a class but I think that more
would help me be more proficient in using Hawaiian language.” Teacher ʻEkolu
responded, “Learning about HLC in our ʻIke Hawaiʻi sessions has been good,
however, I think more practice in it is needed because I’m not going to use it as
much if I don’t practice. I don’t feel comfortable with using the commands that are
on the paper that we were given, even the basic ones like “E hāmau” (be quiet).
Sessions where we actually practice the language with modeling and having time to
practice would help me.”
The language sessions at the monthly faculty meeting are the primary source
for all six participants I interviewed. While there are opportunities for teachers to
take language classes (outside of work hours), none of the six teachers I interviewed
had been enrolled in any classes. ʻElima said, “I would like to take Hawaiian
language classes because I really believe that the language and the culture are so
intertwined.” In fact, ʻElima was originally enrolled in the same Ke Ala Leo class
that I am taking but was not able to commit to the weekly class.
It is interesting to note that of the twenty-four students in the Ke Ala Leo
class, there is a large group of KES teachers (15) and I am the only KMS teacher
enrolled. Although the two KES teachers I interviewed were not enrolled in this
class, the high number of KES teachers making an effort to learn the language is
important to note. This matches the earlier finding in research question one about
the philosophy of language and culture that indicated that the KES teachers’
philosophy of HLC was higher than the philosophy of HLC for the KMS teachers.
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The second important theme regarding the kinds of support teachers want
was that teachers want clear explanation of what is expected and their role in the
efforts of Kula Hawaʻi. Teachers are unsure about their role and therefore they do
not know to what extent they are required to incorporate HLC into their curriculum
and teaching strategies. The recent release of the Hawaiian Cultural Vibrancy Policy
(KS, 2009) and the Working Exit Outcomes (WEO) document that was introduced in
2009 and the HLCIP for students are three separate initiatives that indicates that
students and staff are to be including HLC at KS. Many teachers were concerned
that the message about HLC was not consistent. ʻEhā stated, “I would like there to
be some common agreements as to what all teachers will do in the way of reinforcing
the proficiencies (ie: common phrases, expectations of students using language, etc.).
I feel it is important to be sure all staff participate in these agreements and I would
expect the school to provide reference for those who are new to our school.”
The teachers indicated that there was a struggle to the find balance between
teaching math and the many initiatives currently in place and the inclusion of HLC in
the math class. It was evident that the scale leaned more toward teaching math and
less towards the inclusion of HLC in the math classroom. Teachers have not found it
easy to include HLC in the content and context of the math course. One teacher
stated, “I don’t need any more support or training in HLC because I feel that what I
do is enough for me because anything more would take away from the content, so I
feel that I have enough at the moment and don’t need any more.” Another teacher
said,
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There are many opportunities that if taken advantage of, can be very useful.
Language, culture, lomilomi... All kinds of PD provided through KS. Even
college courses are supported. But my thing is, do you want me to be a better
math teacher or do you want me to be a better language and culture teacher?
Or do you expect me to do both? My personal focus is, how do I teach math
better where I am? How do I get math across to all students? I am not
focused on how do I teach HLC better. So I think that is what is hard. I can
see the value of HLC but I am not sure what level we want to be at or are
expected to be at as a staff.
The last theme that teachers reported was the suggestion of a bank of
resources that could provide teachers with HLC lessons, ideas, and connections.
Currently, there are Hawaiian language teachers at KES and KMS, KMS has a part-
time Hawaiian Resource Teacher, and both KES and KMS has an ‘Ike Hawaiʻi
committee that volunteers to provide lessons and support to the rest of the staff.
ʻEono recommended a suggestion of having a list of kūpuna who would be willing to
come and assist at the school. “It would be good to have kūpuna come and talk with
the students. Then there is more credibility for the students.” ʻEhā said, “I am not
familiar with a lot of Hawaiian practices and would like to know more about the
Hawaiian counting system and the Hawaiian measurement system. I wish there were
people I can ask to come and provide instruction to me or to our students so that
there are more cultural connections in math.”
It is important to note that the above mentioned Hawaiian Resource Teacher
is working at KMS in a part-time position and has been limited in availability as a
resource to the teachers. The position requires this person to teach one section of
Hawaiian langauge and attend meetings related to the various HLC intiatives at KS.
The concept of having a resource teacher occurs in other initiatives at KS like
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technology in the position of the Instructional Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT).
The ITRT attends team meetings and provides ideas and support to teachers and
students regarding the inclusion of technology application in classroom instruction.
KMS currently has two ITRTs, one that assists the seventh grade and one that
supports the eighth grade. The ITRT attends team meetings and meets with
individual teachers to support new technology lessons. The ITRT has also taught
students new software applications and provides resources to support the use of
technology applications.
Since all participants reported that we need better support in the area of HLC
(including myself), the position of Hawaiian Resource Teacher (HRT) could be one
resource that can be tapped into. Currently, the HRT does not attend grade level or
team meetings and has not provided support to teachers and students regarding the
inclusion of HLC in the classroom.
The second question I asked was “How much of what you know about HLC
did you learn as a result of teacher training or in-service?” All but one of the
participants indicated that professional development opportunites and learning
directly from others were important in learning. While training sessions were
important, the other learning came from on the job training. ʻElima said that “I
learned most of HLC from inservice and professional development sessions but there
is also a great deal of learning from the people I surround myself with who are
practicing Hawaiian language and culture. Just being around kūpuna is a learning
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experience for me. That’s why I feel it is so important to talk story with your elders.
They have a lot of knowledge and experiences and that is where the learning is.”
The one teacher who did not learn as much HLC from professional
development sessions responded, “I would say none. The activities I do that
incorporate HLC, I did on my own. I went to our Hawaiian language teachers and I
went to the computer and created a whole worksheet that I give to the students to
learn the numbers in Hawaiian. I did that on my own.”
Personally, I have learned a lot about HLC in my five years working at KS
through the in-service opportunities and other professional development activities
such as experiences at Keawewai with the Koa Reforestation Project, learning
Hawaiian language, attending sessions about Hawaiian medicine, lomilomi and
huakaʻi to Historical Hawaiian sites.
Summary of Research Question Two
Based on the results of research question one, the participants are not
showing great efforts towards including HLC instructional strategies in the
curriculum and in the context of their classes. Research question two determined the
kinds of support that teachers wanted and need in order to support HLC at KS.
There are three themes that were found in response to this question. The first was
that teachers wanted to be more familiar with Hawaiian language. Most of the
respondents reported that they enjoyed ʻIke Hawaiʻi sessions that taught them
Hawaiian language. They reported that they do not speak Hawaiian words with their
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students because they are not comfortable with their Hawaiian language knowledge
and skills. None of the participants in this study (except for myself) have attended
Hawaiian language courses outside of work time. At KES, there are more teachers
who are making attempts to learn Hawaiian language by enrolling in courses such as
Ke Ala Leo.
The second theme was that the message is not clear from KS as to the role of
the teachers (in this case, the math teachers) in regards to the inclusion of HLC
instructional strategies in the math class. There are different efforts towards
addressing HLC. Teachers would like for there to be common agreements set by the
school that states what all teachers are expected to do to support HLC at KS.
Finally the last theme was that since the participants in this study are not
fluent in Hawaiian and familiar with the culture, many reported that it would be
helpful to have resources available to them so that they are supported in carrying out
lessons and learning more about HLC. Many teachers are like myself and would
find that a bank of resources that provides cultural lessons related to math would
help to make it easier to include HLC within the context of the math curriculum.
Research Question Three: How Does the Incorporation of HLC Initiatives
Affect Teachers and Their Pedagogy?
The participants of this study shared a philosophy of education that reflected
the same message that they all believed that students respond to genuine care and
that all students are capable of learning. They’ve created safe learning environments
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and work towards motivating students in learning. They all wanted and expected
students to be successful. As ʻElua stated, “letting kids know that you care about
them as a person and not only as a student is very important.” This practice is
confirmed by Ladson-Billings (1995a) description of a culturally relevant teacher as
a teacher who demonstrates a connectedness with all students to develop a
community of learners. The participants were asked whether they felt that the use of
CRP helped students to learn math. The KES teachers felt strongly that CRP does
help students to learn better.
There was not any consensus on the effect that CRP has on learning with the
KMS teachers. There were two that felt that the use of CRP wasn’t necessary to use
with the group of students she worked with. This teacher stated, “I don’t agree that
CRP helps Native Hawaiian students learn better. Our students are culturally diverse
representing Japanese, Korean, Hawaiian, Caucasian and everything else. So if we
are talking about CRP, then which do you pick. I mean, they are everything and so I
treat them as students, as human beings. I don’t treat them as Native Hawaiian
students.” On the other extreme, another KMS teacher believed that the home
culture should be acknowledged and that the classroom should match that of the
home. The other two KMS teachers did not know how much CRP helps Native
Hawaiian students. There was uncertainty of what constitutes cultural strategies.
Clear identification of CRP strategies is what ʻEkolu suggested would help. Both
ʻEkolu and ʻElua were unsure about what the difference was between what’s
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considered culture-based teaching strategies and what others consider to be “just
good teaching.”
All of the six participants I interviewed felt that their role at KS is small to
none in regards to teaching students HLC. While they use basic commands and can
encourage students to ask permission in Hawaiian, they do not feel comfortable
enough in the language or the culture to take responsibility in the teaching of HLC.
Many regret that they are not fluent in the language. As ʻEono puts it, “If I am to
help students with HLC competencies by the time they graduate, then I need to
become more of an expert and competent in HLC as well. I am nowhere near it.”
The teachers of this study value the students and intend to serve students and
develop caring relationships. According to the HCIE study (2010), culturally based
education practices helped in the academic succes of indigenous learners (Ledward
& Takayama, 2008). Based on the responses by the participants regarding the effect
of culturally relevant practices, teachers are not aware of what could be referred to as
culturally relevant practices.
There was a noticable absence of the use of HLC instructional strategies in
the classrooms I observed. The HLC initiatives have not had a great effect towards
teachers incorporating changes in their curriculum that address Native language and
culture. The efforts at KES were more noticable based on their responses on the
HIER. There was greater value placed on HLC instructional practices by the KES
teachers.
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Personally I was greatly affected by the HLC initiatives at KS in my first five
years teaching teaching Native Hawaiian middle school students. The
acknowledgement by KS to revive the Hawaiian language and culture and place
impotance on it as a school encouraged me to get in touch with my Native Hawaiian
ancestry. I enrolled in Hawaiian language courses and learned more about the ways
of Native Hawaiians. Prior to my employment at KS, I was not exposed to many
opportunities to practice Hawaiian ways and so the past few years have been a
valuable time of learning for me. The incorporation of HLC into my curriculum
through the Kamehameha Math Trail Project has benefited and challenged me to
consider the methods I use as I work with Native Hawaiian students. The students
and I now know more about the Hawaiian people, our ancestors, whose names the
buildings are named after. The students and I are able to go about the state of
Hawaʻi and know of the significance of KS in the community. We, the students and
myself, are able to oli and pray in Hawaiian as supported through the context of my
class. And we are able to discern that math is truly all around us and that it applies
to all parts of our life.
In summary, the HLC initiatives have affected all participants in different
ways. There was one participant that was not affected by it and continued to teach in
the manner they’ve always taught. Others took the initiative to learn more language
and culture and made attempts to work with students on learning more about HLC.
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Conclusion
This chapter reported on the kinds of HLC instructional strategies
incorporated in the middle level math classrooms, the kinds of HLC support teachers
would like more of and the extent to which HLC affects teachers and their pedagogy.
While data depicts that the use of culturally-based educational approaches are
beneficial to Native Hawaiian students (Kanaʻiaupuni, 2007; Ledward & Takayama,
2008), the participants of this study did not consistently use these approaches in the
math classroom. Teacher self-assessments indicated that most teachers were at the
emergent stage on the continuum when measuring the five components of the HIER.
While there was one teacher who reported that the kinds of professional development
offered had not helped in the teaching of Native Hawaiian students, all reported that
they hoped for more Hawaiian language lessons. An interesting finding was that
although all participants reported to be interested in learning more Hawaiian
language, none (except for the researcher) had been enrolled in Hawaiian language
courses that met outside of the regular work day.
The other finding was that there seemed to be a difference in the responses by
KES teachers and KMS teachers regarding the HLC initiatives. For example, the
philopsophy of the use of Hawaiian language and culture is valued by the
participants in varying degrees. The two KES teachers reported to be on the higher
end of the continuum in this area and self reported to be at the “enacting” stage. The
four KMS teachers reported to be at the emergent stage. The staff development and
leadership teams are different at KES and KMS. This may be the reason for the
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higher degree of importance placed and greater numbers of KES teachers making
attempts to learn Hawaiian language through courses such as Ke Ala Leo.
The amont of HLC that is incorporated into each teacher’s classroom is a
reflection of their personal journey, place and experience with Hawaiian language
and culture. The application of HLC in the classroom is inconsistent among the
participants of this study. While there are some teachers who used the language and
incorporated Hawaiian culture into the math curriculum, there are others who fail to
do so. The effect of this on the students at KS may result in some students who
aren’t exposed to HLC in great amounts due to the lack of application by teachers
who are not able or willing to use HLC in the math class.
The middle level math teachers in this study reported the desire to receive
more guidance and support from KS so that they would be more familiar with HLC
instructional practices. This support could allow for CBE/CRP instructional
practices to be implemented more consistently by all teachers.
What lies ahead for the teachers and students in regards to HLC? That is to
be determined as the efforts of the current and future HLC initiatives at KS are
addressed in the coming years. The next chapter provides more discussion and
suggestions based on the findings reported in this chapter.
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CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION
Only by knowing from whence you come, and paying attention to the
details of what is around you, can you know how fast you are moving
and your immediate heading towards your destination (Guth, 2009)
Discussion
This dissertation was an attempt to examine the extent to which middle level
math teachers at Kamehameha Schools-Oʻahu (KS) are involved with supporting
students in their Hawaiian language and culture development. The study was
designed to develop recommendations regarding how KS can support teachers to
promote HLC in the math classroom. Though it focused on the middle level math
teachers at only one of the three KS campuses, findings and recommendations can be
extended throughout the organization. I asked the following research questions:
1. What types of HLC instructional strategies (i.e. content and context) is
utilized by math teachers at KS? And to what extent are these HLC
instructional strategies used?
2. What HLC competencies do teachers need assistance with in order to
utilize CRP practices in the classroom?; and
3. What are teachers’ perceptions about the impact of HLC on their
teaching?
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In this chapter I will summarize and discuss the major findings according to
how they reflect the literature and make recommendations accordingly.
I conducted a qualitative study to investigate the research questions indicated
above. The study was conducted at KS during the 2009-2010 school year. The
middle level math teachers were the participant group. Since I am also a middle
school math teacher, I was a participant in this autoenthnographic study. To avoid
researcher bias, I make every attempt to keep my voice separate of the other
participants with the exception of when I am in agreement or share a common
response with the other participants. The number of participants in this study was
seven (myself included). All participants teach math to sixth, seventh or eighth
grade students at KS.
Through the use of personal interviews and observations and an investigation
of artifacts, I triangulated the data to confirm the trustworthiness of the data. Two
classroom observations were completed prior to each participant’s interview as a
way to confirm the individual’s interview responses. I also used documents such as
comments from teachers and students, meeting agendas and other documents related
to the Hawaiian Cultural Vibrancy Policy as well as other system-wide initiatives.
This dissertation provided findings in three areas. First, it provided a
description of the kinds of instructional strategies used by math teachers by
measuring it using the five categories of the Hawaiian Indigenous Education Rubric
(HIER). Second, the research determined what kinds of support teachers are in favor
of receiving in order to support HLC in their classrooms. Finally, the research
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illustrated how the incorporation of HLC initiative affects teachers and their
pedagogy.
Summary of Results
The first research question investigated the kinds of culturally relevant
instructional strategies that are used by KS math teachers. Using the five categories
of the HIER, teachers did a self-assessment that indicated to what extent the teachers
are using Hawaiian language and culture in their teaching. The five categories
include: 1) Language; 2) Family and community involvement; 3) Content; 4)
Context; and 5) Assessment and accountability. All seven participants (myself
included) filled out the HIER. The five categories were split into thirteen critical
indicators (see Figures 5, 7-8 and 10-11) and the participants rated themselves
according to where on the continuum they fell from the following four descriptors:
none, emerging, developing, and enacting. What I found was that in all five areas,
the participants generally fell in the middle stage of “emergent” or “developing.”
What I also noticed was that of the thirteen indicators there were only six of them in
which at least one or at most two participants classified themselves in the “enacting”
stage. The participants that classified themselves as enacting were the two sixth
grade teachers, one eighth grade teacher and myself. Teacher ʻElima indicated to be
enacting in the critical indicators of philosophy on language, philosophy on culture
in class, and community well being. Teacher ʻEono reported to be enacting in the
critical indicators of philosophy on language, use of place-based content and
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philosophy on culture in class. Teacher ʻElua and myself both indicated that we
were enacting in the area of relationship between ʻohana and teachers. I also
indicated to be enacting in the area of using culture based and place-based content in
my class.
The participants were observed, responded to interview questions and self-
reported on the HIER that there is limited amount of Hawaiian language being used
in class. They all report that the use of Hawaiian language materials used in the
classroom is occasional. The KES participants’ (sixth grade teachers) philosophy of
language was grounded in the belief that all students should be proficient in
Hawaiian language to achieve a Hawaiian speaking community, whereas, the KMS
participants (seventh and eighth grade teachers and myself) feel that it is important
for students to be exposed to Hawaiian language. All classrooms had posters with
Hawaiian words, phrases, and values around the room. It was rare to hear any
Hawaiian language used in the classes I observed. Only one classroom observation
allowed me the opportunity to see the teacher and students perform oli before class
began. The amount of HLC used in math classes based on observation and interview
was minimal. Teacher ʻElua, ʻEha, and ʻEono all reported not using Hawaiian in
class due to the fact that they were not comfortable with using the Hawaiian
language.
All participants indicated the significance of parents in the success of Native
Hawaiian students and maintain positive relationships with ʻohana. All teachers
indicated that they contact parents through the use of technology or by sending notes
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home using the student planner. However the extent to which they include parents in
the classroom is limited and the extent to which they include the community
partnerships in education is minimal to none. I did report including the parents and
KS staff members in my KMT project.
All teachers are willing to incorporate HLC into their curriculum but most
reported either not knowing how to or not having enough time to do so. All teachers
prepare staff development goals at the start of each year. All teachers reported
setting specific goals for increasing the amount of HLC used in all classrooms this
year. Two said that they would sign up for a workshop, three indicated that they
would use make connections to HLC in at least one unit or lesson this school year.
All participants encourage students to teach and learn from each other. The
seventh and eighth grade teachers reported that they incorporate universal values in
their class. These values include ʻohana and lokahi (unity, harmony) among other
Hawaiian values. The sixth grade teachers and myself reported taking the time to
integrate Hawaiian practices, rituals, and protocol as part of the learning experience
for students.
The second research question asked teachers to identify the kinds of support
they would like in regards to their learning more about HLC and how to use it in the
classroom. There are three things that participants were interested in. First, all
teachers reported that they would like to learn more language so that they will be
more comfortable using Hawaiian language in their teaching. Second, teachers are
interested in learning about specific ways to incorporate HLC into the math
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curriculum. Most of the participants are aware that there was a counting system in
ancient Hawaiʻi but do not know how to teach it. There is no ready-made curriculum
for math lessons related to the field trips to the loʻi, ancient fishponds, and Hōkūleʻa
(ancient Hawaiian voyaging canoe). Finally, there were four participants that
mentioned that it would be good to have a bank of resources that KS teachers can
access that will assist them in areas they are unfamiliar with. ʻElima mentioned the
importance of inviting experts such as kūpuna, to come and share about nā mea
Hawaiʻi (things of Hawaiʻi).
The last research question indicated in what ways HLC and the use of
culturally relevant teaching methods affect the participants. All participants have a
general philosophy of education that reflects the message of genuine care for all
learners. They believe that all students can and want to learn. They all value the
importance of developing relationships with students. However, the degree to which
the participants valued the importance of using culturally relevant teaching methods
varied greatly. On one side of the continuum, there is Teacher ʻEkahi who didn’t
“agree that CRP helps Native Hawaiians learn better.” On the other extreme, teacher
ʻElima wants students to make connections about why the students should be proud
to be Hawaiian. The role in which participants felt that they needed to contribute
towards HLC initiatives was little to none. A common response was similar to
teacher ʻEono’s, “if we went to the Hawaiian language teacher and asked her to teach
math, she would probably not want to do it because she may not be familiar with the
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subject matter. This is the same way I feel about teaching Hawaiian language and
culture in my math class.”
Although all teachers claimed to want to learn more Hawaiian language, they
also reported that there are too many other initiatives and work to do and have not
made the effort to take a Hawaiian language course on their own volition.
Discussion of Findings
In this section, I discuss the two major findings of this study: 1) Teachers
want more training in HLC in order to incorporate more HLC instructional strategies
in the classroom; and 2) CRP and CBE does not match Kula Hawaiʻi initiatives.
Teachers Want to Learn More
The word aʻo in the Hawaiian language has the same meaning as the Maori
word, ako. Ako is the Maori word for learning and is also the word for teaching.
Findsen states that the term ako “does not differentiate between those who dispense
knowledge and those who acquire it. Knowledge is always a collective entity” (as
cited from Merriam, 2007, p.231). One significant finding of this study is that all
participants desire to know more Hawaiian language. Teachers have enjoyed the
language lessons that have been taught at past ʻike Hawaiʻi faculty meetings.
However, the learning at the faculty meetings is limited to monthly lessons. Of the
six teachers I interviewed, only one reported taking Hawaiian language workshop in
the past. I am the only KMS teacher in the Ke Ala Leo class that I have been
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attending for the past year. It is important to note that of the twenty-four students in
the class, 18 are KES faculty and staff members, (though neither of the two sixth
grade teachers in this study are enrolled in the class). This indicates to me that there
is greater interest at KES than at KMS to make efforts towards learning Hawaiian
language.
According to Merriam (2007), adult social roles and the timing of life events
affect development. This may apply to the learning of Hawaiian language and
culture by KS teachers. As the school moves towards efforts to include more HLC
into the classroom, it will change the role of the KS teacher, thus requiring them to
be more knowledgeable in HLC. The sociocultural perspective on adult
development of Dannefer, 1996, “acknowledges how the social world in which we
live influences our development (as cited by Merriam, 2007, p. 312).” Based on the
comparison of the sixth grade participants in this study to the KMS teachers in this
study, there is a noticeable difference in philosophy and pedagogy. KES seems to be
making strides towards becoming Kula Hawaiʻi.
Recently, I was at an all day, professional development work-day where the
KMS math teachers met. We worked on two things, 1) the big ideas related to math
concepts we teach and 2) coming up with a common rubric for student
recommendations. At this meeting as in all our meetings, we never discussed how
we incorporate Hawaiian language and culture in the math class. Incorporating HLC
instructional strategies is not on our radar. Despite the personal interviews I had
with the seventh and eighth grade math teachers as part of this study, we have never
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taken the time to put it on our agenda to learn from one another and to encourage one
another in learning more about CRP practices. On the contrary, the conversations I
have had with the elementary teachers indicate to me that there is a more conscious
effort towards incorporating HLC into all classrooms, including the math classroom.
The recent adoption of the Hawaiian Cultural Vibrancy Policy at KS is fairly
new and unfamiliar to the teachers at KMS. Due to the implementation of initiatives
other than those that address HLC, KS has not provided enough support to prepare
teachers to know what CBE and CRP instructional practices are, why they are
important when teaching Native Hawaiian students, and how to incorporate HLC
into the content and context of their classes. Based on the results of the data
collected, KES teachers have been exposed to Kula Hawaiʻi efforts and the
significance of using HLC in the class more than that of the KMS teachers.
This leads me to wonder what is happening at KES that is different at KMS?
From personal experience at KMS, there is not much emphasis and enthusiasm
generated to encourage teachers, like myself, to make the extra effort to learn
Hawaiian. This lack of effort and lack of interest could be due to the other
significant finding of this study: that the CRP and CBE practices are not represented
in the Kula Hawaiʻi initiaitives at KS.
CRP + CBE ≠ Kula Hawaiʻi Initiatives
Language was found to be the part of HLC that the participants felt was
important to learn more. However, according to the criteria of CRP and CBE,
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focusing on Hawaiian language is only part of what should be valued. Therefore, the
current efforts of KS towards Hawaiian Cultural Vibrancy (KS, 2010), do not match
all concepts of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, CRP (Ladson-Billings, 1995) and
Culture Based Education, CBE (Demmert & Towner, 2003).
While academic success of students is evident by test scores above the state
and national averages and college attendance rates of KS graduates as reported in
chapter one, what else is happening in the area of cultural competence and critical
consciousness are important aspects of CRP. The second criteria of CRP, is cultural
competence. Ladson-Billings explains in her 1995 article, “But That’s Just Good
Teaching!” that “for many African American students, the school remains and alien
and hostile place” (p. 161). She explains that the African American culture of the
students should be incorporated into the curriculum and in an example of a teacher
who combined her love of poetry with the students’ interest in rap music. The
students’ interest of rap music was the connection to the students’ culture. What
kind of cultural practices are KS students bringing to the classroom? While there are
some students who are speaking Hawaiian language at home and practicing
Hawaiian cultural activities, there are many students who are unfamiliar with HLC
just like the participants in this study.
Teachers in this study reported that if they were to be more familiar with
Hawaiian language, that they could then help better to teaching students using
Hawaiian language. This statement may be true, but, if students are not using
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Hawaiian language at home, and are instead using pidgin English at home, then
perhaps teachers use more pidgin English in the classroom.
Though Teacher ʻElua self-reported to be novice in Hawaiian language, ʻElua
also mentioned using pidgin English in the classroom and modifying math problems
to make it more relevant to places and events students are familiar with.
The third criteria of CRP, is the development of critical consciousness. How
will KS students make an effect on the Native Hawaiian community, the state of
Hawaiʻi and potentially, the world in which they live? Part of the KMT project
involves learning more about how KS makes an impact on the community and state
through various efforts. Recently we went on a field trip to visit the “business” side
of KS. One of the presentations was from the Land Assets group. A seed was
planted in the minds of our students announcing the need for more Native Hawaiians
to “grow up” and mālama ʻaina (care for the land). Another example of “planting
seeds” is the sixth grade’s annual Huʻakaʻi (field trip) to the Big Island. The visit to
the neighbor island give students the opportunity to learn about moʻolelo (stories of
Hawaiian ancestors), the significance of the land they visit to the Hawaiian people,
and the history of Hawaiʻi. Students learn about why it is important to care for the
land and carry on the traditions of the Native Hawaiian people.
According to a recent report related to the Hawaiian Cultural Vibrancy
policy, the future of KS includes a plan to address these efforts based upon five
themes: 1) Hoʻōla Lāhui – Revitalizing the Hawaiian people; 2)ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi –
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Hawaiian language; 3) Launa – Building relationships; 4) Kamehameha Ahupuaʻa –
Kamehameha organizational landscape; and 5) Aloha ʻāina – Love of Hawaiʻi
These five themes match up to the CBE elements as shown in Table 18.
Table 18. Strategic Themes for Cultural Vibrancy vs. CBE (Demmert & Towner,
2003)
Strategic themes for
Cultural Vibrancy at KS Critical Elements of CBE
Hoʻōla Lāhui –
Revitalizing the Hawaiian
people
Curriculum that is based on traditional culture and
that recognizes the importance of Native spirituality.
ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi – Hawaiian
language
Recognition and use of Native American (American
Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian) languages.
Launa – Building
relationships
Strong Native community participation (including
parents, elders, other community resources) in
educating children and in the planning and operation
of school activities.
Kamehameha Ahupuaʻa –
Kamehameha
organizational landscape
Knowledge and use of social and political mores of
the community.
Aloha ʻāina – Love of
Hawaiʻi
Pedagogy that stresses traditional cultural
characteristics, and adult-child interactions.
Pedagogy in which teaching strategies are congruent
with the traditional culture and ways of knowing and
learning.
The theme that showed up most significantly in this study was ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi
(Hawaiian language). The HCIE study reported that “students of teachers who use
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greater amounts of culture-based education approaches were more likely to report
higher rates of cultural knowledge and practice, community attachment and service,
school engagement, and positive self-concept” (Ledward & Takayama, 2009).
According to Ledward and Takayama (2009), “culture-based educational approaches
have a significant impact on students’ Hawaiian language ability, internalization of
Hawaiian values, and participation of cultural activities.” While speaking Hawaiian
is often used to determine language ability, the HCIE study determined that a
students’ capacity of Hawaiian language understanding could also be exhibited in
their understanding of Hawaiian when spoken to and Hawaiian protocol participation
(such as oli). As teachers develop in their understanding and familiarity of Hawaiian
language and practices, they will be able to practice using the language, understand
spoken Hawaiian and practice Hawaiian protocols with their students.
It is important to note that the efforts of Kula Hawaiʻi are in the early years of
development and compared to the 123-year history in which HLC was not the focus
of the curriculum and the student outcome, it is just a drop in the bucket. The
existence of the other themes (Hoʻōla Lāhui, Launa, Kamehameha Ahupuaʻa, and
Aloha ʻāina) probably exist throughout the KS organization, but for the participants
of this study and possibly, most of the teachers in the KS faculty, the concern about
making efforts towards Kula Hawaiʻi are represented most significantly by the theme
of language. Since Hawaiian language was mentioned most frequently by
participants as to what they would like to improve, it is important for teachers to be
aware of their role in the efforts towards Kula Hawaiʻi.
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Recommendations
There are three things that all participants have in common: 1) they all
exhibited genuine care for the students they teach; 2) none are fluent in the Hawaiian
language; and 3) they all indicated an interest in learning more about Hawaiian
Language and Culture. Currently none of the six participants are currently taking a
Hawaiian language course, nor are they attending hula classes or any other cultural
classes. How can HLC competence be implemented into the workday so that
teachers are better prepared to share HLC competencies with KS students?
Since all participants in this study are not fluent in Hawaiian language, the
challenge would be to get them more familiar with the language. None of the six
participants I interviewed are currently taking a Hawaiian language course, nor are
they attending hula classes or any other cultural classes. How can HLC competence
be implemented during work time so that teachers are better equipped for sharing
HLC competencies with our students? I have four recommendations for
improvement as a result of this study.
1. Hawaiian Culture Coach
2. Scaffolding of new knowledge
3. A commitment to ʻIke Hawaiʻi
4. Incorporation of the Kamehameha Math Trail Project by all eighth grade
math teachers.
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Hawaiian Culture Coach
Kula Hawaiʻi initiatives are currently being carried out by administrators and
teachers in addition to the duties they had prior to these efforts. The added
responsibilities of preparing lessons and learning about the new directions, policies
and initiatives add to the load of teachers who have added responsibilities in other
system and school initiatives. When KMS began the one-to-one laptop program and
all students were issued a laptop, the school added the position of Instructional
Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT) during the first year when only the seventh
graders were issued a laptop and added a second ITRT position during the second
year when both seventh and eighth graders had laptops. The ITRT assists classroom
teachers in the area of technology. The ITRT attends team meetings and provides
updates and handles concerns regarding technology issues. They train teachers and
students as teachers learn to incorporate technology into their classroom. They also
create and provide handouts, lesson guides and offer other resources to support the
integration of technology into the classroom.
The incorporation of HLC at KS is similar to that of the integration of
technology. Two years ago, KMS hired a part-time Hawaiian Resource Teacher
(HRT). The HRT was not on campus every day and has since been assigned to teach
a section of Hawaiian in addition to attending the many meetings regarding Kula
Hawaiʻi and ʻike Hawaiʻi initiatives. The HRT has not attended team meetings and
has not provided much HLC support to teachers. I humbly recommend that KS
invest in a full time coach that can help teachers to incorporate more HLC
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instructional practices, attend team meetings and help to develop HLC lessons that
teachers can apply. This coach can also provide language lessons for teachers and
provide a strategic plan for incorporating more HLC at KS.
Scaffolding of New Knowledge
During my first year at KS, I wanted to learn more about Hawaiian language.
I attended the Hawaiian language classes and learned about the permissions they
were learning in Hawaiian. They learned frequently used questions like the “May I
use the restroom?” and “May I use the computer?” (see Figure 5 in chapter 4). I took
those Hawaiian permission questions and created posters for my classroom so that I
could have my students ask permission in Hawaiian to go to the restroom and to
print, etc. Since I was also on the ʻike Hawaiʻi committee, I suggested that we create
posters for all classrooms so that any other teacher who wanted to promote the
students asking permission in Hawaiian would have access to this resource. This
popular idea made its way into all the KMS classrooms. All students are familiar
with these five phrases and are able to practice ʻolelo Hawaiʻi (speaking Hawaiian)
daily by referring to these common phrases.
The five permission posters were made three years ago for all teachers. Two
years ago we implemented an opening ceremony for our Makahiki celebration. Last
year, we taught the staff at an ʻike Hawaiʻi presentation about the Hawaiian moon
phases and the significance of the different phases in Hawaiian culture. If we
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continue to add one new HLC instructional strategy each year, then I believe that KS
will be well on its way towards becoming Kula Hawaiʻi.
A Commitment to ʻIke Hawaiʻi
What goals and initiatives are KS math teachers expected to carry out? Aside
from teaching the 72-105 students that are enrolled in their classes, there are many
school and system-wide initiatives that teachers contend with. Three notable
initiatives in addition to any related to Kula Hawaiʻi are: 1) use of technology in the
classroom; 2) making connections to the WEO and the standards and 3) curriculum
mapping. At KES and KMS, teachers are also working to implement
interdisciplinary units and other team events. This year also marked the beginning of
accreditation meetings that require select teachers to participate in the development
of the accreditation report. With so many initiatives to carry out, KS teachers are
faced with too many goals and are in a situation referred to by Clark and Estes
(2002) as “thrashing.” According to Clark and Estes (2002),
Since the effort required to achieve any one priority goal can vary
enormously, it is not possible to suggest a specific number of goals that
people can handle with maximum effort…even the brightest and most
motivated people have a limited capacity…People are only able to invest
inadequate and shallow effort in each item when forced to distribute effort
over too many priorities. (p. 27)
Another theory that explains the rate of teachers participating in learning of
Hawaiian language is called the Theory of Margin (McClusky, 1963). McClusky’s
Theory of Margin (1963) refers to a
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balance people seek which is conceptualized as a ratio between the of “load”
of life, which dissipates energy, and the “power” of life, which allows one to
deal with the load. “Margin in life” is the ratio of load to power. More
power means a greater margin to participate in learning. (as cited from
Merriam, 2007, p. 93)
While all initiatives are important to consider, applying all at the intensity
they are currently being approached with makes the job of teaching more
challenging. In addition to preparing lessons, the many initiatives require teachers to
meet and plan and incorporate ideas and all this takes a lot of extra time. With the
business of life today, this makes it difficult for teachers to find time to learn HLC
outside of the normal work time.
At KMS, there are faculty meetings scheduled every Monday. ʻIke Hawaiʻi
lessons are scheduled once a month. This year, there have been accreditation
meetings scheduled on Monday’s as well as meetings for those who are working on
Standards Implementation. This has resulted in attendance at the ‘ike Hawaiʻi
lessons to be less than 100%. There are teachers who are volunteering to plan the
lessons for the staff and to honor their time and to create a supportive learning
environment, it is appropriate to expect that all teachers will attend these sessions.
The Kamehameha Math Trail Project
The math teachers want to be sure to teach the content area and have a
difficult time incorporating the context of applying it using HLC. The KMT project
emphasizes math and HLC. Students learn more about Hawaiian language, culture
and history by completing this project. Through the incorporation of this year-long
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project, the KMT has allowed HLC to become a part of my curriculum (content) and
has affected my pedagogy (context).
The response to the KMT project by students, parents, participants and
supervisors have been in strong support for this kind of learning (see Figures 12 and
13). The KMT project allows for 1) students to use technology; 2) students to
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of math standards and concepts and 3) the
WEO to be included in the math curriculum. Most students enjoy the challenge of
applying the math concepts while using creativity and learning more about their
physical environment and Hawaiian History (see Appendix E).
Figure 12. Parent Response for KMT Project
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Figure 13. Parent Response for KMT Project
One drawback to this project is that there is a significant time commitment
involved with checking student work and implementation of the various segments of
this project. In my opinion, many of my peers may be unable or unwilling to
dedicate a significant amount of time on such a project to the extent that I have done.
But I feel that this project allows me to cover each of the five components of
Kanaʻiaupuni’s culture based education (see Table 19). The learning allows for the
use of creativity, technology and higher level thinking skills. For these reasons, I
continue to include the KMT project in my curriculum each year and hope that the
other eighth grade math teachers can include this project into their curriculum.
Furthermore, I recommend that the sixth and seventh grade teachers include a project
similar to this one that can incorporate math and the learning of HLC.
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Table 19. KMT and Components of Culture-based Education
Culture-
based Component KMT example
Language We learn oli to prepare for field trips that are related to the
learning encompassed by the KMT project. Students are also
to work on correct spelling of Hawaiian words in the writing of
the history of the buildings for this project.
Family and
community
Parents participate by proof reading student writing. KS staff
members participate in the interview portion of this project.
Students learn about a person through a personal interview
with a KS employee who works in another part of the KS
institution. The interview questions include learning about
how math is applied to their job and daily life.
Content The math standards are applied as students create math
problems about the learning / school environment. Students
learn about the significance of math from others (KMT
Interview).
Context The school has a rich history that we learn about through this
project. Students learn that each building is named after a
significant person in the history of KS and Hawaiʻi.
Assessment and
accountability
Students are allowed to exhibit their knowledge of math
concepts creatively. Each student prepares a question that is at
his / her mastery level.
Limitations
There are three limitations that I encountered in this study. First, the number
of teachers who participated in this study included all but one middle school teacher.
There are six middle school teachers and since the sixth grade at the elementary are
operating using an “elem-middle” set up with two sixth grade teams operating in a
way similar to KMS, I included the two sixth grade math teachers in this study so
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that there were seven participants (myself included). Second, the small number of
teachers in this study limited the investigation of the kinds of HLC instructional
strategies that were used in the math classrooms at KS-Oʻahu. It would have been
more ideal, but not feasible in this situation, to increase the number of participants in
this study. It would have been interesting to observe and interview all the math
teachers in the KS system or perhaps all the middle school math teachers at all three
campuses. Finally another limitation of this study is that the focus is only on math
teachers. This study could have focused on any subject matter that does not usually
include HLC in their content area such as science, English, Speech, etc.
Conclusion
This was a study that examined the current practices in the middle level math
classes at KS-Oʻahu in the Fall of 2009. The observations, interviews and self-
assessment allowed the researcher, (myself) an opportunity to learn about what is
happening, what support is requested and needed and the effect HLC has on the
middle level math teachers. The initiatives that will help KS to becoming a
Hawaiian educational institution (as described in chapter 2) included Kūlia I Ka
Nuʻu, WEO, and the Hawaiian Cultural Vibrancy Policy (KS, 2009). These HLC
initiatives are expected and required of KS teachers along with other professional
responsibilities (technology integration, standards connections, curriculum mapping,
etc.). While there is a willingness of KS teachers to serve the Native Hawaiian
students in a culturally relevant manner, a support system that teaches them how to
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do it will allow for greater progress in KS’s journey towards becoming Kula
Hawaiʻi.
In my opinion, the efforts of KS becoming Kula Hawaʻi can be likened to a
journey made by the voyaging canoe, Hōkūleʻa. The canoe has a navigator that will
lead the voyage. The canoe also has resources, supplies and a crew to go on the
journey. Whenever they set sail, there is a destination. To get to that destination,
there must be careful planning. All members of the crew must work together in
unity to encounter and complete a successful journey. When they get to the desired
destination there is a celebration to welcome the crew to port.
KS represents the vessel. Kula Hawaiʻi represents the destination. KS
leaders and decision makers take on the role of navigators. The resources and staff
are vital to a successful voyage but even more important is the careful planning and
attention to detail in how to successfully include all members on board to participate
and contribute to realize Kula Hawaiʻi. When KS becomes Ke Kula Hawaiʻi, there
will be a celebration. In attendance of this celebration will be a Native Hawaiian
population and KS staff that contribute to Hawaiian cultural vibrancy.
This study represents the current bearings of KS at this point in the long
journey. May the findings of this study help in the navigation of this important
voyage.
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CHAPTER SIX
EPILOGUE
I am so glad that I was able to spend time talking with and learning from my
peers for this study. Each of them had at least one great idea that might help our
school to become better prepared to incorporate HLC in the math class and
potentially in all classrooms. I share and expand on these ideas in this section.
ʻEkahi has been including the teaching of Hawaiian numbers in the math
class for a number of years now. ʻEkahi created handouts to teach the numbers in
Hawaiian and applies it in the team’s interdisciplinary unit. The math component of
the career unit includes writing checks. Students are required to write out the
numbers in Hawaiian.
Of the seven participants in this study, ʻElua is probably the least familiar
with Hawaiian language. However, this teacher is aware that the use of language
that students are more comfortable with is important. ʻElua allows students to use
pidgin English in math class and speaks to students using this dialect as well. The
research by KEEP found that Native Hawaiian students responded well to “a
multidisciplinary language arts program for Native Hawaiian children” which
emphasized “the students’s Indigenous language and culture” (Benham, 2006, p. 39).
Elua also focuses on the student as a person and develops relationships with students,
realizing the importance of society and culture in promoting cognitive development
(Ormrod, 2008).
159
What I learned from ʻEkolu was the notion of our school following the
principles of nohona Hawaiʻi (living in a Hawaiian way). ʻEkolu mentioned the
importance of everyone accepting the direction of becoming a Hawaiian school and
contributing to Kula Hawaiʻi. ʻEkolu and I discussed a school-wide interdisciplinary
unit during our annual Makahiki celebration. The Makahiki was a time period of rest
and harvesting in ancient Hawaiʻi. It was a time of celebrations, games and
competition, and hoʻokupu (presentations / offerings). Makahiki is a topic of
Hawaiian culture that can encompass the various content areas to be extended into a
school-wide interdisciplinary unit. ʻEkolu suggested having all teachers share a
Makahiki related lesson with students on the day of the Makahiki celebration at the
middle school.
Currently, our makahiki celebration includes an opening ceremony at the start
of the day. The entire student body, faculty and staff and special guests gather on the
field. The hula and chant class perform a hula and oli, all students oli and there is a
presentation of protocol. Following the ceremony, at different times throughout the
day, the six different Pūʻulu (teams) competes in ancient Hawaiian games and at the
end of the day, the champions from each team competes against each other. Aside
from the ceremony and competition, there is no other extension of HLC included
throughout the curriculum. ʻEkolu suggested that this day is a great opportunity for
our school to include many aspects of Hawaiian learning in all content areas. For
example, in seventh grade math, the Hawaiian numbers could be learned and used.
In eighth grade math, the students could learn about the Hawaiian counting and
160
measurement system. In art class, there could be a demonstration of Hawaiian crafts
and in Health class, the students could learn about the Native Hawaiian diet and
prepare dishes that would have been eaten in ancient Hawaiʻi. To top it all off, the
dining hall might prepare a Hawaiian food menu on this day. A school-wide focus
on Makahiki and HLC would show to the students that the school places value on
increasing everyone’s knowledge about HLC.
I did not observe the use of Hawaiian language ʻEhā’s classroom. ʻEhā was
very honest in her response of, “honestly, I’m currently not doing much to
incorporate HLC into my instruction. Because I don’t speak it, I find difficulty in
using it with ease. I worry about not pronouncing it correctly, and/or using it
incorrectly and subsequently confusing the students. It’s not natural for me to speak
it. I don’t find it easy to integrate HLC into math. I could use if for the more daily
phrases in a more effective way, by not always in the math content area.” Another
contribution I got from ʻEhā was her concern with “having common agreements as to
what all teachers will do in the way of reinforcing the proficiencies (ie: common
phrases, expectations of student use, etc.), making sure all staff participate and
provide reference for those who are new to school.” The concerns of ʻEhā are not
unique to this participant alone, and are shared by myself and other participants.
As the only non-Hawaiian participant and the only participant who did not
attend KS, what I learned most from ʻElima is that “all teachers, regardless of their
ethnic group membership, can (must) have the courage, competence, and confidence
to teach in a culturally relevant manner” (Gay, 2000).
161
ʻEono reminded me that our primary job as math teachers is to teach math.
That is not to say that this teacher does not appreciate Hawaiian language and
culture. ʻEono’s first concern is on how to become a better math teacher. What
amount of time should be expended on math teachers being trained on teaching
math? This is the concern that ʻEono has as KS embarks on becoming Kula Hawaiʻi.
Myself: I came back to teach at my alma mater six years ago. I knew few
Hawaiian words and had little knowledge about Hawaiian culture, with the exception
of enjoying Hawaiian foods. As I began a new leg of my KS journey, this time as a
teacher, I was excited and overwhelmed at the thought of having to learn about HLC.
I knew that no one was making me learn HLC, I would not be fired if I made no
attempt at learning the language or culture. But as I bore witness to the pride that
those who could ‘ōlelo (speak) possessed, I was drawn to it. It has been exciting to
awaken a new spirit within me as I learn more about the culture that was dormant
within me for the majority of my life.
During my first year of teaching at KMS, when we attended chapel, I was so
impressed with the teacher that stood in the pew behind me who could pray Ka Pule
a Ka Haku (The Lord’s Prayer) so fluently. It became my personal goal to be able to
recite this beautiful and seemingly difficult pule. I had my students (who already
had it memorized), write out the Hawaiian prayer for me on paper. I kept this paper
on my podium and each day, we began class with Ka Pule a Ka Haku. Each day I
read it as they prayed it. It took me many months before I no longer needed the
paper in front of me. After I was able to learn that pule, I developed an interest and
162
confidence to learn Hawaiian. I have been enrolled in Hawaiian language classes for
the better part of the six years I have worked at KS. There have been other cultural
experiences for me throughout my journey at KS and many on this most recent
voyage as a teacher. I hope KS will continue to offer learning opportunities so that I
may be a contributor in KS’s effort of becoming Kula Hawaiʻi.
I was able to learn from my peers through this study and I am thankful for
their willingness to contribute to this learning experience. May we continue to
journey together towards the teaching and learning of Hawaiian language and
culture.
Hoʻomoe wai kāhi ke kāoʻo.
Let all travel together like water flowing in one direction (Pukuʻi, 1983).
163
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169
APPENDIX A
TEACHER INFORMED CONSENT FORM
University of Southern California
Department of Education
INFORMATION SHEET FOR NON-MEDICAL RESEARCH
Hawaiian Language and Culture (HLC) in the Math Class
Math Teacher
You are asked to participate in a research study conducted by Kim Terai, doctoral
candidate from the Department of Education at the University of Southern
California. Results from this study will contribute to the doctoral dissertation of Kim
Terai. You were selected as a possible participant in this study because you are a
KSKMS Math Teacher.
I am hoping you will choose to take part in this research study because I am trying to
learn more about the extent to which Hawaiian language and culture (HLC) is being
used in the math class and what types of support teachers feel will be helpful to
incorporate more HLC in their classroom.
Completion and return of the questionnaire will constitute consent to participate in
this research project.
You will be asked to complete the survey questionnaire during a math department
meeting. The survey questionnaire consists of a few items for background
information (i.e., gender, age, years at KS, etc) and seventy Likert scale items.
Thre are no reasonable foreseeable resks associated with this study. All measures to
assure anonymity and confidentiality will be taken. No names will be asked and all
teacher questionnaires will be collected in an envelope by Kim Terai. Your
responses to the survey will not negatively affect you or your position at KSKMS.
You may benefit from this study in that results may be used to inform professional
development programs for KSKMS teachers.
You will not receive payment or compensation for participating in this study.
170
Any information that is obtained in connection with this study and that can be
identified with you will remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your
permission or as required by law. A copy of the completed study will be made
available to the administrative office of KSKMS to be used for program evaluation
and development.
When the results of the research are published or discussed in conferences, no
information will be included that would reveal your identity. No photographs or
videos will be used in this study.
Personal information and research data from the questionnaire will be coded for use
in the study. All information collected will be stored on the password-protected
computer and in the locked file cabinet of the investigator, Kim Terai.
Questionnaires will be destroyed upon acceptance of the dissertation.
You can choose whether to be in this study or not. Your choice to participate or not
will be anonymous. If you volunteer to be in this study, you may withdraw at any
time without consequences of any kind. You may also refuse to answer any
questions you don’t want to answer and still remain in the study. The investigator
may withdraw you from this research if circumstances arise which warrant doing so.
If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to contact
Kim Terai, 98-288 Kaonohi St #2501, Aiea, HI, 96701, (808) 277-9277, email:
terai@usc.edu.
You may withdraw your consent at any time and discontinue participation without
penalty. You are not waiving any legal claims, rights or remedies because of your
participation in this research study. If you have questions regarding your rights as a
research subject, contact the University Park IRB, Office of the Vice Provost for
Research, Bovard Administration Building, Room 300, Los Angeles, CA 90089-
4019, (213) 740-6709 or upirb@usc.edu.
171
APPENDIX B
INFORMATIVE LETTER TO SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR
August 1, 2009
Aloha KSKMS Administrators,
My name is Kim Terai. I am a University of Southern California doctoral candidate.
I am working on a study to learn more about the extent to which math teachers are
using culturally relevant pedagogical practices specific to Hawaiian Language and
Culture in the classroom.
The study will invite the math teachers and up to three administrators at KSKMS to
be in the participant group. The qualitative study will be based on two thirty-minute
classroom observations of each of the math teachers and a guided interview that will
take no longer than 45 minutes. A 70 item survey/questionnaire will also be given to
math teachers. This tool is called the Culture Based Education Teacher Tool that has
been created by KS’s research group.
Results from this study will contribute to my doctoral dissertation. A copy of the
completed study will be made available to the administration of KSKMS to be used
for program evaluation and development. All participants of the study may obtain
the information from the KSKMS administrative office. Participants of the study
may request additional information on the study by emailing me at terai@usc.edu.
If you have any questions please feel free to email me. Thank you for your help.
Mahalo,
Kim Terai
University of Southern California Doctoral Student
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APPENDIX C
TEACHER INTERVIEW PROTOCOL
HLC in the Math Classroom
A Background information: When and where were you educated? When
and where you began teaching? What schools/district have you
worked at?
How many years have you taught math?
How many years at KS?
B What Hawaiian language and culture experiences and skills do you
possess? (i.e. speaking Hawaiian, dancing hula, learning la’au lapa’au,
lua, crafts, geneaology, etc.).
How would you describe your Hawaiian language ability? What kinds
of things can you do that show your level of fluency?
C How would you describe you philosophy of teaching? What do you
believe “works”?
D What kind of role do you believe parents/family play in the success of
native Hawaiian students? How would you describe the kinds of
relationships you’ve had with parents of students you’ve taught?
173
E From your experience, what kinds of supports for students make a
difference in their ability to learn math?
F What kinds of things have you done in the classroom that have
facilitated to the academic success of native Hawaiian students?
G How do you handle classroom management? Are there special things
that teachers of native Hawaiian students should know about classroom
management?
H It has been reported that culturally relevant pedagogy helps Native
Hawaiian students to learn better, to what extent do you agree with this
statement?
In what ways do you utilize this concept into your curriculum?
I What relationships do you see, if any between using Hawaiian
language and culture and learning/teaching math?
174
J a. In what way do you incorporate Hawaiian Language and culture
into the classroom?
b. Does this hinder or help you in your teaching of indigenous
students?
c. How does HLC affect your curriculum and instruction? (content
and context)
K What kinds of culturally purposeful and useful assessments have you
used in the context of your course?
L What kinds of support would help you make a difference in students’
HLC proficiencies?
M If the point is to help you become stranger at facilitating learning, what
HLC professional development activities have you found to be useful
and applicable to your classroom?
N If you could plan the types of training new teachers at KS would have
in preparation to work with the students you work with, what would be
the five most important things they should know and be able to do, if
they are to facilitate learning in math for these students?
175
O How much of what you know about teaching native Hawaiian children
did you learn as a result of teacher training or inservice?
P Based on your experience in education, what kinds of strategies would
you recommend to other teachers to better reach teaching indigenous
students?
Q What role do you feel you play in the students’ learning specific to
Hawaiian Language and competencies?
R Why is your class set up as it is?
176
APPENDIX D
OBSERVATION PROTOCOL
OBSERVATION PROTOCOL
HLC in MATH CLASSROOM
Suggested Pre-observation Interview Questions
1. What has this class been covering recently?
2. What unit are you working on?
3. What instructional materials are you using?
4. What do you anticipate doing with this class today/on the day of the
observation?
5. What would you like the students to learn during this class?
6. Is there anything in particular that I should know about the students in this
class?
Suggested Post-observation interview questions:
1. Did this lesson turn out different from what you planned? If so, in what
ways?
2. How typical was this lesson for the students?
3. What do you think the students learned from this lesson, and what they still
need to learn?
4. What challenges did you confront in encouraging students to engage in the
mathematical discourse?
5. What do you plan to do in the next lesson with these students?
177
I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Observer:
Date of observation:
Teacher:
a. Course:
b. Grade Level: 7 or 8
c. Date of Observation:
d. Observer:
e. Scheduled length of class:
f. Length of observation:
g. Unit / topic / learning objective:
h. Instructional materials
II. CLASSROOM DEMOGRAPHICS
g. Number of students: h. Ratio of Male students to Female
students:
i. Indicate the instructor’s: Gender: __________
Set up of the classroom:
_____ individual desks _____ desks in partners _____ desks in groups
______other (SHOW SKETCH)
FRONT OF CLASS
178
Rubric for Summarizing Classroom Observations
(modified from Newmann, Secada & Wehlage 1995)
Each of the following 9 indicators are scored:
0 = Don't Know or N/A
1 = This seldom or never occurred
2 = This sometimes occurred
3 = This frequently occurred
Extent to which the students...
1. (HLC / CRP instructional strategy) Had the opportunity to speak in Hawaiian.
0 1 2 3
2. (Academic Achievement) Had the opportunity to engage in higher order
thinking about the content by one or any of the following:
• Organization • Interpreting • Describing patterns
• Constructing arguments • Synthesizing
• Hypothesizing • Making models or simulations
• Inventing procedures
0 1 2 3
3. (HLC / CRP instructional strategy) Had the opportunity to interact with central
ideas of the discipline in depth, showing interconnections and relationships by
any one of the following:
• Connecting definitions to important scientific/mathematics principles
• Making connections to other concepts or making connections to
culture or real life
0 1 2 3
179
4. (Academic Achievement) Had the opportunity to communicate knowledge by
the following:
• Logical explanations or arguments
• Well-articulated explanations or arguments
• Multiple representations
0 1 2 3
5. (HLC / CRP instructional strategy) Had the opportunity to make connections
between their knowledge of the concepts and public problems or personal
experience.
0 1 2 3
6. (HLC / CRP instructional strategy) Had the opportunity to work together as a
learning community to learn mathematics and/or science.
0 1 2 3
7. (HLC / CRP instructional strategy) Were accommodated in an equitable manner
based on their gender, race/ethnicity, ability, etc.
0 1 2 3
8. (Academic Achievement) Had the opportunity to learn accurate vocabulary and
content essential in understanding the topic.
0 1 2 3
9. (HLC / CRP instructional strategy) Had the opportunity to demonstrate what
they have learned through different types of authentic assessment.
0 1 2 3
180
APPENDIX E
SAMPLE KMT PROBLEM (STUDENT WORK)
181
Abstract (if available)
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Terai, Kim E.
(author)
Core Title
Hawaiian language and culture in the middle level math class
School
Rossier School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education
Degree Program
Education (Leadership)
Publication Date
05/25/2010
Defense Date
03/07/2010
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
culture-based education,Hawaiian language and culture,mathematics,OAI-PMH Harvest
Place Name
Hawaii
(states),
islands: Oahu
(geographic subject)
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Sundt, Melora A. (
committee chair
), Brewer, Dominic J. (
committee member
), Wright, Erin (
committee member
)
Creator Email
algfreak@yahoo.com,kiterai@ksbe.edu
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-m3097
Unique identifier
UC1436070
Identifier
etd-terai-3599 (filename),usctheses-m40 (legacy collection record id),usctheses-c127-345566 (legacy record id),usctheses-m3097 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
etd-terai-3599.pdf
Dmrecord
345566
Document Type
Dissertation
Rights
Terai, Kim E.
Type
texts
Source
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Repository Name
Libraries, University of Southern California
Repository Location
Los Angeles, California
Repository Email
cisadmin@lib.usc.edu
Tags
culture-based education
Hawaiian language and culture