Teaching Online using the Āta Approach

                            Ko koe ki tēna, ko āhau, ki tēnei kiwai o te kete.

You take that handle of the kete and I’ll take this one

Āta-whakarongo – to listen with reflective deliberation
Āta-noho – giving quality time, to be with people and their issues.
Āta whakaaro – to think with deliberation, considering possibilities

I used this article to help guide my survey that I used with whānau.

PUZZLE PIECE 1: Focusing and reflection on the relationship between whānau, ākonga, and kaiako

Making multiple, ongoing opportunities to connect and listen to our whānau and ākonga is what will create the weave that supports ako. This is the puzzle piece.

Let’s koha something light to help us all settle in. And let whānau know that is what we are doing.

Questions:

I’d like to be able to regularly connect with you and your child / children. 

What are the best ways for us to connect? 

e.g. email, txt, phone, social media, video calls like zoom, skype

We are keen for tamariki to stay connected with their friends and classmates. How is your tamariki staying connected currently? These are some of the options that we’d like to try. (give examples). Which might work for you?
We want to be able to continue to support your child in their learning, but we want it to be manageable for you. We are keen for this to be fun and supportive, not stressful. What kinds of learning activities do you think would work best in your household (offer suggestions)?
Some learning activities may need the support of an adult. Is there anyone in your household who will be able to list

PUZZLE PIECE 2: Learning from the stories of others

How we connect with ākonga now will be more important than what we ‘teach

PUZZLE PIECE 3: Recognising, valuing, and supporting the awesome capabilities of our junior ākonga

We want to ensure that we create opportunities where ākonga can stretch out and expand their capabilities

I like this example:

This project is to create a class photo journal of learning from home. Whānau can you take and upload or email photos of your tamariki creating things, both the product and the process.

Finding our unique puzzle piece

 Āta encourages you to work closely with the whānau and tamariki of your communities and allow their needs, preferences and innovations to guide your teaching and learning decisions. 

REFLECTION: I want to focus on the practice of Āta and I think this will enhance and strengthen relationships between kaiako, ākonga and whānau.

Source: http://blog.core-ed.org/blog/2020/03/engaging-junior-learners-and-whanau-from-home.html