Pasifika approach to assessment
Assessing children for Pasifka teachers was a lot more difficult, as they found that mainstream assessment was not a good fit in assessing Pasifkia children. To approach Pasifika assessment in a Pasifika early childhood centre, they created a research project that would help Pasifka teachers to visualise assessing Samoan children by looking at the learning behaviours that Samoan communities value when assessing. It is important to look at culturally responsive and cultural appropriate assessment practices in a Pasifka early childhood centre (Luafutu-Simpson, 2011). Early childhood centres should be able to develop their own way in assessing, planning and evaluating as each culture is different (Ministry of Education, 1996).
Some of the forms of assessment that Pasfika early childhood's centres use are Kaupapa Māori assessment where they say it's ok to be different to the children and it's about finding the right way for you when assessing. Some Pasifika centre's such as A'oga Fa'a Samoa use learning stories but it's still not as highly important assessment method in a Pasifika environment. Learning stories can be a good way for grandparents and parents to be involved with their child's learning. Māori teachers like to use traditional Māori narratives for Māori assessment related to their framework, Tagoilelagi-Leota in the Samoan environment displays fa'alelegāpepe (woven mats) to show the progress of the Samoan assessment. “...children hold a similar status and value to that of the ietoga [fine mat] so this metaphor fits in with the concept of quality assessment for Samoan children in aoga amata or Samoan ECE services” (Luafutu-Simpson, 2011). Tongan assessment methods like to assess what takes place when they are weaving and listen to a child's conversation. They consider this a 'living assessment'.
Pasifika families believe that the western assessment methods only are able to look at the child as an individual where as in a Pasifika they look at the child's family and cultural influences that they bring to the centre. They like to develop assessment methods that will be more appropriate towards the children, who are the learners (Luafutu-Simpson, 2011).
Some of the forms of assessment that Pasfika early childhood's centres use are Kaupapa Māori assessment where they say it's ok to be different to the children and it's about finding the right way for you when assessing. Some Pasifika centre's such as A'oga Fa'a Samoa use learning stories but it's still not as highly important assessment method in a Pasifika environment. Learning stories can be a good way for grandparents and parents to be involved with their child's learning. Māori teachers like to use traditional Māori narratives for Māori assessment related to their framework, Tagoilelagi-Leota in the Samoan environment displays fa'alelegāpepe (woven mats) to show the progress of the Samoan assessment. “...children hold a similar status and value to that of the ietoga [fine mat] so this metaphor fits in with the concept of quality assessment for Samoan children in aoga amata or Samoan ECE services” (Luafutu-Simpson, 2011). Tongan assessment methods like to assess what takes place when they are weaving and listen to a child's conversation. They consider this a 'living assessment'.
Pasifika families believe that the western assessment methods only are able to look at the child as an individual where as in a Pasifika they look at the child's family and cultural influences that they bring to the centre. They like to develop assessment methods that will be more appropriate towards the children, who are the learners (Luafutu-Simpson, 2011).
The Pou Tu Model
This is model Samoan's use to indentify the dispositions children have through assessing children. It is a model of their building called the Fale Tele.
References
Luafutu-Simpson, P.(2011). Exploring the teaching of effective approaches for assessing young samoan children's learning in early childhood centers: Developing an authentic samoan lens. Retrieved from Ako Aotearoa National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence website http: akoaotearoa.ac.nz/download/ng/file/group-7/exploring-the-teaching-of-effective-approache for-assessing-young-samoan-childrens-learning-in-early-childhood-centres.pdf
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.
Luafutu-Simpson, P.(2011). Exploring the teaching of effective approaches for assessing young samoan children's learning in early childhood centers: Developing an authentic samoan lens. Retrieved from Ako Aotearoa National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence website http: akoaotearoa.ac.nz/download/ng/file/group-7/exploring-the-teaching-of-effective-approache for-assessing-young-samoan-childrens-learning-in-early-childhood-centres.pdf
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.