E noho marae - transforming learning through direct Māori cultural experience

Abstract

This chapter is about the transformational learning of five day marae stays with physical education teacher education students. An initial marae stay with physical education student teachers in 1993 became a significant event that helped to shape and inform a curriculum innovation to include a broader experience of Māori culture in a degree in physical education. In this chapter using writing as a method of inquiry (Richardson, 2000) I situate the context of my work in physical education and outdoor education teacher education; illustrate my ‘slant’ to teaching through experiential learning (Kolb, 1984) in a marae-based context in partnership with Māori outdoor educators as a link to teaching physical education’s te reo kori; show facets of student experience on the marae; and reveal how various outlooks of the tangata whenua and Pākehā expertise come together to inform and shape the physical education students experience of Māoritanga. Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential learning. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Richardson, L. (2000). Writing: A method of inquiry. In N. Denzin & Y. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 923-948). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.