Abstract:
This research Folio represents the study of lived experience situated in my role as a Pākehā woman responsible for the leadership and tuition of te reo kori in a physical education teacher education degree programme. The narrative text is a discourse focused on workplace experiences with Māori culture. The Dissertation showcases an intimate qualitative study conducted within a small-circumscribed tertiary educational context. I write about key issues, identified in my text as ,snapshot stories, to provide evidence of my practice context and my role with Māori cultural experiences; and the nature and effect of my students experiences with Māori culture. The Professional Writing and Practice case studies portray the development and outcomes of initiatives associated with the advance of Māori culture in a Physical Education Degree programme. The first case study provides evidence of significant events related to foregrounding Māori culture in a new physical education degree. The second case study shows how physical education student teachers, interpret their experiences with Māori culture when teaching te reo kori. This research Folio illustrates how, challenging learning and teaching environments through te reo kori and staying on marae, create opportunities for physical education students, and myself, to experience ,culture, as a source of learning. Through recording these professional experiences with Māori culture I am convinced that by experiencing cultural difference, we can become more ,open, to accepting the uniqueness and diversity of this race of indigenous people.