EXIGENCIAS DEL ENCUENTRO Y DESCUBRIMIENTO DE LAS VIRTUDES Y LOS VALORES

Twenty-six (26) respondents of both studies provided information in relation to whether they use textbooks in their teaching – see Section 3.3.5.2 Textbook use; Tihema (2013, pp. 42-44). Twenty134 (20) respondents altogether claimed to use textbooks, with most of these respondents (15/75%) referring to textbooks from the

Te Whanake series and only five (5/25%) selecting textbook/materials evaluation as

an area they felt they needed to know more about. The textbooks/resources identified by respondents include the following which were first written between the late-1960s and mid-90s:

 The Te Whanake series: Te Kākano (Moorfield, 1988; 2001a), Te Pihinga (Moorfield, 1989; 2001b), Te Māhuri (Moorfield, 1992; 2003d) and Te Kōhure (Moorfield, 1996; 2004b);

 Let’s learn Māori (Biggs, 1969; 1973; 1998);

 Te Ātaarangi resources (Te Ataarangi Incorporated Society, 1982; 1983)

First written in the 1980s and despite being revised in the 2000s, the first textbook of the Te Whanake series, Te Kākano (Moorfield, 2001a), has been described as including aspects of grammar translation and audiolingual methods (Nock, 2014). It is not surprising, therefore, that the Te Whanake series had the highest number of selections when participants were asked which grammar books they recommend to their learners (see Section 3.3.5.3: Grammar book use above; Section 3.4.4.3 Use of grammar books below). Thus, even though it appears that the series was not created with the intention of being grammar-based and has been described by Moorfield (2008) as providing “a

134 _{From the pilot study, seven respondents indicated that they use textbooks; from the current study,}

thirteen respondents indicated that they use textbooks; however, fifteen respondents altogether from both studies previously indicated that they “follow a textbook” to determine the content of their courses. A possible reason for this discrepancy (i.e., five respondents), may be that textbooks are included as part of their teaching, but that they are not used to determine the content of their courses.

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variety of activities to ensure that all language skills are developed” (p. 135), the Te

Whanake series is often used for the purposes of teaching/learning grammar (see Chapter Five).

One (1) respondent noted that they supplement their “own workbook135_{” with Bruce}

Biggs’ textbook, Let’s Learn Māori, which was first published in 1969, later revised in 1973 and again in 1998. Biggs notes that the textbook is a “self-help tutor designed to facilitate study of the Polynesian language still spoken natively in those areas of New Zealand where Maoris form a significant proportion of the population” (1969 & 1973, p. 15; 1998, p. 1). Despite its title, which suggests the textbook contains an element of tasks and activities from which readers may ‘learn Māori’, the book is actually a grammar reference and includes audio recordings of sentence examples.

One (1) other respondent claimed to use Te Ātaarangi resources (see Chapter Two for a discussion of Te Ātaarangi and Silent Way method) and although no specific details of the resources were provided by this respondent, among such resources are two particular textbooks: the first is Te Ataarangi tuatahi: Te tuara o te reo Maori [Te Ataarangi first: The back of the Māori language] (Te Ataarangi Incorporated Society, 1982); and the other Te Ataarangi tuarua: Te tinana o te reo [Te Ataarangi second: The body of the language] (Te Ataarangi Incorporated Society, 1983). Each textbook contains lists of lexical items that are grouped into themes and then categories, which suggests that each adopts a strong lexical approach. This coincides with evaluations by Richards and Rodgers (2014, p. 290) in relation to the Silent Way method, that is, “new lexical and structural material is meticulously broken down into its elements” (see also Chapter Two). Although it is difficult to discern the intention of the Te Ātaarangi textbooks, as neither contains text besides the lists of vocabulary, the following observation by Richards and Rodgers (2014, p. 300) that “the Silent Way follows a traditional grammatical and lexical syllabus and moves from guided repetition to freer practice”, may also apply to Te Ātaarangi resources due to the work that Mataira (1980) put into interpreting and adapting Gattegno’s (1963; 1972) work to suit a reo Māori context (see Chapter Two for a discussion).

135 _{The full comment made by this respondent was “our own workbook” which suggests a workbook}

that is produced by their institution and/or connected to the institution in some way, rather than a workbook that is produced by an individual teacher.

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Another important issue that is highlighted from participants’ responses is the use of the same textbooks for different levels of learners. For example, participants who claimed to use Te Pihinga, for instance, do so with learners who range from beginner level, intermediate level and NZQF Level 5. See Chapter Two for an overview of the different institutions that use textbooks from the Te Whanake series and the different levels each textbook is used.

It is clear that textbooks are used by the majority of participants (20) in these two studies and the responses suggest that the Te Whanake series, first produced in the 1980s, is particularly widely used. While the Te Whanake series has had the most recent revisions (Moorfield, 2001a; 2001b; 2003d; 2004b) compared to ‘Let’s learn Māori’ (Biggs, 1998) and the Te Ātaarangi textbooks (Te Ataarangi Incorporated Society, 1982; 1983), the Te Whanake series, like the others, still has strong grammar- based influences. It seems, therefore, that based on the nature and popularity of these textbooks, in addition to the low number of participants who considered textbook evaluation to be an area that they may benefit from, textbook selection and use should be a major component in teacher training and professional development.