Charting Pacific (Studies) Waters: Evidence of Teaching and Learning

Date
2017
Authors
Teaiwa, Teresia K.
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University of Hawai‘i Press
Center for Pacific Islands Studies
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In this article, I chart my experience of learning and teaching in the awe-inspiring waters of the Pacific and of Pacific studies. I begin by articulating the philosophy that underpins my approach as a teacher. One of the bedrocks of my philosophy is that a teacher must continue to be a learner in order to be of any lasting benefit to themselves or their students. I have used both the canoe and the ocean as metaphors to articulate my deliberate pursuit of a cooperative learning model for Pacific studies and my desire to encourage deep rather than surface learning about the Pacific. I focus now on two other tenets of my teaching and learning philosophy: one deals with the diversity of students’ learning positionalities, and the other anticipates the students’ potential learning trajectories. I present some illustrations of my practice, including narrations about some innovations in teaching and learning in Pacific studies; student evaluations of my teaching and rates of course completion in Pacific studies and graduate successes; my pursuit of professional development and attainment of further qualifications in higher education learning and teaching; and responses from students in the form of reflections and testimonials. I conclude by reflecting on the broader context of higher education in New Zealand in which Pacific studies is situated and some of its ongoing challenges.
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Pacific studies, pedagogy, teaching philosophy, learning positionalities, critical empowerment, Oceania -- Periodicals
Citation
Teaiwa, T. K. Charting Pacific (Studies) Waters: Evidence of Teaching and Learning. The Contemporary Pacific 29 (2): 265-282.
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18 pages
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