Edmund Husserl
The Governance of
Curriculum
& the
Plight of Māori
Abstract
Possibly the most critical interface between indigenous
peoples and western culture is democratic practice. In
state-funded education, Maori are involved in democratic
processes which determine the content of the curriculum
and the resources available for schooling. These
processes are pervasive influences on Maori children.
Democracy holds an inherent disadvantage for minorities.
To overcome democracy as a barrier to the reification of
indigenous culture it is first necessary to understand the
nature of democracy itself. Husserl's phenomenological
method enables us to discern the inner nature of
democracy, which is a method of decision-making with
surprising features. This paper sets out the some of the
phenomenological characteristics of democracy and
suggests their relevance in the governance of curriculum
and educational resources.
Today
Preliminaries
Method of enquiry
An enquiry
Principal finding
Implications for education
Implications for Maori
Today
Preliminaries – schools & government
Method of enquiry - phenomenology
An enquiry – a search for essence in UK,USA, NZ
Principal finding – phenomena of the vote
Implications for education
Implications for Maori
Preliminaries
New Zealand schools are part of a system of
local government.
Leading characteristic of the system is
central control with local delivery.
The most important determinant of what occurs is the
relative influence of central and local actors.
This shows in:
Resource allocation
Curriculum
Political actions
Decision-making mechanisms
Development projects
Research
Models of local government
Prisons
Courts
Schools
Hospitals
Armed forces
Auckland Super City
District & city councils
Universities
Perspectives
Perspectives
Local government
(including education)
Described through purposes
Functions
Structures (infra-structure)
Products (includes trained & innovative workers)
Services
Roles
Rewards achievements
Research
Funded by the system
To improve policy & practice
My search for another method
Abhor the incremental
See differently
Not to explain, nor to fix
Abandon fond hopes
Phenomenology as method
Edmund Husserl (1859-1938)
1907 Lectures The Idea of a Phenomenology
1913 Ideas: General Introduction to Phenomenology
Teach yourself to see
The lived world
Intentionality
Making sense
Bracketing (reduction)
Essences
Experience of truth
Phenomenology as method
Letting yourself be with phenomena
Be with local government
Follow your feet
Let it dawn upon you
The essence of local government
The phenomena of the vote
Found as the event/practice
Not: services
facilities
political theory
buildings
individuals
Characteristics of the vote
Characteristics of the vote
Decision-making mechanism
Compare it with other such mechanisms
Vast majority of decisions are in committees
Does not require rationality - mechanical
Imperative is to make a decision - any decision
Resolves incommensurable choice
Communal not individual
Operative decisions are
second decisions
The power of the vote
Schools
Deliver resources to the front line
Central decision-making
Vote under control in Parliament
Weakening of regional decision-making
Interim Professional Standards:
Professional standards describe the important knowledge, skills and attitudes that all
principals, deputy/assistant principals and teachers are expected to demonstrate.
Professional standards will form part of performance management systems in
schools. The introduction of professional standards is part of the Government's
strategy for developing and maintaining the quality of teaching and leadership, and
improving learning outcomes for students. The professional standards reflect
Government's interest in ensuring that students have opportunities to learn from high
quality professional teachers and that schools are led and managed by high quality
professionals.
C.E. Beeby The Quality of Education in Developing Countries, 1966
Hypothesis of educational stages
The growth of the primary
school systems
Stage
Teachers
Characteristics
I Dame School
Ill-educated
Untrained
Unorganised, relatively
meaningless symbols, ...
II Formalism
Ill-educated
Trained
Highly organised, rigid
syllabus, emphasis on 3
R’s, rigid methods, “oneway is best”, external
examinations, inspection
stressed, discipline tight
and external ...
III Transition
Better-educated
Trained
Roughly the same goals as
II, but more efficiently
achieved, more emphasis
on meaning, but still rather
thin and formal, little in
classroom to cater for the
emotional and creative life
of the child.
IV Meaning
Well-educated
Well-trained
Meaning & understanding
stressed, wider curriculum,
individual differences
catered for, internal tests ...
The power of the vote
Auckland local government reforms
Central initiative
Auckland must deliver for the nation
Need to strengthen the relationship with Wellington
Directs resources at worthwhile goals
Alignment of human effort
Efficiency
Modern technology
Local government is about
the delivery of services
Māori & the vote
Local government experience
History of local government in New Zealand
Municipal Act 1860s
Māori structures as local government
Why was the mechanism of the vote introduced?
Māori decision-making practices
– kaupapa Māori in education and elsewhere
You cannot be Māori & adopt democracy
Māori & the vote
Local government experience
History of local government in New Zealand
Municipal Act 1860s
Māori structures as local government
Why was the mechanism of the vote introduced?
Māori decision-making practices
– kaupapa Māori in education and elsewhere
You cannot be Māori & adopt democracy
Pita Sharples
“It seems that these Māori principles that guaranteed that
Auckland could survive and grow, would be far more
important, even in today's times, than artificial political
concoctions such as ‘one vote for one person’, or
‘democratic elections’ which were the principles that
were cited to decline the two seats on the super-city
council. The Māori kaupapa were principles that
promoted ‘equity' and ‘inclusiveness’, surely the ideals of
a ‘civilised’ society. We must begin to recognise that
democracy has many expressions, many ways of
mobilising voices and representation, rather than
statically holding onto dominant axioms.”
Research programme
Decision-making mechanisms
Concept of democracy
Decision-making by iwi
Decision-making in local government
Policy and legislative change