Tauira

Book excerpt: In te reo Maori, tauira means both student and teacher, and this book by acclaimed educator and anthropologist Joan Metge shows that Maori educational practices had a particular form and philosophy. Maori focused on learning by doing, teaching in context, learning in a group, memorizing, and advancement when ready. Parents, grandparents, and community leaders imparted cultural knowledge as well as practical skills to the younger generation through daily life and storytelling, in whanau and community activities. In preserving this evidence and these voices from the past, this important book also offers much inspiration for the future.