Language content (including text-types, genres, and language skills) This textbook appears to be characterized by a number of problems relating to

overall content, and the selection, grading and presentation of that content. Thus, for example, in the very first text segment, and before the learners have had an opportunity to come to terms with some more simple and straightforward aspects of the language, there is considerable complexity in terms of vocabulary and structure (see Table 4.2 below)75_.

Table 4.2 Language included in the first text segment of Te Mātapuna

Formulaic functions Greeting: kia ora; Farewell: tēnā koutou katoa(finished - three or more people - everybody)

Nouns/Statives ingoa (name); kurī (dog); tuahine (sister or female cousin of male); mātāmua (first born); matua (father, parent, uncle); ngeru (cat); tamariki (children); tungāne (brother or male cousin of a female); whaea (mother; aunt);); pōtiki (last born)

Particles, determiners, prepositions & personal nouns

a (possessive, not superior position); āku (singular, possessive

1st _{person, more than one thing possessed (my)); au (1}st

person – subject or object); kātoa (three or more inclusive); ko (+ name); ngā (plural determiner); o (possessive, superior position); rāua (two people linked); tāku (singular,

possessive, 1st _{person, one thing possessed (my)); te (singular}

determiner)

Conjunction nō reira (therefore; finally)

Mood Declarative: active

The summary of teaching points for this chapter in the Teachers' Guide (p. 31) is made up of a list of fourteen items76 _{and it is noted that "[the] opening passage}

75 _{In common with the authors of a number of other textbooks, the authors appear simply to have}

made the assumption that because identity, relationships, genealogy and place of origin are of fundamental importance in Māori culture and are in focus when people meet for the first time, they should necessarily be dealt with at the very beginning of the learning of the language.

76 _{These are: Asking and answering Ko wai questions; Using the articles te and ngā; Using rāua ko}

to join two people’s names together; Introducing the main words for family relationships in Māori; Introducing the plural forms of some words for family members; tuahine (tuāhine), wahine (wāhine),

contains most of the anga (structures) and kupu (vocabulary) that are used in this chapter.” Teachers are advised that they have a choice of three basic timings for the use of the passage - at the beginning of the chapter (for pronunciation practice), when the structures and vocabulary have been 'absorbed' by the students, and/or at the end of the chapter. Doing the first of these will result in a situation in which students' initial approach to the text will be essentially meaning-free. Doing the second and third means that contextualization effectively plays a secondary role, the students' initial encounter with new language being via decontextualized chunks.

It could be argued, with good reason, that the initial encounter with a new language can be largely formulaic in nature and that, therefore, complex language can be introduced early on (treated as meaning chunks). However, it does not follow from this that there is no need to reduce the amount of language introduced at any one time (a cognitive factor relating to memory). In any case, the new language introduced is, in fact, immediately presented in a way that is intended to draw attention to the function of a wide range of components (e.g. te/ngā; tuahine/tuāhine). The problems here relate not only to the amount of new language introduced at a single point and the lack of textual authenticity but also to lesson shaping (a pedagogic factor). These problems could be avoided if chapters were divided into smaller units, with unfamiliar language being introduced more gradually. New texts could then be introduced at the beginning of each unit (and, preferably also - different ones - at the end of each unit). Consolidation and practice involving fewer language points could then take place at more regular intervals.77

tuakana (tuākana), teina (tēina), matua (mātua),and tamaiti (tamariki); Using the possessive particles a and o when talking of family relationships; Using the words tuakana and teina appropriately: Using the pronouns au, koe and ia; using the possessive adjectives taku, tō, tana and their plural forms, aku, ō and ana; Counting in Māori from1 to 20; Asking and answering nō hea questions; Asking and answering questions about how old a person is; Introducing the terms pā harakeke, whānau and whakapapa and linking these with the terms “ nuclear family” and “extended family”; Reciting a simple whakapapa in Māori.

77 _{This would involve re-thinking what is included in the initial stages, using, for example, a comic-}

style text format in which each segment of text is accompanied by a picture (as it is introduced), pre- teaching vocabulary (rather than introducing new structures in contexts in which the vocabulary included in marker sentences is also new), introducing new structures more gradually, and, when some language is familiar to students, carefully integrating new and familiar language so as to encourage inferencing. It is also useful to differentiate between the type of text that is appropriate when new language is being introduced and the type which is appropriate during the practice stage of lessons.

The text segment to which reference has been made, a monologue, is included below along with the associated stylized illustration:

He Kōrero Tīmatanga Tēnā koutou katoa. Ko Horiana taku ingoa.

Ko au te tuahine o Anaru rāua ko Hēmi. Ko Anaru rāua ko Hēmi aku tungāne. Ko au te mātāmua, ko Hēmi te pōtiki. Ko Tīmoti te matua, ko Rangi te whaea. Ko Tīmoti rāua ko Rangi ngā mātua.

Ko au, ko Anaru, ko Hēmi ngā tamariki a Tīmoti rāua ko Rangi.

Ko Rambo te kurī, ko Patukiore te ngeru. Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora koutou katoa. (Cormack & Cormack, 1995a, p. 6)78

The exercise that follows this text segment is introduced by an instruction in te reo Maori followed by a sample question and answer (translated on p. 140 of the Teachers’ Guide):

Titiro ki ngā pikitia, ka whakahoki ai i ngā pātai.

78 _{Translation: First talk/ speech/ introduction; Hello/greetings everyone; My name is Horiana; I}

am the sister of Andrew and James; Andrew and James are my brothers; I am the eldest; James is the youngest; My dad is called Tīmoti and my mum is called Rangi; Tīmoti and Rangi are my/ the parents; Andrew, James and I are the children of Tīmoti and Rangi; Rambo is our/ the dog; Putukiore (Rat catcher) is the/ our cat; Therefore, greetings once, twice, three times to all of you.

Ko wai te ingoa? (Te pātai).79

Ko Horiana te ingoa (Te whakahoki).

This, in turn, is followed by pictures of the other members of the family (other than Horiana), each picture being accompanied by a number (1 – 6), a question (Ko wai te ingoa?) and the first particle (Ko) of the response plus three lines (indicting three missing words).

What we have here is a series of statements, questions, and answers involving complex language and associated with a series of stylized line drawings. The characters in these line drawings, accompanied by names in red print (e.g. Hēmi; Rangi), are clearly of different ages and genders (indicating/ suggesting family membership). However, while these line drawings would be helpful to teachers who had already developed effective teaching methodologies, they actually do very little on their own to convey the meanings of the text segments. No reference is made to this in the Teachers' Guide. Instead, reference is made to what should happen "[when] students are acquainted with the structures and vocabulary.”

The text introducing Chapter 3 provides another interesting example.80 _{The main}

language focus points here appear to be: personal pronouns (tāua/māua/kōrua/rāua); Kei te +/- kupumahi +/- a; Kei te aha +/- a . . . (ingoa)?; and Kei te ...(kupumahi) a……(ingoa). The summary of teaching points in the

79 _{It is relevant to note here that the question and answer forms provided would not naturally occur}

in this context, a context that requires ‘tōna’ (his/her) rather than ‘te’ (the). However, in order to continue on from the monologue at the same time as avoiding introducing a further unfamiliar form, the authors have chosen to use a form that is contextually inappropriate (yet another indication of the lack of overall linguistic and pedagogic planning and strategizing that characterize this series).

80 _{He kōrero tēnei mō Pita Tamehana me tana whānau. Ko Anaru te tuakana. Ko Pita tana teina.}

Tekau mā whā ngā tau o Pita. Kotahi te tuahine, ko Atawhai te ingoa. Ko ia te pōtiki o te whānau. Kei te haere a Atawhai ki te kura tuatahi o Otaki. Kei te haere a Pita rāua ko tana tuakana ki te Kāreti o Otaki. Kei te kōrero rāua i nāianaei.

Anaru: Kei te aha koe e Pita?

Pita: Kei te haere au ki te kai. Kei te matekai au. Kei te haere tāua nē?

Anaru: Ae, engari haere koe ki te tiki miraka. Kei te kēti te miraka. Pita: Tō tonotono hoki! Kei te haere au ki te tiki miraka.

Kei te kai rāua i naiānei. Kei roto rāua i te kīhini, Kei roto a Atawhai i tana rūma moe. Kei te whakamau kākahu. Kei te karanga a Anaru “Atawhai, kei te mātao ō kai!” I naiānei kei te haere mai a Atawhai. Kei te kōrero a Pita, “Haere mai, Atawhai, kei te kai māua. E noho ki tge kai.” Kei mua i te whare o Tamehana ko te tiriti me te moana. He motu kei te moana, ko Kāpiti te ingoa. Kei muri i te whare ngā rākau hua. Kei waenganui i ngā rākau hui he whare iti, he whare kurī. Kei roto te kurī i te whare kurī. Ko Potopoto tana ingoa. Kei te moe.