Ako is a reciprocal relationship
Ako means both teach and learn. It’s a reciprocal relationship where the educator is also learning from the student.
Ako refers to traditional Māori thinking about the transfer and absorption of skills, knowledge, wisdom, experience, much of which has traditionally occurred in the course of everyday activities.
Learn and teach
Ako implies ‘learn’ and ‘teach’ at the same time.
In English we use two words – learn and teach – for different things. In Māori, ako is simply used for both. In this way of thinking, it is acceptable for the learner to shift roles and become the teacher and for the teacher to become the learner.
A simple way to understand ako in the shifting roles of educator and learner is this:
- sometimes learner, sometimes teacher.
How does ako contribute to a learner-centred teaching environment?
Ako works through the tuakana-teina relationship between educator and learner. As we mentioned before, while these terms have their origin in traditional Māori settings, we now use them in adult education.
Tuakana-teina contributes to a learner-centred teaching environment by providing us with an alternative to traditional teacher-centred methods of teaching.
Consider the following two different models of teaching and learning from our discussion about tuakana-teina. The arrows indicate the transmission of knowledge.
Teaching and learning from a Māori perspective requires two active participants. Tuakana-teina is ako in action:
Tuakana ← ako → Teina
Teaching and learning from a traditional Western perspective doesn’t always require an active learner:
Teacher teaches (active)
↓
Learner learns (passive)
Some questions concerning ako
- Do you ever notice when you find yourself in the middle of a long monologue in your teaching?
- What can you put both you and your learners more at the centre of your training?
What is Learner-Centred Teaching – 12 Concepts from Te Ao Māori You Should Embrace to Create Learning Success
Discover time-honoured approaches to learner-centred teaching
What if I told you that there were time-honoured approaches to teaching and learning you can use to create the conditions for learning success. Imagine if your teaching really connected with your learners… What if your classroom or training environment was a place where your learners felt like they belonged and wanted to learn?
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Three Simple Approaches You Need for Learner-Centred Teaching
Find out more about three of the fundamentals of adult teaching
Have you ever thought about how to improve your teaching? Have you ever wondered what it takes to create learner success in any teaching environment? Well, you need three things. Make that four things… You need to:
- Understand what people mean when they talk about “learner-centred” teaching.
- Know how to leverage your learners’ prior knowledge.
- Have simple ways of increasing the motivation of your students.
- Know what learner agency is and how to develop it.
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Literacy & Numeracy – It’s Not Rocket Science
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The Educator Entrepreneur – Don’t Bring a Whiteboard Marker to a Knife Fight
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Education is a tough business to work in. And that’s true regardless of whether you are a teacher, a trainer or any kind of specialist educator. But what if you’re a business owner AS WELL…!
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