Unlocking the Power of Fonofale: How Pacific Health & Education Can Benefit

Check out this video with Pale Sauni and Saylene Ulberg

This is part of a series on Pacific Cultural Centredness:

Fonofale is a holistic approach to health and education

Here’s a summary of this short talanoa with Pale and Saylene which is part of our short series on Pacific Cultural Centredness

In this clip we continue our discussion of the Fonofale model and how it is important to consider all its dimensions, not just one. The Fonofale is seen as a holistic approach to education that recognizes the importance of socializing in Pacific families and communities.

The model is dynamic and adaptable to different contexts and including various factors such as age, sexuality, socio-economic status, and gender. Pale and Saylene suggest that tutors who want to learn more about Pacific approaches to education can find many resources online, including from the original author, Fuimaono Karl Pulotu-Endemann.

Pale notes that seeing the model in a picture makes it easier to place oneself within the model, which is essential to using it.

Pale and Saylene also suggest that focusing on the cognitive and mental side of education is typical of Western academic thinking, while the Fonofale model serves as a good reminder of the other dimensions of learners that educators need to consider.

Pacific families and communities’ socialisation is crucial to this model, and having family as the foundation captures the holistic approach, and without it, culture is not safe.

The Fonofale model is dynamic and adaptable, and you can add whatever you like to it, depending on the context. For example, the fourth pole of the fale, includes other factors such as age, sexuality, socio-economic status, and gender.