When students move on to NCEA level 2, they can either choose five new subjects that they will study during the year or continue exploring the ones they took in year 11. The te reo Maori course is an excellent candidate at that point because it's an inspiring subject that can bring you a lot of NCEA credits. For more details on available learning options, check out our te reo course.
Similarly to NCEA level 1, students need once again to collect 10 level 2 literacy credits in order to complete the year. The Maori course can be an excellent opportunity for that. It includes both reading and writing standards that are enough for the student to validate the year.
Aside from its relevance as an NCEA literacy discipline, learning Maori can be very beneficial for students on its own. Te reo Maori is a native language of New Zealand playing an important cultural role. A good level of Maori can help you better understand the country's history and make sense of numerous current events.
Maori is also a language that has official status in New Zealand, so you can come across Maori texts and even speeches both in your daily life and at work. An advanced level of Maori can be a prerequisite for certain jobs and is considered as an advantage by employers in general.
Finally, learning languages is a great activity for our mental skills. It improves our memories and logic and makes us more open to new ideas. The grammatical structures and word order used in te reo may seem unusual to an English speaking student in the beginning but as they advance in their course, they will become more flexible in their thinking.
In this article, we will look in more detail at what language skills high school students are supposed to develop in their NCEA level 2 Maori course and what standards they will need to complete to obtain their credits.
Do you want to know more about how to pass NCEA level 2 Maori? Have a look at our article.
How well should an NCEA level 2 student speak Maori?
When students choose their NCEA level 2 subjects, they shouldn't forget about the assessment standards and the credits they will need to gain. The NCEA Level 2 is a crucial stage in our education that help us get ready for NCEA level 3 and eventually University Entrance.
That is why it is important to have a clear idea about what are the requirements of each Maori standard you are to complete and whether the course can't become a hurdle in your education. That is why we decided to provide you with short information about the NCEA level 2 Maori requirements to help you with your high school choices.
If we look at the information about the year 12 Maori course available on the NZQA website, we will find out that students are supposed to reach level 7 of Maori skills at that point. What exactly does that mean?
According to the Ministry of Education, Maori level 7 is the last but one stage of learning the language, at which students attain almost full literacy and can understand most texts and conversations in both formal and informal contexts.
That means that a student with no previous Maori skills will be highly unlikely to succeed in the NCEA level 2 course and earn the necessary credits.
On the other hand, if you have taken Maori in year 11 and successfully met all the standards, your level of te reo is probably high enough for this course.
If you are not sure about whether to take the year 12 Maori course or not, you can ask your high school teacher for a quick assessment of your knowledge or take an assessment lesson with a private Maori tutor.
What can also help you in your choice is a better understanding of the NCEA standards a Maori student needs to face.
Here is some information about that.
Internal and external assessment standards
Like in other subjects, to get the NCEA level 2 in Maori, students need to complete both internal and external assessment standards during the year. The first are usually taken during the school year and evaluated by the student's immediate teacher.
The second are, by contrast, marked by NZQA and so, students usually take them in written form at the end of the school year.
The NCEA Level 2 Maori course aims to test students' four main skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. The first two can be easily assessed through a written exam, so they can constitute both internal and external standards.
The second, on the other hand, can only be graded by a teacher directly as part of in-class activities.
The NCEA Level 2 Maori course aims at the development of all 4 communication skills by students. However, a student is likely to be comfortable only with some of them while struggling with others.
Learn how to use past exam papers efficiently in our article
If that is the case for you, it can be sensible to dedicate additional time to the practice of your weak skills, so you can complete all the standards equally well and gain as many Excellence credits as possible.
Where to get help with Maori standards?
If a student has difficulty with some particular standard or section, of course, they should consider spending more time on it. But what option do they have to study te reo outside school?
One of the most common solutions is to use Maori textbooks. Nowadays, you can find publications for particular levels of language students. You can look for those that include texts, exercises and recordings for Maori level 7 and they will become an excellent supplement to your school course.
Another helpful idea can be to use online resources. These include online applications, forums and websites. They are a great way to improve your Maori in an interactive way through fun listening and reading exercises.
If you are not sure about some grammatical topic or the English translation of a sentence, you can write on a Maori forum and get help from native speakers or teachers.
With online resources, you will become more independent in your learning and can continue progressing in te reo even after you obtain University Entrance and start your higher education.
Learning Maori with a private tutor
When we learn a new language, it is crucial to have as much practice as possible to advance. That is unfortunately not always possible within our high school course.
Our school tutors need to keep up with the loaded curriculum while having limited time. They move from one topic to another according to the schedule and it's up to the students to make sure they have learnt the material really well.
If you want to know more about the NCEA Maori standards, our article on the topic will surely be of use.
That is not the case when a student takes language lessons with a private teacher. The private teacher will dedicate each of their lessons exclusively to the student's difficulties and needs, choosing the right resources and providing them with accessible explanations in English.
Another reason for the efficiency of private lessons, especially when it comes to learning languages, is their relaxed atmosphere. To boost our knowledge of te reo, we need to feel comfortable asking questions and speaking in te reo itself without being afraid to be mocked by classmates.
The private tutor will listen to our questions patiently and they can even help them adapt their course to your particular needs.
They will also suggest conversation topics that can be familiar to you and so, which you will be willing to express your thoughts on.
In your first class, your tutor can do an assessment of your level and advise you on the frequency of your lessons. You will work on learning resources that perfectly suit your abilities and can move forward in your education with fun.
An especially good option for high school students is to take Maori lessons online. You will have an even greater choice of tutors and can get support right from home.
Find the perfect tutor on Superprof
The most important condition to get effective lessons that will help you in your achievement is to find a tutor that has the right qualifications and whom you feel comfortable with. The tool that can help you in that is Superprof.
On our website, students can look for tutors from all around New Zealand, read information about their courses and access reviews from other students to learn more.
You can use different filters, such as subject, location, price, etc. to find the right teacher quickly and then contact them directly to organise your first lesson.
You can find additional information about the NCEA level 2 Maori syllabus in our article on the topic.
Most Superprof tutors offer their first class for free, so you will have an additional opportunity to get to know them better and make sure that their services are what you are looking for.
Learning Maori with Superprof tutors is extremely fun and you will be bound to gain plenty of NCEA credits at Merit and Excellence.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
