Changing Cultural Contexts

Overview

In this sixth lesson of Changing Whakairo Practices, students investigate how social, cultural and institutional settings influence whakairo production. They compare wānanga, marae, tangihanga, kapa haka, art societies and galleries, then select one situation for deeper analysis in preparation for an Excellence-level explanation of change in particular situations.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain how context influences the purpose, audience and production of whakairo.
• WALT compare the values and procedures associated with different whakairo situations.
• WALT use specific evidence to connect context with changes in art-making practice.
• WALT justify a suitable situation for further analysis.

Success criteria

• I can identify how a particular context affects what is made, for whom and why.
• I can explain how values, protocols, materials, skills or procedures may change between situations.
• I can support my ideas with relevant visual, contextual or documented evidence.
• I can justify why my selected situation could support a perceptive explanation of change.

Curriculum links

• Examine the different values placed on art works by considering cultural, spiritual, functional, historical and aesthetic values.
• Examine how meanings are communicated through art works, linking meanings to subject matter, symbols, materials, processes and context.
• Produce a resolved work demonstrating purposeful control of skills appropriate to a visual arts cultural context.
• Develop critical, independent and culturally responsive research and communication practices appropriate to NCEA Level 3.

Lesson structure (120 minutes)

1. 0–10 min · Provocation and retrieval. Teacher opens with the provocative opening image and question showing contrasting examples of whakairo in a marae and gallery setting, then asks: “What has changed besides the location?” Students complete a silent retrieval of prior learning about purpose, audience, values and change before sharing one observation with a partner.

2. 10–28 min · Explicit teaching: context matters. Teacher uses the context comparison slides to define context as the situation, community, purpose and procedures surrounding production and use; model a comparison between whakairo made for a marae and work presented in a gallery. Students annotate the four-part framework on the context investigation worksheet: purpose, audience, values and procedures.

3. 28–48 min · Guided comparison carousel. Teacher places six context stations around the room: wānanga, marae, tangihanga, kapa haka, art societies and galleries, with a short image and information extract at each station; groups rotate through three stations, using the context investigation worksheet to record what may change in the maker’s decisions. Students identify likely changes in function, scale, materials, time, collaboration, tikanga, audience expectations and presentation, avoiding unsupported generalisations.

4. 48–63 min · Evidence and respectful interpretation. Teacher facilitates a whole-class debrief using the evidence and discussion slides, asking which claims are supported by the available information and which require further research or consultation. Students contribute one evidence-based comparison and one question they would need to investigate, considering that contexts are diverse and cannot be treated as interchangeable.

5. 63–88 min · Case-study analysis. Teacher forms mixed-ability groups and assigns each group one context pair, such as marae/gallery or tangihanga/art society; groups use the context investigation worksheet to construct a structured explanation beginning “When the situation changes from… to…, whakairo practices may change because…”. Students select relevant evidence and explain connections between context, values, meaning and production rather than simply listing differences.

6. 88–108 min · Individual selection and justification. Teacher models an Excellence-level justification on the independent selection and quality criteria slides, distinguishing description from perceptive analysis. Students independently choose one potential situation for deeper analysis and complete a 150–200 word justification on the worksheet, explaining why it offers meaningful change to investigate, what evidence they would seek, and how the situation could support a nuanced explanation.

7. 108–120 min · Peer critique and exit response. Teacher displays the final prompts in the plenary and exit-ticket slide and asks students to exchange justifications with a partner. Students give feedback using “A strong connection is…” and “To make the explanation more perceptive, consider…”, then submit a final response identifying their chosen situation, one likely change and the evidence needed next.

Resources

• the Changing Cultural Contexts slide deck
• the context investigation worksheet
• Six teacher-prepared context station packs with images and short, reliable information extracts
• Projector or interactive display
• Large paper or whiteboard space for collecting class comparisons
• Access to approved class research materials or library texts
• Student folders or digital portfolios
• Timer and pens

Assessment

• Circulate during the carousel and case-study task, checking whether students explain relationships between context and practice rather than merely naming differences.
• Review individual justifications for a clear situation, relevant evidence, and a reasoned connection between changing context, values, meanings and production.
• Use the final response to identify students who need support distinguishing description, explanation, analysis and perceptive interpretation in the next lesson.

Differentiation

• Provide a word bank and sentence starters such as “The audience influences…” and “This value is evident through…”; allow students to plan orally before writing.
• Give selected students a pre-highlighted information extract or a reduced comparison framework, while maintaining the same analytical outcome.
• Extend confident students by asking them to consider competing values, changing power relationships, or how the same whakairo work may be valued differently by different communities.
• Ensure images and information are culturally accurate and handled respectfully; avoid treating Māori contexts as uniform, and allow students to identify when consultation with mana whenua or knowledgeable practitioners would be necessary.