:Saikoloni
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Approach: One to one Level: Year 4 and year 8 
Focus: Resolving differences within a social organisation
Resources: Video recording on laptop computer, recording book

Questions/instructions:
This activity uses the computer.
We are going to start this activity by watching a video of a girl called Saikoloni. Saikoloni will tell you about a problem she has at school.
Click the Saikoloni button.
The video will start.

video script:
Talofa lava. My name is Saikoloni Tapumuulietoa and I come from a beautiful village in Samoa called Patamea. There are lots of coconuts to eat and lots of beaches to swim at.

I was born during a cyclone which is a big storm. There was a lot of damage done by the cyclone. Houses and trees all blew down and everywhere was flooded. My uncle and cousins were killed in the cyclone, so my mother named me “Saikoloni” in their memory.

I used to like going to school but now I hate it. Every day when it’s roll call my teacher, Mrs Brown, calls everyone’s name out. No trouble. But when it comes to my name, she suddenly gets tongue-tied. As soon as she starts to speak, I feel sick because I know what she will say. When she says my name, it makes all the other kids crack-up laughing. Their laughter sounds like broken glass. You know – sharp and painful.

SCHOOL JOURNAL 1991. PART 4, NUMBER 2

% responses
2005 (01)
y4
y8
1. There is more than one problem here. What do you think the problems are? I will write them down for you.
 
teacher hasn’t been pronouncing Saikoloni’s name appropriately
58 (51)
75 (74)
other children laugh when teacher mispronounces Saikoloni’s name
82 (78)
90 (85)
Saikoloni may not have reacted appropriately
(could have done more proactively to correct pronunciation and explain name)
1 (1)
3 (2)
Record student responses, abbreviated as necessary.
2. Which people are involved in these problems?
 
Saikoloni
38 (30)
56 (65)
teacher
74 (80)
89 (91)
peers in class
71 (66)
86 (87)
3. Who should do something about these problems?
 
not marked
4. What do you think they should do to try to solve these problems?
 
Saikoloni working with teacher to fix pronunciation
19 (15)
36 (38)
teacher trying to learn proper pronunciation
21 (18)
40 (37)
teacher/principal/staff helping class learn how to behave more kindly
32 (35)
44 (31)
peers trying to stop hurting Saikoloni through their laughter
16 (16)
21 (19)
Saikoloni asking parents to help deal with problem
13 (12)
20 (20)
parents dealing with problem appropriately (e.g. talking to teacher)
32 (23)
29 (38)
Saikoloni talking to peers
10 (5)
17 (16)
Probable helpfulness of suggested solutions:
 
likely to be very helpful
3 (0)
8 (8)
likely to be moderately helpful
18 (13)
38 (30)
likely to be slightly helpful
40 (43)
38 (50)
not likely to be helpful
39 (44)
16 (12)
5. What could be done so that problems like these don’t happen?
 
not marked
Total score:
 
11–15
4 (2)
11 (12)
9–10
9 (9)
24 (20)
7–8
21 (15)
28 (30)
5–6
30 (31)
25 (25)
3–4
22 (22)
10 (11)
0–2
14 (21)
2 (2)
Commentary
Although very few students saw Saikoloni’s inaction as a problem, many more saw her as part of the solution. About 25 percent more year 8 than year 4 students suggested helpful solutions to the problems. Between 2001 and 2005, there was a small improvement for year 4 students and no change for year 8 students.
  
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