ABSTRACT
The first part of our title, Ho‘opili ka mana‘o i ke kūkākūkā, is based on a Hawaiian proverb (Pukui, 1983) and translates as “Discussion brings ideas together.” This refers to the classroom strategy, Instructional Conversation (IC), which can promote learning and engagement among students from Indigenous backgrounds. Drawing on our experiences as classroom teachers and teacher educators for Native Hawaiians, we describe the strategy, provide an example, discuss research and theoretical background, and outline how IC aligns with Native Hawaiian values and cultural practices. IC is one of the strategies of the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (CREDE) Standards for Effective Pedagogy, which provides research-based strategies for teaching students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (Tharp, Estrada, Dalton, & Yamauchi, 2000).
