CONTEXT
Motivation and engagement in the classroom are essential to help learner’s achievement their potential. Teachers play a key role in creating interest, energy and drive in learners and motivating them to engage with the material (Martin, 2006). Māori and Pasifika learners face challenges in classrooms, which are only recently being recognised, and we need to provide culturally safe spaces for them. In diverse classrooms, teachers’ relationships with learners (Tätaiako) is vital to support learners’ engagement.

PURPOSE OR GOAL
The purpose of this research is to reflect on four academics’ attempts to create culturally safe classrooms. It will assess what worked, and what did not, in terms of classroom context and creative learning activities to motivate and engage learners.

APPROACH
This research based on the approaches we have considered in improving Motivation and Engagement of students (Both Māori and Pasifika) by implementing teaching and learning instructions such as student-centred learning (flipped classroom), critical thinking, student engagement and motivational inquiry-based learning while working in groups. Bloom’s critical thinking are the main foundations of our Learning and Teaching approaches. We have considered group assignments and group project based tasks to access or justify our approaches.

ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES
We anticipate that implementing more student-centred, critical thinking, inquiry-based learning approaches while working in groups will improve motivation and engagement of learners. All approaches we have considered for our learners in the classroom will create more confident, skilled and motivated learners, including amongst Māori and Pasfika. We are interested to see if there are additional benefits to Maori and Pacific learners, above the general cohort, from these approaches.
CONCLUSIONS
During this research, we have noticed that by implementing all these approaches, make a lot of difference in engagement of learners in the classroom and increase their motivation. We have noticed critical thinking is an essential skill in the cognitive development and motivation of students and student-centred approach in teaching help a lot to engage more by having good communication with each other. In future, we as a teacher can support New Zealand Māori Language in our sessions in our greetings and opening and closing of sessions.