‘Funds of knowledge are not taught directly but come from shared activities with families and communities …’ (Hills 2012, p. 67).
Moll et el. (1992, p. 133) believes ‘that by capitalising on households and other community resources, we can organize classroom instruction that far exceeds, in quality, the rote-like instruction … children commonly encounter in schools'. He feels that knowing about student’s families, households and communities are critical in order to make the curriculum hold relevant connections and meaning for students. He believes that each child brings their own uniqueness and diverse ‘funds of knowledge’ to the classroom community and that it is up to the teacher to be aware of, and use it wisely to develop learning. He reasons, in doing so will help ‘create social and cultural inclusion in the classroom.’
The first step in investigating a child’s ‘funds of Knowledge’ is the teacher discovering exactly where the child is ‘at’ in order to build on the child’s current knowledge and skills. The teacher needs to become familiar to what is important to the child whether it be sport, music or a particular religion, culture or country. McNaughton (2002) a socio-cultural theorist, explains this ‘concept as recognising and building on a [child’s] current knowledge and skills'. Once this is established then learning can slowly be built and expanded upon. It is important to remember that ‘funds of knowledge’ grow with the child and are expanded upon with each interaction and activity'. It’s equally important to remember that today students gain meaning and information from a variety of different sources. Whether it comes from activities like fishing, holidays or after school care, it is vital to remember that visual and auditory sources also contribute to a child’s fund of knowledge.
There are many activities and methods that teachers can do to gain this valuable student information that can ultimately be integrated into all areas of the curriculum. From parent or student surveys to holding community circles, show and tell, creating home stories or even home visits before starting school. Teachers need to remember, just as they have differing teaching styles, so too do their students have different learning styles, therefore they will need to adapt their teaching styles and practises to cater for individual student needs.
An example of a student, who at first glance may appear not to have a variety of experiences, would be a Maori student who recently moved to Australia from New Zealand. While often students with English as a second language in our school system appear to be at a disadvantage. On further investigation it turns out that in fact the child has a far greater ‘funds of knowledge’ than others students in the class. It turns out that the child is bi-lingual, lives with extended family, has attended several schools and plays on a variety of sports teams. In addition to this the child has experienced a whole other culture, including their traditions and is a regular international traveller. This could be in direct contrast to some students who may have very limited ‘funds of knowledge’ due to their remoteness or family situations.
Web links to videos on ‘Funds of Knowledge’
‘Luis Moll reports on his research showing that students bring with them to school "funds of knowledge" from their homes and communities that are valuable resources for teaching and learning’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnAmARNgKEw
Homeboyz discuss funds of knowledge in relation to primary school student learning
McNaughton, S 2002, Meeting of Minds, Learning Media, Wellington.
Moll, L, Amanti, C, Neff, D & Gonzalez, N 1992, ‘Funds of knowledge for teaching: using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms’ ,Theory into Practice, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 132-141.
‘Funds of knowledge are not taught directly but come from shared activities with families and communities …’ (Hills 2012, p. 67).
Moll et el. (1992, p. 133) believes ‘that by capitalising on households and other community resources, we can organize classroom instruction that far exceeds, in quality, the rote-like instruction … children commonly encounter in schools'. He feels that knowing about student’s families, households and communities are critical in order to make the curriculum hold relevant connections and meaning for students. He believes that each child brings their own uniqueness and diverse ‘funds of knowledge’ to the classroom community and that it is up to the teacher to be aware of, and use it wisely to develop learning. He reasons, in doing so will help ‘create social and cultural inclusion in the classroom.’
The first step in investigating a child’s ‘funds of Knowledge’ is the teacher discovering exactly where the child is ‘at’ in order to build on the child’s current knowledge and skills. The teacher needs to become familiar to what is important to the child whether it be sport, music or a particular religion, culture or country. McNaughton (2002) a socio-cultural theorist, explains this ‘concept as recognising and building on a [child’s] current knowledge and skills'. Once this is established then learning can slowly be built and expanded upon. It is important to remember that ‘funds of knowledge’ grow with the child and are expanded upon with each interaction and activity'. It’s equally important to remember that today students gain meaning and information from a variety of different sources. Whether it comes from activities like fishing, holidays or after school care, it is vital to remember that visual and auditory sources also contribute to a child’s fund of knowledge.
There are many activities and methods that teachers can do to gain this valuable student information that can ultimately be integrated into all areas of the curriculum. From parent or student surveys to holding community circles, show and tell, creating home stories or even home visits before starting school. Teachers need to remember, just as they have differing teaching styles, so too do their students have different learning styles, therefore they will need to adapt their teaching styles and practises to cater for individual student needs.
An example of a student, who at first glance may appear not to have a variety of experiences, would be a Maori student who recently moved to Australia from New Zealand. While often students with English as a second language in our school system appear to be at a disadvantage. On further investigation it turns out that in fact the child has a far greater ‘funds of knowledge’ than others students in the class. It turns out that the child is bi-lingual, lives with extended family, has attended several schools and plays on a variety of sports teams. In addition to this the child has experienced a whole other culture, including their traditions and is a regular international traveller. This could be in direct contrast to some students who may have very limited ‘funds of knowledge’ due to their remoteness or family situations.
Web links to videos on ‘Funds of Knowledge’
‘Luis Moll reports on his research showing that students bring with them to school "funds of knowledge" from their homes and communities that are valuable resources for teaching and learning’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnAmARNgKEw
Homeboyz discuss funds of knowledge in relation to primary school student learning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS3oAbe9sKE
References
Hills, S 2012, Developing early literacy: assessment and teaching / Susan Hill, 2nd edn, Eleanor Curtain Publishing, South Yarra.
Homeboyz discuss funds of knowledge, YouTube, retrieved 26 May 2012,
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS3oAbe9sKE>
Luis Moll, 'funds of knowledge',YouTube, retrieved 26 May 2012, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnAmARNgKEw>
McNaughton, S 2002, Meeting of Minds, Learning Media, Wellington.
Moll, L, Amanti, C, Neff, D & Gonzalez, N 1992, ‘Funds of knowledge for teaching: using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms’ ,Theory into Practice, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 132-141.
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