Funds of Knowledge

In 1992 a group of education experts wrote about "funds of knowledge". In this essay entitled "Funds of Knowledge for Teaching: Using a Qualitative Approach to Connect Homes and Classrooms" researchers are paired with classroom teachers in an effort to help teachers learn how to do research about their students. The research involved the researcher and the educator to go to the households of some of the teachers students in order to learn more about the students and their families. The ultimate goal of this is for the teacher to learn what kinds of knowledge her students have from their homes, culture, and families that is stored in their funds of knowledge. The teacher was then able to base a week-long unit based on information gathered from the households. The topic they choose: candy. The teachers in the study found candy was a popular thing among their Mexican students' families. The unit involved many normal classroom activities such as brainstorming, KWL's (Know, want to know, learned), using the scientiific method, etc. At the end of the unit a parent in the class came in and taught the class how to make a kind of Mexican candy called pipitoria. This essay sets a great example for teachers about including their students different funds of knowledge in their classroom and including the community in the teaching of their students.

Though every teacher may not go out and interview the families of a few of their students, it is still important that they get to know their students on a more personal level. To teach students you see five days a week for perhaps several hours a day you need to get to know them to know what will work in the classroom and what kind of lessons to do. Obviously you should always be professional as a teacher but that doesn't mean you shouldn't learn a bit about your students personal lives. Especially since the best way to incorporate your students different funds of knowledge is to know what they are in the first place. I know I've brought up that term quite often, "funds of knowledge", while all it really means are the different kinds of knowledge your students possess.  It's similar to having different kinds of literacy, but this knowledge comes from separate places.When a student walks into the classroom they are filled with the knowledge they have gotten from their families and culture, their friends, and all the knowledge they've received up to this point in their schooling. They know about topics that aren't always covered in the classroom and finding out about those topics your students have learned from outside school, either because they've been exposed to the knowledge or they've learned it on their own time, will allow you to better connect with your students and validate their funds of knowledge.

To get a better idea of funds of knowledge, check out this video:



I think the video describes the concept well, but it's unfortunately Australian, so here's one which is American and includes some of the essay as well: