Funds of Knowledge: Theorizing Practices in Households, Communities, and Classrooms

by Norma Gonzalez (Editor), Luis C. Moll (Editor), Cathy Amanti (Editor)

The concept of "funds of knowledge" is based on a simple people are competent and have knowledge, and their life experiences have given them that knowledge. The claim in this book is that first-hand research experiences with families allow one to document this competence and knowledge, and that such engagement provides many possibilities for positive pedagogical actions. Drawing from both Vygotskian and neo-sociocultural perspectives in designing a methodology that views the everyday practices of language and action as constructing knowledge, the funds of knowledge approach facilitates a systematic and powerful way to represent communities in terms of the resources they possess and how to harness them for classroom teaching. This book accomplishes three It gives readers the basic methodology and techniques followed in the contributors' funds of knowledge research; it extends the boundaries of what these researchers have done; and it explores the applications to classroom practice that can result from teachers knowing the communities in which they work. In a time when national educational discourses focus on system reform and wholesale replicability across school sites, this book offers a counter-perspective stating that instruction must be linked to students' lives, and that details of effective pedagogy should be linked to local histories and community contexts. This approach should not be confused with parent participation programs, although that is often a fortuitous consequence of the work described. It is also not an attempt to teach parents "how to do school" although that could certainly be an outcome if the parents so desired. Instead, the funds of knowledge approach attempts to accomplish something that may be even more to alter the perceptions of working-class or poor communities by viewing their households primarily in terms of their strengths and resources, their defining pedagogical characteristics. Funds of Theorizing Practices in Households, Communities, and Classrooms is a critically important volume for all teachers and teachers-to-be, and for researchers and graduate students of language, culture, and education.

Genres: Teaching

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2005

Reviews

[stef · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really found many great ideas in this book. I liked the idea of connecting knowledge to children’s experiences. But something felt unnatural. Not sure I can explain it. I just felt uncomfortable about some young teachers visiting families because of the research.

[Rolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

While as a collected volume, the entries here definitely vary in terms of quality, the essential contributions to theory made here more than make up for the less substantial entries.

[JodyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fear not, you do not have to read this book. This was a book I read in preparation for my dissertation. It discusses the need for teachers to truly understand their students' backgrounds by making home visits to connect with students' lived experiences. In the past, when teachers have made home visits, its often either in a "teaching capacity" -- teachers have knowledge to impart on parents or a "reporting" -- teachers have knowledge, usually about the student (and usually not good), to report to the parent. This approach has the teacher as the learner and the household as the teacher. What is beneficial about the Funds of Knowledge approach is that we don't think of these families as having deficits, a common problem in the United States's education system. Personally, I think I will be using this as a theory to base my own work in.

If you're into educational theory, knock yourself out! Otherwise, if you are a teacher of any grade, this is a good read to help you think differently about your students, especially those who are minoritized.