Funds of knowledge Gonzalez, Norma; Moll, Luis C; Amanti, Cathy
2005, 20060421, 2006-04-21, 2005-12-31
eBook, Book
The concept of "funds of knowledge" is based on a simple premise: 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 objectives: 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 challenging: 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 characteristi
The shortage of Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) teachers is uncontested. Yet while we have focused on recruiting and preparing DLBE teachers, we have neglected exploring how to retain ...currently practicing DLBE teachers. This article presents a small-scale study of one aspect of DLBE teachers' work - the selection and creation of curriculum materials in languages other than English. All six of the teachers interviewed for this study lack sufficient materials in the language in which they teach. To fill the gap, they translate English resources as well as create original material. None are given additional planning time and most state their administrators are unaware of the time they spend developing curriculum materials for their classrooms. Using an "invisible work" framework originally conceptualized by second-wave feminists, this study highlights the manner in which DLBE teachers' bilingualism is perceived to be their natural way of being and therefore translating becomes an expected part of their job. It also highlights the importance of taking a critical look at the additional burdens DLBE teachers have in their work so that we ensure they do not lead to teacher attrition in a field where the teacher shortage is at crisis levels.
Although Dual Language Immersion Education is growing in popularity in the United States, staffing these programs represents one of the greatest challenges for school administrators. Ironically, this ...is the case even for Spanish-English Dual Language Immersion programs despite the fact that the United States has the second highest number of Spanish speakers of any country in the world. What barriers hinder Spanish-English Dual Language Immersion schools from filling their teaching positions? This exploratory article suggests that native-speakerism may be part of the problem. Drawing on literature from the field of English Language Teaching, this article goes further to suggest that notions of who is the ideal Dual Language teacher, unless carefully considered, may exacerbate the linguistic marginalization of U.S.-born Latinxs, a group whose Spanish-speaking abilities are too often stigmatized.
This article explores the relationship between travelling education policies and a 2008 Mexican high-school reform from the perspective of Mexican educators. Using an ethnographic approach, ...consisting of interviews, classroom and community observations, and document analysis, study findings show that the educators participating in this study contest the notion that education policies and practices can be seamlessly transferred from one locale to another. They also suggest that when they are transferred, locally responsive practices may be threatened.
Discusses a collaborative project between education and anthropology which qualitatively studies the establishment of strategic connections between households and classrooms in Arizona's Mexican ...communities. Teacher-researchers visit households, assume the role of learners, establish connections with parents, and develop instructional activities based on observations. The paper summarizes studies and findings. (SM)
This volume takes a critical look at teaching and learning English across the globe. Its aim is to fill a gap in the literature created by the omission of the voices of those engaged in the everyday ...practice of teaching and learning English; those of students, teachers, and specialists. Three unique characteristics give this book broad appeal. They include- its inclusion of the perspectives and experiences of students and educators involved in the everyday practice of English language teaching and learning- its inclusion of the experiences of students and educators in both core and non-core English-speaking countries- its basis on original, qualitative studies conducted by scholars in different parts of the world including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the AmericasOf particular interest to applied linguists, scholars from diverse fields such as English as a Foreign/Second Language, English as an International Language, anthropology and education, English education, sociolinguistics, and bilingual education will also find value in this book. Written in accessible language, it can be used in such courses as Applied Linguistics, Second Language Classroom Contexts, Bilingualism and Multilingualism, English Around the World, Research Methodologies in Second Language Acquisition, and Research in Second Language Pedagogical Contexts. In addition, by focusing on presenting research experiences that adopt several epistemological and theoretical approaches, the book provides teachers of research with a great tool to examine varied applications of qualitative methods, data collection, and analytic techniques. Thus it could also be used for courses in Field Research and Qualitative Methods.ENDORSEMENT:"As a scholar and educator who has consistently explored the social implications of the teaching and learning of English, I applaud this book's concern with documenting the previously unheard voices of language learners and teachers around the world. The book is unique in the manner in which it focuses on the everyday experiences of marginalized English teachers and learners in various contexts around the globe. It also is unique in the manner in which it brings together researchers, teachers and learners to qualitatively investigate a great diversity of local language learning contexts. This book is a must read for anyone concerned with the current spread of English and its implications for individuals not typically foregrounded in language learning and teaching research."- Dr. Sandra Lee McKay, Professor Emeritus, San Francisco State University, USA
This article provides an expose of the ironic fact that students both learn to write and are punished for writing in schools. It explores and considers what type of student writing may precipitate a ...discipline event. These infractions consist primarily of unauthorized writing, such as text messages and writing on clothes, bodies, and walls, whose literacy aspects are often invisible when viewed through the lens of predominant normative perspectives on literacy found in schools. A sociocultural approach, on the other hand, makes the literacy aspects of unauthorized student writing visible. The implication is that problematizing views of what counts as literacy in schools is an important step toward countering the unjust practices on which this article focuses. Adapted from the source document
