Funds of knowledge

The accumulation of bodies of knowledge, assets, and abilities of families is referred to as Funds of Knowledge (FoK). This concept was coined by Vélez-Ibáñez and Greenberg in 1992 through their initial Communication Literacy Project which observed the socially diverse ways of interacting and experiencing in U.S.-Mexican households in Tucson, Arizona. The project was designed for teachers to understand households by learning about families’ everyday lives and literacy practices in hopes of embedding this knowledge into educational practice (Vélez-Ibáñez & Greenberg, 1992). Many of these literacy studies also investigated how families develop social networks, connect with other households, and how social relationships impact knowledge and resource sharing or exchanging that contributes to household stability and survival (Moll et al., 1992).

Moll et al. (1992) highlighted that educators are often unaware of the value associated with FoK and the potential it has in leveraging low-income students’ academic potential and dismantling the inequitable and deficit lens often found in education systems. In Moll et al.’s (1992) literacy projects, educators visited many households, and through multiple visits, learned about each family’s history, household knowledge and skills, and social networks related to occupation, recreation, and day-to-day activities. Once the data was collected, educators worked collaboratively to determine how best to integrate what they learned from these visits into their daily pedagogical practice to create a child-centred curriculum (Moll, et al., 1992).

Several studies (Gonzalez et al., 2005; Johnson & Johnson, 2016; Rodriguez, 2011) continue to offer valuable pedagogical strategies and recommendations for educators to gain insights into the diverse knowledge bases students have outside the classroom. This knowledge can include, academic, community and personal backgrounds, historical life experiences, skills, world views, practices, traditions, cultural values, and rituals. As mentioned earlier, once FoK are integrated into practice, they can enhance school performance, especially for unrepresented students such as migrants or English language earners (Johnson & Johnson, 2016) who experience linguistic, economic and cultural limitations. Further, it can enrich the relationships between education institutions and the wider community through establishing mutual trust (referred to as ‘confianza’) and can decrease stereotypes, discrimination, and prejudice (Gonazalez et al., 2005; Hogg, 2011; Moll et al.,1992) many newcomer children and families experience. Educators can tailor their supports or resources to be more specific for diverse families only when they are knowledgeable about their histories and experiences.

Integrating funds of knowledge across all subjects and content areas can benefit children because it enhances their passion and effort when using this strength-based approach. In addition, it also strengthens the relationship between peers and between children and their educators, which not only impacts overall development in positive ways, but fosters cultural humility and collaboration. Overall, capitalizing on household and community resources enhances quality, achievement, and engagement (Gonazalez et al., 2005; Moll et al.,1992; Rodriquez, 2011).

References

González, N., Moll, L.C., & Amanti, C. (2005). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Hogg, L. (2011). Funds of knowledge: An investigation of coherence within the literature. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27, 666-677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.11.005

Johnson, E.J., & Johnson, A.B. (2016). Enhancing academic investment through home-school connections. Journal of Language & Literacy Education, 12(1), 104-121.

Moll, L.C., Amanti, C., & Neff, D. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect schools and classrooms. Theory into Practice, 31(2), 132-141. https://education.ucsc.edu/ellisa/pdfs/Moll_Amanti_1992_Funds_of_Knowledge.pdf

Rodriguez, G. (2011). Power and agency in education: Exploring the pedagogical dimensions of funds of knowledge. Review of Research in Education, 37(1), 87-120. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X12462686

Vélez-Ibáñez, C.G., & Greenberg, J.B. (1992). Formation and transformation of funds of knowledge among U.S.

Mexican households. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 23(4), 313-335. https://doi.org/10.1525/aeq.1992.23.4.05x1582v