This chapter, although not
physically after the last chapter, “Language and Culture in a Diverse World” by
Romelia Hurtado de Vivas (2012) is now what do we do with the
acknowledgement that because learning takes place within a sociocultural context
we need to honor and respect the learners’ cultures so as to facilitate and enhance
learning.
The purpose of the
research was to coordinate households, community resources so as to create powerful
learning experiences that exceed rote memorization. To do this the ethnographic analysis of
household dynamics was combined with the examination of classroom practices, and the development
of after school study . This research was implemented to develop novel classroom
practices that involve strategic connections between the school and the
learners homes, communities, and cultures.
The communities were
studied using their history (border between Mexico and United States), the
sociopolitical and economic context of the households, and analyzing the social
history of the households (origins and development, and labor history of the
families-why?-)
The origins and
development, and labor history of the families are also referred to as funds of
knowledge—cultural knowledge and skills accumulated by students within their family
settings that enable the household to thrive; students’ strengths on which to
build curriculum in diverse classrooms settings. Another approach was looking at how household
members use their funds of knowledge in dealing with changing and difficult
social and economic conditions. They
also stressed how families develop social networks and how these networks made
it possible for families to exchange resources (knowledge, skills, and labor to
get by and to thrive. This creates a “thick”
and “multistranded” relationship with the student that addresses the student as
a whole person not just a student in a classroom. Another
aspect of the students environment that was looked at was the reciprocity (enduring
social relationship based on social interdependence) that the learner learned
in.
Using the above knowledge
educators were able to place the learning in the hands of the learner and what
their needs were so as to make it an authentic inquiry.
So What are Funds of
Knowledge For Teaching
The research was a
collaboration of anthropologist and teachers using qualitative ethnographic
observations and interviews. Upon interviewing a family the teacher realized
that many of her students were international travelers and multicultural. She
could relate this knowledge to her 6th grade curriculum on economics,
laws, forms of government, and the study of other countries.
The application of the
research s was to use it to create a process of inquiry that used the resources
of the school and of the social contacts outside school or the funds of
knowledge . They decided upon candy because during the research it was
discovered that some of the students sold candy to make money. They defined it,
investigated ingredients, made graphs and charts, made candy with the help of
the community, marketed the candy, and sold it at a school talent show. During the process the teacher had become the
mediator and applied the research conducted to culture-sensitive curriculum.
This chapter was intriguing to say the least. It
would be such an adventure and a pleasure to participate in such an
enterprise. I wonder if they do this
around here and where I could sign up. I wanted to write a book in which I would thank the Islamic Republic for all the things it had taught me--to love Austen and James and ice cream and freedom. I said, Right now it is not enough to appreciate all this; I want to write about it. He said, You will not not be able to write about Austen without writing about us, about this place where you rediscovered Austen. You will not be able to put us out of your head. Try. From Reading Lolita in Tehran
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