Monday, March 16, 2009

Chapter 3: Learning With and From Families

What is your response to the discussion of culturally relevant teaching and "funds of knowledge"? In what ways do you see these being "tapped into" in the classroom and/or school level? What possibilities do you see for these to be further developed in the future, either individually in your classroom or in the school as a whole?
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12 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 17, 2009 at 12:01 PM

    I think the children would enjoy lessons based on things that they are familiar with from their home surroundings. If the parents were able to bring their knowledge to help out in the school with things such as gardening projects or PTO meetings it may motivate other parents to also get involved. I'm not sure how much "funds of knowledge" would be used in our school because I don't make up lesson plans but will pass on this information to the teacher I work with.
    Angela Verdetto / Yargo

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  2. AnonymousMarch 17, 2009 at 12:06 PM

    It is only logical to work toward achieving culturally relevant teaching. When you really think about it, it almost seems like common sense to “learn the culture before teaching in it.” In every day teaching (for as long as I can remember) we have “built for transfer.” We were taught in school to link new ideas to something known…give the new information meaning…scaffold the knowledge. Why would it be any different when teaching students from another culture? “Funds of knowledge” creates such a rich concept when recognizing that information comes from all around us. When we legitimize real-life experiences, learning takes place. It just takes a connection. By asking your students (and their families) questions and listening to the answers, we might possibly find a starting point.

    I think the real challenge comes when you think about how culturally diverse even rural towns like Winder are becoming. It is difficult to educate ourselves. Maybe in the future a part of our PLCs could focus a more in-depth study on the different cultures here in Barrow County.

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  3. dbradberryMarch 17, 2009 at 4:27 PM

    Students like to learn about different cultures. I know when I have to teach about Mexico, Canada, or France the students enjoyed learning about these different places and their culture. If student learned about their classmates' culture they might learn thing like: what types of activities they do as a family compared to their own, this is a special food dish my mom makes, or this how we celebrate a holiday or a holiday in our culture celebrates.

    I have had children bring in food dishes their families like to eat, and one time a student brought in a picture of her in a kimono. We have hosted a multicultural night a few years ago and it was very good.

    The funding might be a problem for the school, but I think I might ask some of my parents to send in information about their culture, come in a tell about their culture, cook a dish for the class, and try to get them involved in their child's education more. Hopefully make the school a less "scarier" place for them.

    Like Dione said we need to educate ourselves about these different cultures.

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  4. michelleMarch 17, 2009 at 5:22 PM

    I think there is alot we can learn from the families in our classrooms. It makes the learning experience much more personal for everyone involved. They have a wealth of knowledge that we should want to tap into. It just requires a little extra effort on our part. One year I had a parent in the Kindergarten room that had spent her childhood in Australia, Germany, & England. She was an amazing assest to our class as we studied chilren from around the world. She had a first hand knowledge of the places we were learning about & it made it so real for the kids. Coming into the fourth grade class in Jan. has made it difficult getting to know the families as well as I would like. Next year I plan to get to know the families, so that I can use their "funds of knowledge" in the classroom.

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  5. AnonymousMarch 18, 2009 at 4:09 AM

    I think it is a great idea to tap into the "funds of knowledge" that might be available through the families of our students. It would help us and our students to understand other cultures, and it might possibly encourage parents and family to be more involved in school activities as well as their child's studies. Anything that increases a student's interest and parents' involvement is worthwhile. Tena Miller/Yargo

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  6. AnonymousMarch 18, 2009 at 10:27 AM

    I think in todays society we really need to invest some time in the children at school. I know time is a crunch for all of us. Still I think learning about our children's cultures at school would help us better understand them and where they come from. "Funds for Knowledge" sounds like a great tool to use. Involving the parents could be a great asset too. I think the more parents are involved the more their children will relish what they are learning. Plus with parents on our side they can help provide more practice at home and insights for us at school.

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  7. meredithMarch 18, 2009 at 10:35 AM

    Last year we had a very culturally diverse classroom. We had children from Romania, Nigeria, Mexico and also including the Hmong culture as well. This made our year very interesting bucause as teachers working with these children we learned so much from them. We heard stories of how they lived in the countries they were from and how they got here. We did often make reference to their cultual differences in teaching to help them better understand a certain lesson as well as to appreciate each other. It was fun to see them excited to share their stories and the others eager to listen. I felt it to be a successful year and now feel like it was due to our "tapping into their funds of knowledge".

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  8. meredithMarch 18, 2009 at 10:37 AM

    ok, I misspelled because. Just a type-o, I am not really that southern. Ha!

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  9. AnonymousMarch 18, 2009 at 11:14 AM

    We all have such a 'fund' of knowledge. It would be so great if we remembered that when dealing with all of our students, and really when dealing with anyone. I would love it if we invited the families in our school to come and share what the know and maybe even teach a math or science unit or reading or playing an instrument using their 'fund'

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  10. AnonymousMarch 19, 2009 at 4:25 AM

    I think it is a confidence boost and an encouragement for children to be able to share something about themselves that may not be readily seen. It helps to learn about their homelife and what they do when they are not in school. They get the sense that we do care about them and that can lead to better communication between student and teacher as well as parent and teacher.

    Like Dawn said, the multicultural night was a great idea and the kids involved truly enjoyed participating and sharing their cultures with the school. I think it would be great if we could do something like that again.

    Also, like Dione, I would like to see more classes that focus on the cultures we have in our community.

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  11. AnonymousMarch 30, 2009 at 4:46 PM

    With the funding the way schools are today we have to work with whatever we have, Trying new ways for teaching a lesson is hard. We have worked some of the kinks out, But there is still alot to learn. We have 6 different cultures in our classroom, so that is really hard. Debbie Baker

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  12. AnonymousMarch 30, 2009 at 5:28 PM

    We need to sit down and look at our student more closely. Invest a little time into learning who they are and where they come from. Asking questions and learning. "Funds of Knowledge" is a great way to start doing that and connecting our students families/homes to our schools/school life. Kimberly B

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