ReflectionWheelJournal

Name: KaraStucky

Date:
July27th,2015

CourseName:
Culture&LanguageinClassroomPractice(EDCI740)

ReflectionWheelJournal#:
2

EVENT(S)/BEHAVIOR(S):
FundsofKnowledgeforTeaching:UsingaQualitativeApproachtoConnectHomesand
Classrooms

Thisarticlesharestheprocessandresultsofaresearchstudyconductedbyateacher,
CathyAmanti,andananthropologist,DeborahNeff.Theyconductedhouseholdinterviews
tobetterunderstandtheculturalknowledgeandskillsofworkingclassMexicanfamiliesin
Tucson,Arizona.Thesefundsofknowledgecouldbeusefulforclassroominstruction.
AmantiandNeffnoticedtwoaspectsofthesefamiliesthatdifferedgreatlyfromcommon
classroompractice.Thefirstisthatthesocialnetworksestablishedamongfamiliesare
flexible,adaptive,andactive(
Moll,Amanti,Neff,&Gonzalez,1992,p.200
).Thesecond
isreciprocity,ormutualtrust,thatiscreatedthroughpracticalactivitiesrangingfromhome
andautomobilerepairtoanimalcareandmusic(Molletal.,1992,p.201).Portionsofthe
transcriptofAmantiandNeffspresentationhavebeenincludedtoshowtheirassumptions
beforeconductingtheinterviews,theprocessofconductingtheinterviews,andtheresulting
lessonsthatweredevelopedbasedontheresearch.Thelearningmodulecreatedbyateamof
teachersreliedonvariousfundsofknowledgethatwerediscoveredincludinginternational
commerce,economicsystems,anddifferencesintypesofcandyinvariouscountries.

Reference:
Moll,L.C.,Amanti,C.,Neff,D.,Gonzalez,N.(
1992).
Fundsofknowledgeforteaching:
usingaqualitativeapproachtoconnecthomesandclassrooms
.InNoelJ.(Ed.),
Classiceditionsourcesmulticulturaleducation
(3rded.,pp.199204).NewYork,
NY:McGrawHill.

ReflectionWheelJournal

FEELINGS:
intrigued
overwhelmed
surprised

THOUGHTS:
AsIreadthearticle,Ithoughtabouthowbeneficialitwouldbeforteacherstohavea
betterunderstandingoftheirstudentsfamilylifeandculture.Thiswouldallowteachersto
interpretbehaviorsfromstudentsthatgoagainsttypicalschoolculturewhilealsohelping
teacherstoconnectthecurriculumtoacontextthatismorefamiliartotheirCLDstudents.I
thenconsideredtheamountoftimethatwouldbenecessarytoimplementthistypeof
research.Itseemedlikeitmightbeimpossible,butifschoolsareunited,thentheworkcould
bedividedupandmuchwouldbeaccomplished.Ialsonoticedthatthelearningmodulethat
wascreatedasaresultoftheinterviewsinvolvedstudentcenteredinquiry.Whileatypical
lessonmightconsistofateacherexplainingaconcepttostudents,thismoduleallowed
studentstoasktheirownquestionsandexploreareasofthecontentthatinterestedthem.

LEARNINGS:
Step1:
ApotentialbiasIhadwasthateconomicallydisadvantagedfamiliesrarelyprovide
learningexperiencesinthehome.
Iassumedthatworkingclassfamilieswouldnotbeabletocontributetothelearning
happeningintheclassroom.

Step2:
Bothoftheseassumptionswerenotvalid.Asexplainedinthearticle,thesefamilies
doprovidelearningexperiencesinthehome,itjustmaylookdifferentfromthoseofthe
dominateculture.Eachexchangewithrelatives,friends,andneighborsentailsnotonly

ReflectionWheelJournal
manypracticalactivitiesbutconstantlyprovidescontextsinwhichlearningcanoccur(Moll
etal.,1992,p.201).Also,itisevidentthroughtheresearchthatwasconductedand
explainedinthisarticlethateveryfamily,regardlessofraceoreconomicstatus,has
experience,knowledge,andskillsthatcanbeappliedintheclassroom.Teachersmusttake
timetolearnaboutthesefundsofknowledgebyvisitingfamiliesandthenapplywhatthey
havelearnedthroughoutthecurriculum.ThiswillnotonlybenefitCLDstudentsthrough
providingfamiliarcontext,butwillalsobroadenthehorizonsofallstudents.

Step3:
Mysocializationhasinfluencedmyperspectiveonthetopicofthisarticle,fundsof
knowledge.Ourtendencyistoviewoursocializationasthecorrectwayofapproaching
life.Welookatotherculturesandweseethemasweirdorwrongbecausetheyaredifferent
thanus.Instead,differencesshouldbelearnedaboutandcelebratedasstrengths.Ifellinto
thisprejudice,thinkingthatonlyeducatedfamiliescouldadequatelycontributetoacademics
atschools.Iamlearningthateducationismuchmorethanhavingknowledgethatcanbe
readfromabookorontheinternet.Thereisavastwisdomthatbelearnedthrougholder
adultsinourfamiliesandthroughthecultureandtraditionsofothers.

APPLICATIONS:
Step1:
Throughreadingthisarticleandcriticallyreflecting,Ihaverealizedseveralbiases
thatIpersonallyheldtowardworkingclassoreconomicallydisadvantagedfamilies.Ican
nowseehowtheassumptionsthatIpreviouslyheldwerenotvalid.Asaresult,inthefuture,
IwanttobemoreawareoftheunconsciousjudgementsthatImakeaboutfamiliesthatare
differentthanmyfamily.Ibelievethateverypersonhasvalue,regardlessofrace,ethnicity,
oreconomicstatus.Ineedtomorereadilyenactthisinmythoughtprocessandtaketimeto
gettoknowmystudentsfamilies.IamgrowingprofessionallybecauseIdesiretohavean
openmindandaskquestionsbeforemakingjudgementsaboutmystudentsortheirfamilies.

ReflectionWheelJournal
Also,asIlearnaboutthesefundsofknowledge,Icanintegratethemintothecurriculumand
inviteparentstosharetheirexpertisewiththeclass.

Step2:
IcurrentlyliveinSingaporeandteachataninternationalschool.ThisfallIwillbe
startingmysixthyearteachinghere.WhileIhavelearnedquitealotaboutthefamiliesand
variousculturesrepresentedatourschooloverthepastfiveyears,thereisstillsomuchthatI
couldlearnandapplytomyclassroominstruction.IhavemanyAsianstudents,including
manyAsianAmericanstudents.Iaminterestedtolearnmoreabouttheprejudicesthatexist
amongvariousAsiancultures.Forexample,IknowthereissomeprejudicebetweenKorean
andJapanesecultures.Iwanttolearnabouttheseculturalbiasesandalsoprovide
opportunitiesforstudentstoexplorethesebiasesintheclassroom.