Writing and Sharing our FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE

Funds of Knowledge

A fund is a stored amount of something, often something valuable. Think of a bank account, a gold mine, or a vault filled with valuables.

Funds of Knowledge

Knowledge implies something known or understood, often through experience or study. Consider that navigating this school, the first day, requires knowledge that you gained in previous years.

(You’re not clueless: you’re not in 9th grade!)

Funds of Knowledge

A fund of knowledge is therefore a gold mine, a reservoir, of knowledge unique to you.

Why is this important?

Because when we come to any experience we arrive with something of worth to offer to our community.

Each of us always has something to contribute.

Personal funds of knowledge

Map the funds of knowledge specific to you: Family funds of knowledge Friend-based funds of knowledge Team-based funds of knowledge Mentor-based funds of knowledge Funds of knowledge connected to other people

What are funds of knowledge?

• Informal: Not necessarily something learned in school

•Experiential: Learning by doing something

•Cultural: Learned from places you’ve lived or played

•People-based: Valuable knowledge from people you know, well or even just in passing

Chris’s personal funds of knowledge

Community timeOne minute: Speaker: Describe your map to a partner. Listener: Practice active listening.

Switch roles

Take a moment to record what you remember.

Share timeIntroduce your partner to the group and highlight

three funds of knowledge.

Funds of Knowledge specific to working with language and textsMake a second map of the funds of knowledge

and /or experiences with texts you bring to our community.

“Text” is viewed broadly in this class. A text is a written or printed work, regarded in terms of its content rather than its physical form. It can be a poem, or even a photo or a movie.

Funds of Knowledge: Texts

Community timeOne minute: Speaker: Describe your map to a partner. Listener: Practice active listening.

Switch roles

Take a moment to record what you remember.

Share timeIntroduce your partner to the group and highlight

three funds of knowledge.

Class funds of knowledgePersonal

ELA

Luis MollMoll is a Latino anthropologist, researcher and professor teaching at the University of Arizona. He is best known for coining the term "funds of knowledge“ to describe the cultural resources that students bring to the classroom.González, N., & Moll, L. C., & Amanti, C. (Eds.). (2005). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms. Mahwah, NJ:Erlbaum.

His Study Found

The families had “abundant knowledge the schools did not know about, and therefore did not capitalize on, in order to teach academic skills.”

What are funds of knowledge?

• Informal: Might not be tied to an institution or a certificate

•Experiential: Not academic

•Cultural: Learned from the places where you’ve lived or worked

•People-based: Valuable knowledge you’ve received from others in a reciprocal relationship