Journal #5

According to Dr. Kang’s Chapter 1 PowerPoint, The Science of Child Development: Foundational
Theories of Child Development, Vygotsky’s central argument is that children learn the beliefs, customs,
and skills of their culture from adults. It is important to note that a child’s development must come in
cultural context. Vygotsky views development as an apprenticeship. This means that a child’s
environment has more of an impact on development than reinforcements, punishments, and
observations. Please also see my discussion of Vygotsky in Journal #1.

WHAT: The concept of the Funds of Knowledge is to enhance the education of students’ by learning
about the strengths, assets, and resources that students have access to and will bring to the
classroom. Through the process of developing the funds of knowledge in the classroom, teachers
should pay important attention to how students understand the world around them. Then, the
teacher will use the knowledge already familiar to students to teach them new concepts.

HOW: In my own classroom, I can begin to develop a funds of knowledge with my students by giving
them each a short questionnaire at the beginning of the year so that I can begin to learn about
them. Then, as the school year gets going, I will plan to create assignments that pull in the culture
and home lives’ so that I can continue to learn more about each student. I also really like that idea
of having a meaningful conversation with each student, each week. It would be difficult to have a
conversation with each student each day, so I think using a notebook or clipboard to keep track of
who I’ve talked to with notes of what we talked about. I’ll be able to use these conversations and
notes to better understand them as people and be able to use some of the things I learn to
develop more in detail assignments and projects.

Why: As noted in Chapter 2, Section 2.4.5.1 in our textbook, a Funds of Knowledge teaching approach
can benefit students in that it creates a broader practice, rather than constraining and
underestimating the intellectual abilities of our students of color. It is also important to note, in
accordance with our text, that students will have different knowledge backgrounds in many
things, based on what they see at home and in their community. By using these different
knowledge areas, teachers can help expand all students’ overall knowledge. Dr. Wysocki’s
Illustrating Funds of Knowledge – Visual asks many thought provoking questions to help me as a
future teacher to see the benefits of fund of knowledge in the classroom, including activities,
experiences, skills, social networks, and household activities that can help shape student
education.

I have not yet uploaded my Funds of Knowledge Visual as I’m still creating it and putting it all
together!