Debiting From Our Students' "Funds of Knowledge" Accounts

Our students bring with them a wealth of knowledge before they even step foot into our classrooms. They've been learning since Day 1 how to communicate with others, how to get their needs and desires met, how to resolve conflict, how to reason, how cause and effect works, how the natural world operates on a day-to-day basis, how to learn from what others model for them, and how they must survive all the events and interactions with various types of people in between getting up and going to bed each day. In addition to this, they have learned (or are continuing to learn) the rites, the customs, the idiosyncracies of the language, the mores of their family and of their culture, neighborhood, and communities. All of these are learned experiences which helps them to identify themselves, but it's more than that. It's what Norma Gonzalez, Ellen McIntyre, and Ann Rosebery call "Funds of Knowledge" (2001). These are the base knowledge from which children derive their learning. Everything that they attempt to learn in school is compared to what they already know within the "Funds of Knowledge" from outside of the classroom. Once teachers comprehend that their students all have savings within their own unique "Funds of Knowledge" account, then the real, relatable teaching can begin, because "children learn best when abstract principles are conveyed to them in terms that reflect their own knowledge base" (McIntyre, et al, 2001). We have to stop underestimating what our students are capable of knowing and learning, and break away from the one-size-fits-all instructional routine of yester-years gone by, and start debiting from the expansive wealth that they have already accumulated outside of school to relate what we are teaching them inside the classroom.

It all starts with getting to know each student and the communities from which s/he interacts in, and it also requires the teacher to take a hard look at his/her own "Funds of Knowledge" account, and that of the school's prescribed curriculum to manage those "account balances". Are they in the red and the students' accounts in the black? Then proceed to debit from the students' accounts--those experiences and the knowledge that they have already acquired out in the field of life. Make the subjects that must be taught relatable to them. This is how you debit from their "Funds of Knowledge" accounts, and it will make for a much richer learning experience for both teacher and students alike.

The Gaining of Knowledge

When I think of the gaining of knowledge, I think of a holistic, student-focused, learning for the sake of learning model of instruction. My idea of what good instruction looks like is that the students take a role in the ownership of their own learning. However, what I have discovered, and what has been modeled to me in my field placements, is that the gaining of knowledge is more structured, more rigorous, and less organic. There are so many restrictions that are placed on teachers to meet state requirements and for students to pass standardized tests that I think sometimes learning through play and engaging the students’ imagination is put by the wayside and the instruction is more teacher-centered than student-centered. Where’s the joy of discovery?

Don’t get me wrong, the teaching has been sound. It’s just that I wonder if there is a different way to engage students’ interest and attention than filling out worksheets day after day or the teacher modeling everything and taking the moment of discovery away from the students .Does everything have to be modeled to them? Can’t they discover some things on their own? And, what about the students that still don’t comprehend the new information, even after it has been modeled to them several times? What’s next?

As I work with my students each day, I have been trying to learn as much about them as I can. From my observations and from listening to their stories, I have gained knowledge of who they truly are, how they see themselves and the world around them.Each child brings something to the table--their experiences, their beliefs, their culture. So, I try to tap into that intellectual capital. This has been extremely helpful as I try to relate the concepts that they need to learn in school with ones out in the real world--their world. I engage them with things they already know or things they have always wondered about. I want to prepare them for the world around them, but I have to do it in a way that makes sense to them, otherwise they won’t understand the importance of the gaining of knowledge.

Back to the Basics

"Differentiated instruction is the process of ensuring that what a student learns, how he/she learns it, and how the student demonstrates what he/she has learned is a match for that student’s readiness level, interests, and preferred mode of learning.” ~ Carol Ann Tomlinson

Today I was faced with the fact that one of my focus students was not able to chart a line graph because she could not multiply or divide and was unable to mark the Y-axis numbers correctly. It broke my heart and I could see in her eyes that she was scared, frustrated and overwhelmed. On the first day of school, when we were reviewing math problems that the kids had already learned how to do the previous year, she announced that she did not know division and that she barely knew her multiplication tables. And, don't even get me started on fractions!

As we worked on the math assignment in class, I ended up having to scaffold her more so than the other students because of her inability to solve basic math problems. I felt bad for her and tried various methods to help her understand. At times, she seemed to understand what she needed to do and how to do it, and could even explain it to me in her own words. However, when she would try to apply it to an actual math problem on her worksheet, she was unable to, and then she played the guessing game. So, I would try a different route until she could do it on her own.  But, what I realized was that she was lacking basic math skills.  What is even more important is that she realized it too. It's amazing to think that all math relies on the ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide! If a person can't even do that, then he/she will have difficulty as the math becomes more challenging. The basic concepts need to be understood and the patterns need to be revealed. She is beginning to realize this. So, I hope that she will heed my master teacher and my advice to practice her multiplication tables at home. However, I know that it might be difficult to do that because she has a lot of responsibility at home and doesn't have a lot of time to even do her homework.

In the meantime, I know that differentiated instruction will be a necessity to get her up to speed with her classmates. Today, that took the form of sitting with her one-on-one and working through the problem together using addition, because that is something that she does know how to do. I felt frustrated--not with her, but with myself. I was frustrated because I felt like I wasn't getting through to her, although at times it seemed like I was. I could've just given up, but I wouldn't let myself. She is my student and I am her teacher. I needed to find a different way for her to understand. I didn't--and still don't--want her to slip through the cracks. I won't give up on her. I just need to find a different way to help her learn so that she can be successful in math.