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1476399-3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funds of Knowledge for Teaching: Using a Qualitative Approach to Connect Homes and Classrooms

 

Author(s): Luis C. Moll, Cathy Amanti, Deborah Neff and  Norma Gonzalez

 

Source: Theory Into Practice, 2, Qualitative Issues in Educational Research (Spring, 1992), pp. 132-141

 

Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.

 

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Luis C. Moll

 

Cathy Amanti

Deborah Neff

 

Norma Gonzalez

 

 

Funds of Knowledge for Teaching: Using a Qualitative Approach

 

to Connect Homes and Classrooms

 

 

 

 

 

 

This approach is par-

 

education and anthropology that is studying ticularly important in dealing with students whose household and classroom practices within households are usually viewed as being "poor,"


 

working-class, Mexican communities in Tucson,

 

The primary purpose of this work is to

 

develop innovations in teaching that draw upon

the knowledge and skills found in local house-

Our claim is that by capitalizing on

 

household and other community resources, we can organize classroom instruction that far ex-ceeds in quality the rote-like instruction these

children commonly encounter in schools (see,

e.g., Moll & Greenberg, 1990; see also Moll & Dfaz, 1987).

To accomplish this goal, we have developed

 

a research approach that is based on under-standing households (and classrooms) qualita-

We utilize a combination of ethnographic

observations, open-ended interviewing strate-

gies, life histories, and case studies that, when

 

combined analytically, can portray accurately the

 

complex functions of households within their

Qualitative research


not only economically but in terms of the quality of experiences for the child.

 

Our research design attempts to coordinate

 

three interrelated activities: the ethnographic analysis of household dynamics, the examina-

 

tion of classroom practices, and the development These

 

study groups, collaborative ventures between teachers and researchers, are settings within

which we discuss our developing understanding

These study

 

groups also function as "mediating structures"

 

for developing novel classroom practices that

 

involve strategic connections between these two

 

entities (see Moll et al., 1990).

In this article we discuss recent develop-

 

ments in establishing these "strategic connec-

 

tions" that take the form of joint household re- search between classroom teachers and uni-

versity based researchers, and the subsequent


development of ethnographically informed offers a range of methodological alternatives that

 

We first present a summa- can fathom the array of cultural and intellectual

 

resources available to students and teachers ry of our household studies and the findings that form the bases of our pedagogical work.

We then present an example of recent research

Luis C. Moll is associate professor of education at

the University of Arizona; Cathy Amanti is a sixth between a classroom teacher and an anthropol- grade bilingual teacher (on leave) and a doctoral ogist, highlighting details of their visit to a student in anthropology at the University of Arizona; household, and the teacher's development of

and Deborah Neff and Norma Gonzalez are anthro- an instructional activity based on their observa-

We conclude with some comments on the

 

thropology, University of Arizona. work presented.

 

Theory Into Practice, Volume XXXI, Number 2, Spring 1992

 

 

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Some Basic Findings

 

Table 1

 

As noted, central to our project is the quali-

A Sample of Household Funds of Knowledge

 

This approach in-

Agriculture

Material & Scientific

 

volves, for one, understanding the history of the

 

border region between Mexico and the United

and Mining

Knowledge

 

States and other aspects of the sociopolitical

Ranching and farming

Construction

 

and economic context of the households (see,

 

Horse riding skills

Carpentry

 

e.g., Velez-lbanez, in press; see also Heyman,

 

Animal management

Roofing

 

It also involves analyz-

 

Soil and irrigation

Masonry

 

ing the social history of the households, their

 

systems

Painting

 

origins and development, and most prominently

 

Crop planting

Design and archi-

 

for our purposes, the labor history of the families,

Hunting, tracking,

tecture

 

which reveals the accumulated bodies of

dressing

 

 

knowledge of the households (see Velez-lbfaez

 

 

& Greenberg, 1989).

Mining

Repair

 

With our sample,1 this knowledge is broad

Airplane

 

 

Timbering

 

and diverse, as depicted in abbreviated formMinerals

Automobile

 

Notice that household knowledge Blasting may

Tractor

 

include information about farming and animal Equipment operation

House maintenance

 

management, associated with households' rural

 

 

 

and maintenance

 

 

origins, or knowledge about construction and

 

 

building, related to urban occupations, as well

 

 

 

Economics

Medicine

 

as knowledge about many other matters, such

 

 

 

Business

Contemporary medicine

 

as trade, business, and finance on both sides of

 

 

Market values

Drugs

 

the border (see, e.g., Moll & Greenberg, 1990).

First aid procedures

 

 

Appraising

 

We use the term "funds of knowledge" to refer

Anatomy

 

 

Renting and selling

 

to these historically accumulated and culturally

Midwifery

 

 

Loans

 

developed bodies of knowledge and skills es-

 

 

 

Labor laws

 

 

sential for household or individual functioning

Folk medicine

 

 

Building codes

 

and well-being (Greenberg, 1989; Tapia, 1991;

 

 

Velez-lbfaez, 1988).

Consumer knowledge   Herbal knowledge

 

Accounting

Folk cures

 

 

 

Our approach also involves studying how

Folk veterinary cures

 

household members use their funds of knowl-

Sales

 

 

 

 

 

edge in dealing with changing, and often diffi-

 

We

Household Management Religion

 

 

 

 

are particularly interested in how families develop Budgets social networks that interconnect them with their Childcare

 

social environments (most importantly with oth Cooking -

 

er households), and how these social relation Appliance - repairs

 

ships facilitate the development and exchange of resources, including knowledge, skills, and


Catechism

 

Baptisms

 

Bible studies

 

Moral knowledge

 

and ethics


 

labor, that enhance the households' ability to ships with the same person or with various per-

 

survive or thrive (see, e.g., Moll & Greenberg, The person from whom the child learns

1990; Velez-lbanez & Greenberg,1989; see also carpentry, for example, may also be the uncle

Keefe & Padilla, 1987). with whom the child's family regularly celebrates

 

Two aspects of these household arrange-birthdays or organizes barbecues, as well as

 

ments merit emphasis here, especially becausethe person with whom the child's father goes

 

they contrast so sharply with typical classroomfishing on weekends.

 

One is that these networks are flexi- Thus, the "teacher" in these home based

 

ble, adaptive, and active, and may involve mul- contexts of learning will know the child as a tiple persons from outside the homes; in our "whole" person, not merely as a "student," tak- terms, they are "thick" and "multi-stranded," ing into account or having knowledge about the

 

meaning that one may have multiple relation multiple - spheres of activity within which the child

 

Volume XXXI, Number 2 133

 

 

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In comparison, the typical teach-

 

er-student relationship seems "thin" and "single-

 

stranded," as the teacher "knows" the students

 

only from their performance within rather limited

 

classroom contexts.


motivated by the children's interests and ques-tions; in contrast to classrooms, knowledge is

 

obtained by the children, not imposed by the This totality of experiences, the cultural structuring of the households, whether related


Additionally, in contrast to the households to work or play, whether they take place individ- and their social networks, the classrooms seemually, with peers, or under the supervision of

 

encapsulated, if not isolated, from the social adults, helps constitute the funds of knowledge When children bring to school (Moll & Greenberg,

 

funds of knowledge are not readily available 1990).

 

within households, relationships with individuals

outside the households are activated to meet

Funds of Knowledge for Teaching

In class-

Our analysis of funds of knowledge repre-

rooms, however, teachers rarely draw on the sents a positive (and, we argue, realistic) view resources of the "funds of knowledge" of the ofhouseholds as containing ample cultural and

 

child's world outside the context of the class-

cognitive resources with great, potential utility for

room.

classroom instruction (see Moll & Greenberg,

This view of house-

 

As Velez-lbanez holds,we should mention, contrasts sharply with (1988) has observed, reciprocity represents prevailing an and accepted perceptions of working-

"attempt to establish a social relationship class on an families as somehow disorganized social- Whether symmetrical or asymlyand-deficient intellectually; perceptions that

 

metrical, the exchange expresses and symbolarewell-accepted and rarely challenged in the izes human social interdependence" (p. field 142) of . education and elsewhere (however, see

 

That is, reciprocal practices establish serious McDermott, 1987; Moll & Diaz, 1987; Taylor & obligations based on the assumption of "con -

 

Dorsey Gaines, 1988; see also Velez-lbanez, in fianza" (mutual trust), which is reestablished or

press).

confirmed with each exchange, and leads to the But how can teachers make use of these

Each

We hav exchange with relatives, friends, and neighbors

 

been experimenting with the aforementione entails not only many practical activities (every-

 

arrangements that involve developing after thing from home and automobile repair to ani-

 

school settings where we meet with teachers t mal care and music) but constantly provides

 

analyze their classrooms, discuss household contexts in which learning can occur-contexts,

 

observations, and develop innovations in th for example, where children have ample oppor-

 

These after-school setting tunities to participate in activities with people

they trust (Moll & Greenberg, 1990). represent social contexts for informing, assist ing, and supporting the teachers' work; setting

A related observation, as well, is that chil-

 

in our terms, for teachers and researchers to dren in the households are not passive by-

 

exchange funds of knowledge (for details, se standers, as they seem in the classrooms, but

 

Moll et al.,1990).2 active participants in a broad range of activities

In analyzing our efforts, however, we real- mediated by these social relationships (see La

ized that we had relied on the researchers to

In some cases, their participa-

 

present their findings to the teachers and to f tion is central to the household's functioning, as

 

ure out the relevance of that information for

Although we were careful about ou

production of the home, or use their knowledge

of English to mediate the household's commudesires- not to impose but to collaborate wit nications with outside institutions, such as theteachers, this collaboration did not extend to

In other the cases In our work with

they are active in household chores, such teachers, as at least as far as household data were

 

repairing appliances or caring for younger concerned,sib- we relied on a "transmission" mod-

 

lings. el: We presented the information, teachers re-

Our analysis suggests that within these ceived it, without actively involving them-

contexts, much of the teaching and learning is selves in the development or production of

 

134 Theory Into Practice


 

 

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But how could it be otherwise? We

 

Was it feasible to ask teachers to become field have fears and assumptions, and perhaps misun-

What would they get out of it? I for one did not know exactly what to

 

Could they develop similar insights to those de expect - when I first went into the Lopez home with veloped by the anthropologists in our research I had heard talk of dysfunctional homes, lack

of discipline, lack of support systems and so forth, Could they, for

 

but remained skeptical of these negative character-example, with little experience, understand the

 

Having done fieldwork before, I was accus- subtleties of ethnographic observations? tomed to this kind of uncertainty.

In what follows we present a case example


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Encyclopedias on corner bookshelves provided a

 

natural entree into topics of family history and social networks of exchange, literacy, and the parents' pride

in their child's achievements.


DN: Eventually, we returned to the questionnaire, moving on to discuss the family's labor history.

 

CA: As we progressed asking questions about

 

family background and labor history, I began to re


 

DN: At first, going into the Lopez home, I felt a lax, although I was concerned with whether I wa little nervous too, because it was my experience to getting enough material that would be useful later i

 

Actually I never totall interacting with the families before gaining the kind disengaged from my role as a teacher and when

 

of entree we were hoping to gain in this first intersuch- things as cross-border trade came up, I thought

 

I didn't realize then that Cathy, as Carlos's this would be a great topic to use in my classroom

 

teacher, had a natural entree into the home, and

and I tried to figure out how I could capture thi

 

I resource for teaching.

 

She was their son's

 

 

 

teacher, and so we were treated with a tremendous

Seeing Beyond Stereotypes

 

I was amazed at

 

how easily and quickly Cathy gained rapport with

An important aspect of the teachers' partic-

 

Mrs. Lopez, and how much the Lopezes opened up ipation in the household research became th

 

to us.

more sophisticated understanding they devel

 

 

The anthropologist noticed that the teacher

 

There is much teachers do not know about their held a special status with the family that could

help establish the trust necessary for the ex students - or families that could be immediately After making sure thathelpful in the classroom, as the following com-the family understood the purpose of the visit, ments illustrate.

 

the teacher started the interview, and was sur-

prised by how forthcoming the mother was with

Cathy, the teacher, also realized

 

of the multicultural experiences their son, Carlos, that she was starting to blend her role as a

 

It wasn't just a super-teacher with her new role as researcher; as she ficial experience for him.

 

gathered new information about the family, their  CA: Half of the children in my classroom are

 

history and activities, she started making con- international travelers and yet this experience is not

 

recognized or valued because they are Mexican

 

Anglo children may spend a summer in France and we make a big deal about Carlos spends summers in Mag-dalena, Mexico, yet he's probably rarely been asked to share his experiences with anyone.

 

His visits to Mexico have been more than 1- or

 

He His family's cross-border activities extend back genera- His fa-ther began coming to the U.S. during his summer

 

thing was to get the family history so we would have vacations, when he worked as a migrant worker in

 

a baseline for discussing literacy, parenting, attitudes He eventually decided to stay here per-

 

towards school, and funds of knowledge.

 

The issue of balancing use of the questionnaire

 

and letting it go to probe on emergent issues was

 

That's why it was helpful

 

For example,

 

during one later interview, I was prepared to accept a short answer from a parent and go on to the next question, but at Deborah's urging, I probed further

 

and ended up with good information on religious de- When he is there he plays with his

votion as a fund of knowledge, something that I would They are allowed to wander freely around

have missed. They like to play hide-and-seek

 

136 Theory Into Practice

 

 

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and sometimes they are taken places by older rela-

We had little idea of what Carlos's life

They like to visit a pharmacy that one of his

was really like outside of the classroom, and what

aunts owns and one of his older cousins is married

he knew about the world.

to someone who works on three ranches.

CA: I couldn't have done this work without the

Onceanthropological perspective and methodology I

 

One thing he likes to do when Ethnography is different from

he visits a ranch is play with bow and arrow. other He It's open-end- says his cousin's husband will give him and hised, you go in with an open mind-not prejudging-

cousins a thousand pesos if they find the arrows being ." totally receptive to everything you hear and

 

Carlos also reports playing cards when he visits I didn't want to know only if the parents read

Magdalena and that he has gone fishing near Santastories to their children or how many books they

 

I wasn't tallying the hours of TV the children

 

DN:lt is precisely through information of these I feel that I learned much more than kinds of social activities that we identify funds ofthat with a greater breadth of knowledge because I

knowledge that can be used in the classroom to was not narrow in my focus.

 

help improve his academic development. DN: Carlos is embedded in a home and world,

CA: Furthermore, because of these experienc continuous - with his family's history and in a culture es, Carlos and many of my other students showthat is at times discontinuous from that found in

 

great deal of interest in economic issues, because How to take advantage of these resources in This experience of going into the home,

 

in immigration law, but also in laws in general; theytaking off your lens for a moment, trying to step would ask me why there are so many laws here that outside your assumptions to see Carlos on his own These children have had terms, in his own turf, is one way to do this.

 

the background experiences to explore in-depth is- We learned a lot during these three interviews sues that tie in with a sixth grade curriculum, suchthat fractured stereotypes that we had heard others as the study of other countries, different forms say of Carlos's parents not

 

government, economic systems, and so on.

only care, but have a very strong philosophy of child-

Carlos himself is involved in what we could call

rearing that is supportive of education, including

They have goals of a university Not only does he sell candy from Mexico but, ac- education for their children, instill strong values of

 

His mother of pride and a strong sense of identity-in addition

says Carlos got the idea to sell candy from other to the more practical knowledge in which their chil-

children.

These values are not

We didn't uncover this only through questioning

All of the households we visit-

but from being there when one child came over to

ed possess similar values and funds of knowledge

He was really proud that can be tapped for use in the classrooms.

Here But the workshops and fieldwork experience are

 

There's the extensive reflection


 

This experience later turned out to be the seed for the learning module I devel-


and writing up stage, the record of the experience,

 

from which we read segments a few minutes ago.


oped for the project, which I will share with you in a This reflection process is not to be underempha-

 

few minutes.

sized, for it is not just what people say that matters,

 

 

 

The two presenters then discuss how the

but the subtext, and our observations and interpre-

 

specific qualitative methods of study influenced

tations; for example, the way Mrs. L6pez's eyes lit

 

up when she showed us the trophy her son had won

 

not only the nature of the information collected

in the science fair, Mr. Lopez's pride in his philoso-

 

from the family, yielding data about their experi-

And then there is

 

ences and funds of knowledge, but provided

the translation of this material into viable lessons for

 

them with a more sophisticated understanding

the classroom.

 

of the student, his family, and their social world.

The presenters pointed out that it is the

 

This more elaborate understanding helped the

 

teacher, not the anthropologist, who is ultimate-

 

teacher transform this information into a useful

 

instructional activity.

ly the bridge between the students' world, theirs

 

DN: It is so important to learn how culture is

and their family's funds of knowledge, and the

 

expressed in students' lives, how students live their

However, teachers need

 

They can form part of study Only a part of that child is present in the groups, social networks, that will provide the

 

Volume XXXI, Number 2 137

 

 

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needed assistance and support in analyzing in-

 

formation and in elaborating instructional prac-

 

tices.

 

Experimenting with Practice

 

The presentation concluded with a descrip-tion by Cathy, the teacher, of the development

of a theme study, or learning module, as we

 

called them, based on information gathered from

 

Notice the emphasis on the in-quiry process, on the students becoming active learners, and on strategically using their social

 

contacts outside the classroom to access new


of the chart-a fourth column, something new for me-to record new questions students had, to help

 

them see that learning is ongoing, that it does not

 

We then

 

surveyed and graphed favorite candies of the class.

 

With the assistance of the teacher, the stu-dents pursued their interests by focusing their

 

inquiry on a narrower topic and by specifying a

 

As is common in research,

 

the class relied on all their resources, including

 

Notice, however, that this was not a

 

typical parent visit to correct or sort papers; the


 

knowledge for the development of their studies purpose . of the parent's visit was to contribute

 

Here is her summary: intellectually to the students' academic activity.

This parent, in effect, became a cognitive re-

CA: After we had completed our field work and

 

source for the students and teacher in this written field notes for all our interviews, it truly was

 

left up to us, the teachers, to decide how we classroom were (see also Moll & Greenberg, 1990). going to use the knowledge we had gained about

We spent 2 days with

 

dents chose one of the questions they'd generated consultants and everyone else who had been work-

 

They chose, "What ingredients are used ing on the project and brainstormed and bounced

 

I framed the pursuit of

the answer using the version of the scientific meth-

ers from my school and together we developed a

After writing their question on learning module with a rather unusual theme-can-

 

You've already heard that Deborah and I wit-

answer their question; then they hypothesized what nessed Carlos selling Mexican candy to a neighbor.

ingredients they'd find on the candy labels they

The fifth grade teacher I worked with also uncovered

brought in the next day.

He interviewed a parent who is an ex-

In a truly collabo-

list of ingredients in the candy samples they'd brought rative effort, we outlined a week's worth of activities

 

in, they graphed the frequency of occurrence of the

Then I had them divide the

To focus students' thinking on the theme, I had

I recorded

 

found in the Mexican candy samples and one of their ideas on a large piece of white paper on the

We Next, I had them come up with a definition for

 

We were all sur- This was not as easy as you might

 

prised to see that fewer ingredients are used in They'd mentioned gum and sunflower seeds

 

Mexican candies and that they don't use artificial while brainstorming, which I wasn't sure should be

 

But I didn't tell them this

because I wanted them to use their analytical skills The next day one of the parents of my students,

Mrs. Rodriguez, came in to teach us how to make Actually, they

 

This turned out to got stuck deciding if salty things like picalim6n and

 

Before she came in that

 

morning, the students divided up to make advertis-

ing posters and labels for the candy because we

were going to sell what we made at the school talent

When Mrs. Rodriguez arrived, she became

For those not familiar with this method, we While the candy was cooking, she talked

 

to the class for over an hour and taught all of us not

only how to make different kinds of candy but also

In the next column, we recorded what they such things as the difference in U.S. and Mexican The third column, the "L" column, isfood consumption and production, nutritional value

to be used at the end of the unit to record what the My respect and awe of Mrs. After working with Rodriguez grew by leaps and bounds that morning.

 

the project consultant, I added another W at the end Finally, the students packaged and priced their candy.

 

138 Theory Into Practice


 

 

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The unit concludes, somewhat prematurely, as the teacher notes, with the students summa-

 

rizing and reflecting upon their work, and by

 

The

 

teacher, in turn, has become a "mediator," pro-viding strategic assistance that would facilitate

 

the students' inquiry and work.

 

CA: The last day of the unit, students wrote

 

Then they began to formulate new

Examples of their new questions are:

 

"What is candy like in Africa?" and "What candy do

As you can see, if we'd had

We did, however, cover

many areas of the curriculum in one short week-

 

math, science, health, consumer education, cross-cultural practices, advertising, and food production.

 

From the questions the students came up with

 

alone, we could have continued investigating using

 

innumerable research and critical thinking skills for a

 

If we had continued

 

this type of activity all year, by the end we would

 

have been an experienced research team and my

 

role would have been to act as facilitator helping the students answer their own questions.


interest to them, or important to the teacher, or for achieving curricular goals.

 

Our concept of funds of knowledge is inno-

 

vative, we believe, in its special relevance to

 

teaching, and contrasts with the more general

 

term "culture," or with the concept of a "culture-sensitive curriculum," and with the latter's reli-

Although the term "funds of knowledge" is not meant to replace the anthropological concept of culture,

 

it is more precise for our purposes because of

 

its emphasis on strategic knowledge and relat-

 

It is specific funds

 

of knowledge pertaining to the social, econom-ic, and productive activities of people in a local

region, not "culture" in its broader, anthropolog-

 

ical sense, that we seek to incorporate strategi-cally into classrooms.

 

Indispensable in this scenario are the re-

 

search tools-the theory, qualitative methods of study, and ways of analyzing and interpreting

 

These are what allow the teachers (and

 

others) to assume, authentically, the role of re-

 

searchers in household or classroom settings.


 

Conclusion

They are also what help redefine the homes of

 

the students as rich in funds of knowledge that

 

 

 

We have presented a single aspect of a

 

 

represent important resources for educational

 

broader, multidimensional research project:

 

 

change.

 

teachers as co-researchers using qualitative

 

 

We are currently starting the next phase of

 

methods to study household knowledge, and

 

 

study, involving teachers in five different schools

 

drawing upon this knowledge to develop a par-

 

 

serving both Mexican and Native-American stu-

 

The insights gleaned from

 

 

dents.5 The research design remains the same:

 

approaching the homes ethnographically, and

 

 

developing our understanding of households and

 

adapting the method to the educational goals of

 

 

classrooms and collaborating with teachers in

 

the project, were a result of a genuine teacher-

 

 

conducting the research and in developing aca-

 

researcher (in this case, anthropologist) collab-

 

We have learned that it is feasible and

Now,

 

however, we have teachers with research expe-

 

useful to have teachers visit households for re-

 

rience helping us organize the study groups,

 

 

 

These are neither casual vis-

 

 

developing further the methodology for doing

 

its nor school-business visits, but visits in which

 

the teachers assume the role of the learner,

the home investigations, conceptualizing and

 

implementing promising instructional activities,

 

 

 

and in doing so, help establish a fundamentally In this new study we

 

new, more symmetrical relationship with the

 

parents of the students.

plan to include principals, as co-researchers, and

 

parents in the study groups, as an attempt to

 

This relationship can become the basis for rethink our respective roles and develop our the exchange of knowledge about family or collective funds of knowledge about teaching

 

school matters, reducing the insularity of class-and learning.

rooms, and contributing to the academic con- One of the hallmarks of qualitative research

It can also become, as illus- is that strategies often evolve within the process

 

As teachers, administrators, and par-

 

teams among the students to study topics ofents become more aware of the linkages that

 

Volume XXXI, Number 2 139

 

 

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can be created utilizing this methodology, and

 

become comfortable with the redefinition of roles

 

that it entails, new strategies of implementation

 

As the research unfolds, the

constitutive nature of the inquiry process be-

 

comes apparent, as teacher, researcher, par-

 

ent, child, and administrator jointly create and

 

negotiate the form and function of the explora-

 

tion.


success, especially the academic benefits to the

 

students, in order to improve our accountability to

 

the schools and communities in which we work.

 

References

 

Laboratory settings and t

 

Journal of Teacher

 

Education, 36(6), 2-8.

 

Roots of the whole-languag

 

The Elementary School Journal, 92,

 

113-127.


 

Notes

Funds of knowledge:

 

Historical constitution, social distribution, and

 

 

 

Our sample includes households of students in

 

the project teachers' classrooms, as well as students

 

from other classrooms, but in the same general gy, Santa Fe, NM.

In total, including previous projects, we

 

have observed in approximately 100 homes.

The emergence of the waged

 

life course on the United States-Mexico border.

 

For similar ideas regarding the development of American Ethologist, 17, 348-359.

 

teacher "labs" or activity settings, see, for example, Chicano ethnicity. Berliner (1985), Laboratory of Comparative Human Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.

Cognition (1982), and Tharp and Gallimore (1988) La . An anthropological perspec-

 

The creation of study groups is also a common practice among whole-language teachers and re-

 

searchers (see Goodman, 1989).

 

Field notes are generally descriptive to provide Cambridge, U.K.: Polity Press.

 

(1982). views, usually based on a questionnaire, focus on A model system for the study of learning diffi- topics of specific relevance to the project, such as The Quarterly Newsletter of the Labora-

 

the participation of children in a household activity. tory of Comparative Human Cognition, 4(3), 39-In the project described herein, all notes were pre- 66.

 

Tucson: and lap-top computers were made available to the The University of Arizona Press.

The explanation of minority

 

sisted the teachers in interviewing, and provided Anthropology and Educa- feedback on the consistency, completeness, and tion Quarterly, 18, 361-364.

 

Change as the goal of

 

Anthropology and Educa- lease time from teaching to conduct observations tion Quarterly, 18, 300-311.

Re Moll, - Creating zones

 

lease time, we should point out, is routinely granted of possibilities: Combining social contexts for

 

Vygotsky and ed-

Cambridge, U.K.: Cam-

 

menting the knowledge base of the students' homes. bridge University Press.

The presentation (August 5, 1991) was before Moll, L.C., Velez-lbanez, C., Greenberg, J., Whit-


 

approximately 200 principals and other administra-tors (including the new superintendent) of the local

 

school district.

 

One of our goals for 1992-1993 is to develop the

 

project in other regions of the country through simi-

 

For example, we are cur-

 

rently piloting an initial teacher-anthropologist com-


Community knowledge and classroom

 

300-87-0131).

Tucson: University of Arizona, College of Edu-

 

cation and Bureau of Applied Research in An-

 

thropology.


 

Cultural reproduction: Funds of

 

target schools and communities, including demogra- knowledge as survival strategies in the Mexican

 

phy, economy, migration, educational achievement Unpublished doctoral dis-

 

levels, and community resources, before developing sertation, University of Arizona, Tucson.

 

Growing up

 

We are also devel-

Ports-

oping assessment procedures to document project

mouth, NH: Heinemann.

140 Theory Into Practice

 

 

 

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Rousing minds to

Forma-

 

life: Teaching, learning, and schooling in social

 

tion and transformation of funds of knowledge

 

Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University

 

among U.S. Mexican households in the context

 

Press.

 

Paper presented at the an-

 

Networks of exchange

 

nual meeting of the American Anthropological

 

among Mexicans in the U.S. and Mexico: Local

Association, Washington, DC.

 

level mediating responses to national and inter- Velez-lbarez, C., Moll, L.C., Gonzalez, N., & Neff,

 

Urban Anthropology,

 

17(1), 27-51.

 

U.S. Mexicans in the

 

borderlands: Being poor without the underclass.

 

Los Angeles: Sage.

 

 

tip


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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DMU Timestamp: September 15, 2017 23:16





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