Module 3: Discussion: Funds of Knowledge Video
Luis Moll talked about the Funds of Knowledge (see video below) in a way that made it sound utterly poetic, saying it is a form of bartering, a quid pro quo, and experiencing the mundane as extraordinary. Gah! Goosebumps! He shared three examples of schools experiencing positive outcomes with student success by engaging them in project-based work that is dependent on a connection to their community, both in terms of people and subject matter.
I have some strong, and likely adversarial thoughts on this topic. I put this out there as a way of setting up my perspective and also to warmly welcome any thoughts you have to the contrary. I’ll begin first by saying I am inspired by Moll’s description of Funds of Knowledge, and I align entirely with the use of project-based work. However, both in my school district and in my nonprofit profession, I am seeing an infiltration of political activism into our schools and if the curriculum is seen as a radical agenda from the left, the right retaliates. If it is seen as a radical agenda from the right, the left retaliates. This is happening down to the elementary level. So, I’m not entirely sure I align with his use of social justice as the platform for his work. Moll says, “The most powerful pedagogy for the kids to learn a second language and the social and cultural ways of engaging is to have them interact with other students who are both English speakers and English learners and to use strategically the first language to bolster the acquisition and development of the second language. To this point, would any engaging and relevant content have the same effect, and if so, could not the formation of F.I.R.S.T. LEGO Leagues serve the same purpose (as one example) while also providing technical skills?
In my community and where I volunteer at an adult ELL school, the Funds of Knowledge is the accumulation of the students from multiple countries all experiencing immigration or migration together alongside teachers and volunteers serving a mission to welcome them into our community. Open Doors English is situated less than a quarter mile from Cornell University and so we have this amazing multicultural community that can step in and walk the talk on any subject matter. For example, members of the astronomy program will accompany ODE students on a trip to the path of totality during the upcoming eclipse. This is relevant to everyone and yet, not the least bit political. During this winter, we accompanied ODE students to our local ice skating rink. This was a new experience for everyone in the program as most are from warmer climates or simply had never skated before. The seasonality and the local experience in a hockey-loving town were relevant to everyone and also, not political.
Finishing with another example of where I love and fully align with the use of Funds of Knowledge is in the definition captured from the pilot Funds of Knowledge study referenced in Moll’s presentation and that is to say, “the educational process can be greatly enhanced when teachers learn about their students’ households and their everyday lives (González, 1995) (Funds of Knowledge Alliance, 2024). My thoughts on this are – yes. Exactly. This would work for every child. We don’t need to make everything political.
The Funds of Knowledge approach. (n.d.). Funds of Knowledge Alliance. Retrieved March 19, 2024, from https://fundsofknowledge.org/the-funds-of-knowledge-approach/#:~:text=The%20funds%20of%20knowledge%20%28FoK%29%20concept
Reply Eric Wolford
I come from a secondary educational background, so take that for what it's worth. When I am selecting curriculum materials for my courses, I do acknowledge how social justice can be beneficial in providing a compelling education for my students. Many of my students come from cultural backgrounds that have been negatively affected in some part by the United States' actions over the past few centuries. For my Alaska Native students, they are probably very knowledgeable of it to some extent. These students are 3-5 generations behind those who were forcibly relocated off of Unalaska Island to be interred during World War 2. When they returned, many came to find their homes either destroyed during our conflict with Japan or ransacked by soldiers who were staying here for a short time. Additionally, many Alaska Natives are the descendants of those who were forced to leave their communities altogether after the war - living here in Unalaska ever since. Likewise, I recalled when I was teaching Geography of the Eastern Hemisphere last year that I took the time to talk about the Philippines' history as victims of colonization from both the Spanish and the US - as not only does that allow them to recognize why Tagalog has some similarities to Spanish, but it also explains how America got involved in their country. For my high school students, I may even have students read Rudyard Kipling's "White Man's Burden," not only as a way to understand how other nations saw our treatment of the Filipino people when we occupied them, but also to illustrate how well-meaning critics like Kipling still had problematic racist views of their own. While I agree full-heartedly that perhaps topics like these may be too much for an elementary school student, I do feel that it is necessary for older students to have us recognize our country's wrong-doings against their ancestors and discuss what solutions can be made to never repeat these actions again.
Reply Michelle Johansen
Hi Melinda, I see what you're saying about being inspired by Moll's Funds of Knowledge method and questioning its place in today's contentious political climate. Thanks for sharing the Funds of Knowledge website. I'm interested to see what other resources are available there. As a former DEI coordinator for a public, higher education institution in Mississippi, I can say that people can and will find any activity, no matter how seemingly apolitical and nonpartisan, political. Just my title was toxic for many people, even if they agreed with the activities my office sponsored and promoted. In the DEI office, when we organized for American and international students to visit the Mississippi Civil Rights MuseumLinks to an external site. during an optional, Saturday field trip, we were criticized by some people and accused of promoting a social justice agenda, making white, American students feel guilty or ashamed, and only emphasizing the negative parts of Mississippi's history. However, when the international office organized the same trip with American and international students, we did not hear any criticism. Maybe the critics gave up, or maybe it did not get on their radars because "DEI" was not mentioned. Moll's article (1992) and video lecture (2013) were before the first use of #BlackLivesMatter in a tweet.Links to an external site. I wonder if and how Moll's work has changed/evolved in the last 10-20 years because of the changes in U.S. politics, education, and society.
I have some strong, and likely adversarial thoughts on this topic. I put this out there as a way of setting up my perspective and also to warmly welcome any thoughts you have to the contrary. I’ll begin first by saying I am inspired by Moll’s description of Funds of Knowledge, and I align entirely with the use of project-based work. However, both in my school district and in my nonprofit profession, I am seeing an infiltration of political activism into our schools and if the curriculum is seen as a radical agenda from the left, the right retaliates. If it is seen as a radical agenda from the right, the left retaliates. This is happening down to the elementary level. So, I’m not entirely sure I align with his use of social justice as the platform for his work. Moll says, “The most powerful pedagogy for the kids to learn a second language and the social and cultural ways of engaging is to have them interact with other students who are both English speakers and English learners and to use strategically the first language to bolster the acquisition and development of the second language. To this point, would any engaging and relevant content have the same effect, and if so, could not the formation of F.I.R.S.T. LEGO Leagues serve the same purpose (as one example) while also providing technical skills?
In my community and where I volunteer at an adult ELL school, the Funds of Knowledge is the accumulation of the students from multiple countries all experiencing immigration or migration together alongside teachers and volunteers serving a mission to welcome them into our community. Open Doors English is situated less than a quarter mile from Cornell University and so we have this amazing multicultural community that can step in and walk the talk on any subject matter. For example, members of the astronomy program will accompany ODE students on a trip to the path of totality during the upcoming eclipse. This is relevant to everyone and yet, not the least bit political. During this winter, we accompanied ODE students to our local ice skating rink. This was a new experience for everyone in the program as most are from warmer climates or simply had never skated before. The seasonality and the local experience in a hockey-loving town were relevant to everyone and also, not political.
Finishing with another example of where I love and fully align with the use of Funds of Knowledge is in the definition captured from the pilot Funds of Knowledge study referenced in Moll’s presentation and that is to say, “the educational process can be greatly enhanced when teachers learn about their students’ households and their everyday lives (González, 1995) (Funds of Knowledge Alliance, 2024). My thoughts on this are – yes. Exactly. This would work for every child. We don’t need to make everything political.
The Funds of Knowledge approach. (n.d.). Funds of Knowledge Alliance. Retrieved March 19, 2024, from https://fundsofknowledge.org/the-funds-of-knowledge-approach/#:~:text=The%20funds%20of%20knowledge%20%28FoK%29%20concept
Reply Eric Wolford
I come from a secondary educational background, so take that for what it's worth. When I am selecting curriculum materials for my courses, I do acknowledge how social justice can be beneficial in providing a compelling education for my students. Many of my students come from cultural backgrounds that have been negatively affected in some part by the United States' actions over the past few centuries. For my Alaska Native students, they are probably very knowledgeable of it to some extent. These students are 3-5 generations behind those who were forcibly relocated off of Unalaska Island to be interred during World War 2. When they returned, many came to find their homes either destroyed during our conflict with Japan or ransacked by soldiers who were staying here for a short time. Additionally, many Alaska Natives are the descendants of those who were forced to leave their communities altogether after the war - living here in Unalaska ever since. Likewise, I recalled when I was teaching Geography of the Eastern Hemisphere last year that I took the time to talk about the Philippines' history as victims of colonization from both the Spanish and the US - as not only does that allow them to recognize why Tagalog has some similarities to Spanish, but it also explains how America got involved in their country. For my high school students, I may even have students read Rudyard Kipling's "White Man's Burden," not only as a way to understand how other nations saw our treatment of the Filipino people when we occupied them, but also to illustrate how well-meaning critics like Kipling still had problematic racist views of their own. While I agree full-heartedly that perhaps topics like these may be too much for an elementary school student, I do feel that it is necessary for older students to have us recognize our country's wrong-doings against their ancestors and discuss what solutions can be made to never repeat these actions again.
Reply Michelle Johansen
Hi Melinda, I see what you're saying about being inspired by Moll's Funds of Knowledge method and questioning its place in today's contentious political climate. Thanks for sharing the Funds of Knowledge website. I'm interested to see what other resources are available there. As a former DEI coordinator for a public, higher education institution in Mississippi, I can say that people can and will find any activity, no matter how seemingly apolitical and nonpartisan, political. Just my title was toxic for many people, even if they agreed with the activities my office sponsored and promoted. In the DEI office, when we organized for American and international students to visit the Mississippi Civil Rights MuseumLinks to an external site. during an optional, Saturday field trip, we were criticized by some people and accused of promoting a social justice agenda, making white, American students feel guilty or ashamed, and only emphasizing the negative parts of Mississippi's history. However, when the international office organized the same trip with American and international students, we did not hear any criticism. Maybe the critics gave up, or maybe it did not get on their radars because "DEI" was not mentioned. Moll's article (1992) and video lecture (2013) were before the first use of #BlackLivesMatter in a tweet.Links to an external site. I wonder if and how Moll's work has changed/evolved in the last 10-20 years because of the changes in U.S. politics, education, and society.