Early+Learners+and+Funds+of+Knowledge

Early Learners and Funds of Knowledge Early Years Learners bring a extraordinary amount of knowledge with them to school. Their funds of knowledge have been supported and expanded with the guidance of family, friends, television, technologies and books. Each child fields a range of knowledge individualised by their experiences and surroundings. Teachers are able to draw on each students fund of knowledge to enhance and expand on within the classroom. Hill (2011) indicates that “funds of knowledge are not taught directly, but come from shared activities with families and communities” which identifies the family and community as extensions of the literacy curriculum.

Children interviewed by our group came from a range of school settings and family situations. Most students were in grade 2, with one student in grade 1. All students had siblings, with their placement in the family varying from oldest to youngest. All students attended local primary schools, one in the Catholic system.

Students spoke English at home, although some were learning Italian and Korean at primary school. One of our students attended Hebrew School and spoke it at home with her family. All other students and their families only spoke English.

The interests of students varied considerably. Many played organised team sports as well as dancing, painting, drawing, gardening with Dad and swimming. Other outings included going to the movies, the park, camping, visiting the beach, visiting family and friends. Students who are exposed to out of school activities can bring a well rounded experience to school that includes discipline, sportsmanship and team spirit.

It was terrific to see that many of the students shared playing games with their parents and siblings. These included board games including Uno, Memory and Scrabble, as well as outdoor sports like rounders and backyard cricket. Chantelle explains that Scrabble has improved her spelling whilst being enjoyable!

Technology was evident in every students home from the Playstation and Nintendo DS to iPod, computer and television. Fred learned to use technology by “just playing with it”. Chantelle has learnt how to use these devices by herself. One student enjoys the interactive TV show “let’s get squiggling” that involves drawing. Aimee has learnt how to type and spell from using technologies. Every student watches television programs and movies but to varying degrees.

I really enjoyed hearing about how each student loved to go to school and really enjoyed learning. Fred is engaged at school, eager to learn and ready to please his teacher. Another student likes to talk about school often, where she comes home and enthusiastically informs her mum and dad about what she did that day and what she learnt and who she played with. School is very important to Chantelle as it teaches her new things and betters her skill in writing and reading. One parent hopes that her daughter will continue to be as enthused as she is now about school!

What heartened me the most was how many students loved to read or be read to by their parents, and how often that occurred. It was terrific to hear about dads reading at bedtime, having time to share a book before bed. Fred reads in bed for one hour every night before lights out. He reads his take home reader to his mum every day. Chantelle often reads alone before bed and practises with her mother. She prides herself on being a good reader. One student is read to every night at home by either her mum or dad, and really enjoys “story time”. She also really enjoys reading her reader daily and enjoys being able to choose her own readers at school. Reading is something that another student does often, “as soon as she comes home from school, the reader cover comes out and she’s reading her book.”

Our students were also surrounded by writing role models, both at school and home. Mum receives the credit for teaching Fred to write, but his teachers helped him become a better writer. One student believes her teacher is a great writer. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">Moll et al (1992) as quoted in Hill (2011) describes “funds of knowledge as the tools, strategies and activities families engage in to live their lives”. Reading and writing as family activities strengthens the connections between the curriculum of school and home.

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