Double Entry Journal #4

Quote:
"An important aspect of the teachers' participation in the household research became the more sophisticated understanding they developed about the children and their experiences. There is much teachers do not know about their students or families that could be immediately helpful in the classroom..." (Moll , Amanti , Neff, and Gonzalez, 1992)

Response:
I really liked this quote and connected to it. There is a lot that teachers do not know about their students. Looking back to Table 1 - A sample of household knowledge, it is easy to see just how much outside knowledge students can bring with them into the classroom. I know that I had never really considered students carrying this knowledge with them into the classroom until recently, and a great deal of teachers across the country probably have not thought about that either. I know that teachers need to "know their students" and many probably feel that they do. However, if they are not allowing their students to use what they already know and are carrying with them in the classroom, then they are not really getting to know their students. There is a lot more to children than just what they like to do, where they live, etc., and that is what this research helped me to realize.

Reference:
Moll , L. C. , Amanti , C, Neff, D, & Gonzalez, N(1992). Theory into practice: qualitative issues in educational research; funds of knowledge for teaching: using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. (Vol. 31, No. 2, pp. 132-141). Taylor and Francis, Ltd. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B6DFAmexYq7vZTI5ZmI3M2EtNzVlOS00MWQzLThkZDgtNDQwNWJmYmFmMzBl&hl=en_US

Related Resource:
This video was made by someone for a class project. It is a good way, in my opinion, to show a student's funds of knowledge. It shows a child in the classroom, as well as at home and in his community. This video shows that they is often a lot that a child brings with them that the teacher may not know and/or understand.
Click here to view video.