Utilizing the Funds of Knowledge Approach with Pre-Service ESOL Teachers (original) (raw)

2023, Proceedings of the International Conference on Academic Studies in Science and Education (ICASSE)

English language learners in P-12 setting have interminably been viewed from a deficit perspective in which they were unfairly and unjustly compared with the dispositions, experiences, skills, etc. of their native-speaking counterparts. In recent years, however, these learners are increasingly considered from an asset-based perspective in which their cultural and linguistic resources are being identified, understood, and valued. This paper thus provides an overview of a course unit on the funds of knowledge approach embedded in an ESOL culture and education course for pre-service elementary education teachers. The goal of the unit was to acquaint students with the funds of knowledge approach while also equipping them with specific strategies and techniques for incorporating English learners' funds of knowledge in their future classrooms. The paper begins with an outline of the history and principal tenets of the funds of knowledge approach and then outlines the readings, activities, and resources which constituted the multi-day course unit along with a rationale for including these resources in the unit. The paper concludes with a summary of preliminary findings emerging from an exploratory study designed to collect information regarding participants' views concerning the strengths and weaknesses of the course unit.

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