Blog #1 funds of knowledge

During my teaching, one student of mine, John, shows a “talent” in learning English. This boy actually was born in China, but his parents lived there for a long time before coming back to China. He can speak English since he was 3, and can communicate with their parents by using English at the age of 6. Moreover, he travels abroad every year so that his language ability is able to be practiced. His family background, or his parents” funds of knowledge” of English is definitely sufficient for him to be exposed in such an environment to learn English gradually and naturally. Comparing with those kids who were required to learn English at the primary school, John’s ability and sensitiveness of functional English is far away stronger. The “talent” relies on his parents’ teaching and practicing with him day by day, providing John his “funds of knowledge” in English vocabulary even western culture.

From the case about John I discussed above, apparently, “funds of knowledge” plays an important role in developing the potential ability and interest that accumulate children themselves to learn better not only in academic performance, but also in their daily lives. I believe that education is the gradual process of bring no matter theoretic or experiencing knowledge to learners. Teachers can be everyone that appears in learners’ lives and make different effects on them, teaching them different knowledge from everywhere and finally enable learners to built better knowledge acquisition by connecting their knowledge in schools and in lives.