Connecting the Home and School: Funds of Knowledge for Mathematics Teaching and Learning. Draft.

N

19

Anthropology; Background; Bilingual Education; College Faculty; College School Cooperation; Curriculum Development; Educational Games; Elementary School Teachers; Experience; Family Characteristics; Family Involvement; Grade 5; Higher Education; Home Visits; Intermediate Grades; Learning Modules; Mathematics Instruction; Mexican Americans; Parent Attitudes; Program Implementation; Student Characteristics; Teacher Attitudes; Teaching Methods

This paper describes some aspects of a collaborative project between elementary school teachers and university faculty in anthropology, bilingual education, and mathematics education. The project goal is to develop classroom-teaching experiences that make use of the resources and experiences of students and their families. Most of the students were Mexican Americans. Teachers in the project visit the homes of some of their students to uncover their funds of knowledge by finding out about household activities, family structure, labor history, and parents' views on child rearing and schooling. Teachers and university researchers then come together to share their ideas and findings. The paper briefly describes the household visits, study groups, and classroom implementation, with an eye on mathematics, giving examples of themes that the teachers chose to develop based on their findings. The specific focus is on the development of a module on games in a fifth-grade class. The paper also illustrates some of the difficulties encountered in trying to develop mathematics classroom learning that builds on students' everyday experiences. (Contains 29 references.) (SLD)

1994

ED370987