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TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN BILINGUAL CONTEXTS: FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE APPROACH
Carmen I. Mercado. (Hunter College of the City University of New York)

Introduction
Since 1995, I have collaborated primarily with bilingual teachers in New York City to identify and seek pedagogical value in resources for learning in students’ homes, using fieldwork methods and interpretivepractices common to ethnographic research. It is work that is inspired by the study of funds of knowledge originated by Carlos Velez-Ibanez (anthropologist) and Luis Moll (school psychologist), at the University of Arizona, and the many classroom teachers and Latino families from modest income communities who collaborated with them (and others) since the 1980s. In addition to documenting theuniqueness of each household, we found that Latino families we visited in New York City know about or have access to funds of knowledge located in social networks, in particular, knowledge of entrepreneurship, health and wellness, advocacy, music, and home maintenance. In keeping with sociocultural theory, geographical, historical, and economic influences within and across contexts, are among the forcesthat shape the funds of knowledge that families have access to, to meet needs and survive with dignity and respect.
Subsequently, I examined data from 14 Puerto Rican households, a majority among the Latino homes we visited, to understand how funds of knowledge are shaped by, and shape, language and literacy practices (Mercado, 2005). Language (including literacy) is not just the means ofacquiring funds of knowledge, language is a social, intellectual, and emotional resource that is shaped by and responds to social needs. Awareness of this finding can help address the fact that despite educational and economic advances and a growing professional class, US-based Puerto Rican communities continue to experience a disproportionate percentage of high school dropouts and low-college enrollmentand retention. Language and literacy, researchers tell us, are at the core of these educational problems, and the Funds of Knowledge approach provides conceptual and practical tools needed to see what escapes the uninformed observer.
I use ethnic classifications common in US contexts (these are not universal categories) to call attention to the different historical trajectories associated withmembership in different social collectivities, for example, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans have very different historical trajectories and relationships to the US. Boundaries between social groups are far more fluid and dynamic than this classification schema allows.
What is perhaps most distinctive about the Funds of Knowledge Approach is that it is at once a methodology for constructing knowledge andan approach to curriculum development. Consequently, it is a powerful form of professional development in which teachers learn primarily through membership in a community of practice that brings together major players in the educational process—classroom teachers, faculty from teacher education programs and students’ and their families. NYC researchers organized teams to conduct visits to homesand I was responsible for guiding the process, organizing tasks and preparing materials to assure manageability, and structuring weekly meetings, although I participated in 7 home interviews.
Voluntary participation was not an option, from the moment I introduced the semester’s collaborative research project to k-6 bilingual and ESL teachers enrolled in a graduate research course, they identifiedwith its focus and its ultimate goal—the development of instructional activities that harness the resources of the home to increase engagement and democratic participation. Although complex and potentially intimidating as a course assignment, the project responded to real needs and resonated well with the way teachers think, which is why we all invested in the hard work this project required....