Early+Years+Leaners+and+Funds+of+Knowledge

== = **How much influence does one's Funds of Knowledge have? ** =

====While engaging with various Early Learners in completing our written assessments as well as during our practical Professional Experience within a classroom environment, we have been able to see the obvious influence that funds of knowledge have on an Early Learner's development and learning. ====


====When interviewing Early Learners for Assignment One, it was interesting to see the many different cultures and practices evident among just a small sample. While some families had a high focus on sport and physical activities, others were more focused on creativity and reading. We can see how these influence the children in the simplest form of their preferences of what they enjoy writing about. While some enjoy writing about sport (as it is a key factor in their home and school life) others preferred imaginary stories- highlighting their creativity and love for fantasy and fairy tales. We can see that the child’s core values and interests stem from their relationships with family members- their first teachers in life. This is why it is important that they are encouraged to develop their skills and are supported in doing so. We can see this is the case in many of the children interviewed, where parents encourage the love for reading by reading with the children, allowing them bed time reading time and even providing a bed side lamp just to reward the child’s passion. Schools assist in encouraging the child’s development by providing the activity of home reading. This allows the child to have time to practice their reading skills while parents can see the child’s development, praising as well as seeing where the child needs further support so that these points can be focused on both at home as well as at school. ====

====Another factor that influences Early Child Learners is the number of family members- whether they have older or younger siblings etc. By having older siblings, the child can gain extra knowledge just by being around, hearing conversations and picking up their skills and habits. One student seen during practical observations had trouble writing the letter S. The student teacher helped this child, giving them chances to trace the letter and keep practicing. The next day the child returned to school stating proudly that they could now write S’s and completed a whole page of the letter. They later explained that they had gone home and practiced with their older sister. Another student struggled with reading and writing, and the teacher noted that one reason could be because she was an only child and did not have any siblings to socialise and play with. She also came from a non-english speaking background. This can affect a child’s learning ability as literacy “involves the integration of speaking, listening, viewing...and includes the cultural knowledge which enables a speaker, writer or reader to recognise and use language appropriate to different social situations”. Without having many models to draw these skills from, this child was disadvantaged compared to a child with perhaps two other siblings or English speaking parents. ====

====It is important that teachers always remember the importance of funds of knowledge within their classroom. By simply getting to know each of their students, they will be able to slowly discover children’s strengths and weaknesses and possible reasons behind these. ====