Possibilities-within-Constraints: Implementing the Funds of Knowledge Concept in the People’s Republic of China

Abstract

This article is designed as the starting point for future research into the implementation of the funds of knowledge concept in the People's Republic of China. Utilizing an exploratory research design, I sketch how the funds of knowledge concept could be used by teachers to empower ethnic minority and city-born migrant children disadvantaged by government policies that restrict access to educational resources and marginalize local languages. The article identifies a number of logistical and cultural constraints that complicate the implementation of the funds of knowledge concept in the Chinese context, including access to minority and city-born migrant students, guanxi, examination pressure, and cultural scripts for teaching that emphasize knowledge transmission. However, it also suggests how teachers can work within these constraints by taking advantage of curriculum reform in China, which has led to more autonomy at the local level and the creation of elective courses. Elective courses could provide the space for the deployment of strategies that draw on students' funds of knowledge. The strategies proposed include neighborhood walks, artifact collection, and pedagogies for teaching that foster collaboration between teachers and students. The article also extends the notion of funds of knowledge by suggesting how the funds of knowledge concept could be of benefit to China's Han ethnic majority.

Funds of Knowledge 2.0: Towards digital Funds of Identity

“…There also needs to be more discussion on how avatars provide space for social justice. For example, virtual learning environments could give researchers greater accessibility to at risk students, particularly in contexts where gaining access to disadvantaged or minority students' out-of-school contexts is culturally, logistically and ethically problematic (Poole, 2016c). Virtual learning environments could also enable the fostering of critical pedagogies that could then be used to address real world inequalities.…”

“…This article builds on two previous papers (Poole, 2016b;Poole, 2016c) which explored how the Funds of Knowledge 1 concept could be implemented in the People's Republic of China. In the first article (2016c), I identified a number of logistical and cultural constraints that might problematise the implementation of the Funds of Knowledge concept in the Chinese context.…”

Lessons for child–computer interaction studies following the research challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic

“…The authors define FoK as the ‘historically accumulated and culturally developed bodies of knowledge and skills essential for household or individual functioning and well-being’ ( [15] , p. 72). This concept has been widely used in educational research, with expanded interpretations among diverse research groups (see for example, [16] , [17] ). The FoK research groups call for a deeper, more solid and genuine understanding of diverse learner communities and their integration with formal learning and research process.…”