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Building Relationships with Families and Funds of Knowledge

Introduction

This guide provides practical strategies and resources and scholarly research on how teachers can build relationships with families.

A key concept in building relationships with families is the idea of "Funds of Knowledge".  "Funds of Knowledge" are the "historically accumulated and culturally developed bodies of knowledge and skills essential for household or individual functioning and wellbeing" (Moll et al., 1992, p. 134). Often, a community's knowledge, skills, and resources are not visible or valued in school contexts. "Funds of knowledge" can therefore be a valuable concept to illuminate how much teachers have to learn from families and communities and to help teachers value multiple ways of knowing.

Note: The "Practical Strategies" below come from the Learning About Your Students Strategies and Reference Resource. Visit that guide for more strategies for learning about students!

Reference: Moll, Luis C., et al. “Funds of Knowledge for Teaching: Using a Qualitative Approach to Connect Homes and Classrooms.” Theory Into Practice, vol. 31, no. 2, 1992, pp. 132–41. https://www-jstor-org.library.relay.edu/stable/1476399

Practical Strategies

Note: Communication with families should begin with a personal introduction as soon as possible. A personal introduction will humanize the teacher. Until then, the teacher is often just seen as part of the educational institution. (Milner, 2019)

Reference: Milner, H. R., Cunningham, H. B., Delale-O'Connor, L., & Kestenberg, E. G. (2019). "These kids are out of control": Why we must reimagine "classroom management" for equity.
 

Strategy Description Reference
Spending time in spaces where students spend their time

Teaching to who students are requires a recognition of their realities. To be in touch with the community, one has to enter into the physical places where students live, and work to be invited into the emotion-laden spaces the youth inhabit. (Emdin, 2016)

Here are a few strategies for learning about students outside of the classroom:

  • Talking with -- and listening to -- students lunch & recess
  • Attending community events
  • Attending extracurricular activities that students are involved with 
  • Visiting local institutions (places of worship, cultural institutions) 
 Emdin, Christopher. (2016) For White folks who teach in the hood ... and the rest of y'all too: reality pedagogy and urban education
Family Surveys

When you send a letter home to families, send along a survey to collect:

  • Contact preferences (e.g., names, numbers, methods, times) 
  • Preferred means of getting involved in the classroom
  • Children's strengths and areas for growth
  • Ways they feel prepared to support their children's academics at home

This further establishes two-way communication and sets you up to tailor instruction and communication to meet students' and families' needs and preferences. Here are a few examples:

Relay GSE Designers. (2015). New York: Relay GSE.

https://flamboyanfoundation.org/resource/beginning-of-the-year-toolkit/
Family
Interviews

In her book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain Zaretta Hammond names three levels of culture: surface, shallow, and deep. (You can read more about each level on pages 22-24)

Teachers may consider using back-to-school night, parent teacher conferences, or home visits as an opportunity to learn more about elements of a student’s culture. Talking with families can yield a more nuanced understanding of their culture and values than what can be gathered through a survey. 

Refer to pages 30-31 in the article, "Toward a Conception of Culturally Responsive Classroom Management" for suggestions on potential questions that can help you learn about students beyond the surface aspects of their culture. 

Hammond, Z., & Jackson, Y. (2015;2014;). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. 

Weinstein, C. S., Tomlinson-Clarke, S., & Curran, M. (2004). Toward a conception of culturally responsive classroom management. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(1), 25-38.
Additional Resources: Building Relationships with Families You may explore additional ideas in this toolkit from Teaching Tolerance. Teaching Tolerance provides free resources to educators to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants. https://www.tolerance.org/professional-development/family-engagement
Additional Ideas: Building Relationships with Students & Families Relay GSE has curated a number of strategies for building rapport with students and engaging in consistent communication with families. You can review the Knowing Students and Families Reader for actions you may consider incorporating into your practice throughout the year.   
Additional Research and Resources: Building Relationships with Families The Relay GSE Library has curated a number of research and resources in the Building Relationships with Families LibGuide.  

 

Additional Practical Resources