Reflections on teacher professional development for working with students’ Funds of Knowledge in The Netherlands and New Zealand / Reflexiones sobre el desarrollo profesional docente para trabajar con los Fondos de Conocimiento de los estudiantes en los Países Bajos y Nueva Zelanda

Abstract

Inspired by Luis Moll’s work, we — teacher-educators/educational researchers from The Netherlands and New Zealand — have been searching for ways to collaborate with teachers with the aim of helping them appreciate and use minoritized students’ Funds of Knowledge/Identity (FK/FKI) to support teaching and learning and enhance inclusivity in schooling. We also wanted to study the processes and outcomes of these collaborations. Our starting premise was that any work based on the FK concept requires inclusive methodology that respects the FK/FKI of all participants. Building on teacher–researcher study groups from Luis Moll’s original approach, we have been experimenting with teacher professional development (TPD) in which teachers are involved in research into their own practices. In our contribution to this Special Issue, we reflect on how we worked with teachers’ professional FK in projects in primary and secondary education.