Faculty Funds of Knowledge: Sources of Knowledge for Teaching in Community College Faculty

• In Event: Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Instructional Knowledge and Strategies

Abstract

There is a dearth of prior research on how community college faculty acquire the skills for teaching. Building on Shulman's (1987) conceptual model of teacher knowledge, this case study explores the experiences that have contributed to the funds of knowledge that have shaped the practice of 15 community college faculty. Faculty narratives reveal that pragmatic experiences had a greater influence on practice than formal experiences. The experiential knowledge that faculty accumulated over time influenced their general pedagogical skills and understanding of the community college context and the characteristics of its diverse student population. Life experience was also shown to contribute to the pedagogical content knowledge of faculty and their ability to make course content accessible and relevant to their students.

Author

• Patricia L. Flower, San Diego Miramar College