01/26/17 Field Notes (start time to finish time)
In this column, I chronologically described what I did
throughout my time in the classroom. I numbered each
activity as 1, 2, 3, etc. I also included interesting
observations within the descriptions.
I am placed at Ridgeway Community School. Its
located in a little town about 15-20 minutes from
Winona. The school contains about 100 students
grades kindergarten through 5th grade. Because the
school only contains about 100 students, it is less
racially and ethnically diverse.
The overall school demographics for Ridgeway
Community School are:
White: 96%
Hispanic: 0.0%
Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander: 1%
Black: 0.0%
Two or more races: 3%
My experience working with the students at
Ridgeway was very different than working with
students at a non-community school. Personally, I
enjoyed working with these students more due to
the fact it is a smaller school so the students and
teachers are close in a social way.
Throughout my experience working at Ridgeway, I
got to experience many different opportunities. For
example, one of my first days as a volunteer I got to
work with kindergarten and first grade, as well as
2nd grade through 5th. I particularly liked working
with the older students more because that is more
of the level I want to teach at. A student I worked
with particularly was Suzie. She is in the third
grade at Ridgeway. Why I am choosing to focus on
Suzie is because of what I noticed each week in
EFRT 460 Course Content
In this column, I tried to connect what I observed and
experienced at my field experience to discussions we
had in class. I tried to mention specific articles (i.e.
Amanti, Gonzalez, Gorski, etc.) or note the
significance of certain things I observed. Also, I left
myself notes about what to look for the next time I
would be at my placement in order to expand and
draw conclusions from previous observations of
students.
A) What kinds of Personal/Cultural Knowledge or
Popular Knowledge influence your thinking about the
ethnically and racially diverse student(s) you will be
working with in your clinical setting? (You are
REQUIRED to Cite the horizontal axis of the
knowledge-construction-table)
Working at Ridgeway, I have not specifically
experienced working with ethnically and racially
diverse students. However, I think there are
certain aspects about working with ethnically and
racially diverse students that are ideal to know.
For example, being aware that all students are
diverse whether it is ethnically or racially is
important especially when it comes to education
and teaching. Being aware of each students
diverse backgrounds is a way to incorporate racial
and ethnic diversity into your classroom.
Knowing the different diverse and racial
backgrounds of the students at Ridgeway or any
other school is an important way to interact with
the students in the sense of getting to know their
different backgrounds. This is a way to get to
know each student individually on a more person
or relatable level.
working with her.

She has a very hard time concentrating when it

comes to doing homework. I try to explain to her
that it is important to use this time after school to
complete her homework. Also I use a reward
system to help her get more motivated to do her
work. For example, she really enjoys talking about
her family and having me guess the things they
like. So to ensure her to do her homework, I tell
her that if she finished ten math problems, I will
guess the answer to her question. I have noticed
that this particularly motive helps her get more
concentrated.

Another problem I have noticed with Suzie over

the course of the six weeks is that she has a hard
time being social with others. She tries to include
her self with others, but the others seem to shut her
out. She doesnt take offense to their actions
towards her, instead she goes with the flow and
continues trying to fit in. I think Suzies attitude
towards the others she tries to fit in with, is one
that she is more focused on. She always seems to be
distracted by what everyone else around her is
doing rather than focusing on herself. As a result, I
think that by offering Suzie an alternative reward
as a result of completing her school work, she is
more likely to get her homework done and
accurately. I particularly have noticed that over the
last six weeks, her motivation to do her work has
drastically increased.
C) How can the racialization of the student(s) you
will be working with be reinforced or challenged by
any of his/her/their other demographic
characteristics? (You are REQUIRED to cite other
specific demographic characteristics from the
Intersectionality Graphic)

By looking at the Demographic characteristics

stating that 96% of students at Ridgeway are
white, prove the demographics of my particular
students to be true. The demographics prove that
the majority of students are of white ethnicity, and
volunteering with the students after school show
this to be the majority. Focusing on Suzie I can
come to the conclusion that she would fall under
the socioeconomic status bubble on the
Intersectionality Graphic. Because of her behavior
with not being able to focus on completing
homework, as well as her physical appearance it is
apparent that she may be in the category for low-
income families. Because of the demographics for
Ridgeway students, it is clear that they reinforce
the racialization of overall white students.

D) How can the Funds of Knowledge approach help

you see a students cultural background as an asset to
his or her learning? (You are REQUIRED TO Cite
specific author arguments, examples, and page
numbers from the Norma Gonzalez reading, Cathi
Amanti readings, and/or my Activities to
Investigate Funds of Knowledge list when
answering this Question D)

Focusing on Norma Gonzalez reading on the

Funds of Knowledge, she states on page 1 that the
underlying rationale for carrying out this work
stems from the assumption that the educational
process can be greatly enhanced when teachers
learn about the everyday lived contexts of their
students' lives. I think that the Funds of
Knowledge approach is a way for the teacher to be
aware of the students cultural background as a
way to accompany his or her learning. I think it is
important for teachers to be aware of each student
individually and their differences in ethnicity and
race. This is a way to incorporate each student
and his or her race/ethnicity into the classroom as
a way of encourage learning diversely. Inclusion is
the main reason for the Funds of Knowledge
development. Its a way for teachers to be
inclusive for the students in their classroom.

E) Discuss the possible Activities to Investigate

Funds of Knowledge that you will possibly use to
identify the Funds of Knowledge (assets, strengths,
resources) possessed by your student(s) you choose
to study AS WELL AS the EDFD 400/401
Developmental and/or Learning theorists who you
can use to give a rationale for your choice of said
activities. (You are REQUIRED to reference the
specific EDFD 400/401 Developmental and/or
Learning Theorists when answering this Question
E).

To identify the Funds of Knowledge possessed by

my future students, I think it is important for me
to ask questions to get the idea of each student
within my classroom and their different ethnicities
and races. I also think it is important to complete
activities that encourage things that are important
and well liked by each individual student. In
EDFD 400, we studied Bandura who is a theorist
that focuses on the way children learn. He would
argue that children learn by watching and
observing what their parents do and act, they
learn what their parents learn. This is important
when focusing on activities that I will possibly use
to identify the Funds of Knowledge possessed by
students in my classroom because their learning is
watched by observing their parents and this is
important as a teacher to continue in teaching
students as their parents would.