Making the classroom space authentic: How two prekindergarten teachers conceptualize, identify, and enact the Funds of Knowledge framework

I present a descriptive, comparative case study of how two preschool teachers conceptualize and enact funds of knowledge. I explore how Sadie and Shelly understand (make meaning) and implement a FoK framework to assist children in mediating their social and cultural resources across the contexts of home and school. I address the need for teachers to conduct ethnographic home visits and the use of observation and socialization within the classroom to gain insight on children's home cultural and social practices. I document how a FoK approach to curriculum and pedagogy enables teachers to meet the needs of culturally diverse children in early childhood education and effectively scaffold learning.;Findings highlight the teachers' use of personal and professional knowledge as well as their views of culture informed their understanding of the framework. Sadie and Shelly possessed sociocultural perspectives toward pedagogy and curriculum decisions, which reflects the theoretical foundation of the FoK framework. This framing shaped their approach and relationship building with families through ethnographic home visits and led to a deeper understanding of the social networks and cultural influences present in children's daily lives.;In addition to ethnographic home visit observations, Sadie and Shelly used the context of the classroom to observe and identify children's FoK. In play-based interactions with children, Sadie and Shelly made decisions that drew from their multifaceted pedagogical content knowledge. Both EC theory and development along with subject content were instrumental to their improvisational reactions to the children's mediated FoK in play. Furthermore, they supported children to mediate their FoK across contexts through verbal interactions and the design of the classroom space.;Deliberately and explicitly using the knowledge that children bring with them as a springboard lessens the need for children to have to work so hard to re-contextualize the information being learned at school. It can help them to make connections between the home cultural knowledge and school knowledge, thus supporting the acquisition of school knowledge, without delegitimizing their home cultural resources. This could potentially lead to a stronger association between the student and school.