Community languages teachers’ funds of knowledge: domains, meta-awareness and transferability

Community languages (CL) schools have grown rapidly to accommodate an increasing number of learners globally. However, teacher development for CL schools remains under-researched, and a deficit view of the CL teachers continues to dominate. Contextualised in Victoria Australia, and theoretically driven by the concept of funds of knowledge, this study explores how CL teachers’ everyday life and work practices might constitute sources of knowledge that are worthy of curricular and pedagogical notice. Specifically, this study addresses two research questions: what funds of knowledge do CL teachers have? How do they use such knowledge for teaching in CL schools? Qualitative data and descriptive statistics were collected through teacher surveys, teacher journals and workshop observation of 70 CL teachers of 15 languages in Victoria, Australia. CL teachers’ funds of knowledge were analysed and defined in terms of domains of practices, teacher meta-awareness, and knowledge transferability. We delineate four interwoven domains of CL teachers’ funds of knowledge, which have been generated through and embedded in their interpersonal, intercultural, inter-schooling and interdisciplinary practices. We argue for professional development of CL teachers to build upon increasing CL teachers’ meta-awareness and facilitating specific and broad transfers of their funds of knowledge.