The concept of 'funds of knowledge' is critically reviewed, tracing a history of the term's changing use since its original conception by Vélez-Ibáñez and Greenberg in the late 1980s, and discussing its relevance in adult literacy and numeracy classrooms. An attempt is made to locate the concept within wider theoretical frameworks, and in particular to relate it to Bourdieu's notion of cultural capital.The article concludes that while the concept of funds of knowledge is powerful in disrupting discourses of deficit, practitioners or researchers who are committed to this approach need to be critically reflexive to avoid imposing their own, however well-intentioned, cultural arbitraries on learners.

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This study examines how adult numeracy students drew on their informal knowledge in their classrooms; using audio-recordings of naturally-occurring discussions as they worked together to solve mathematical problems. Analysis of the recordings not only reveals the knowledge which the participating students contributed to their discussions, but also illuminates how they responded to, and appeared to value, each other's contributions. Although students were found frequently to share knowledge about curricular and examination requirements, they rarely shared knowledge about out-of-classroom numeracy practices, even when their learning activities gave them opportunities to do so. Drawing on Bourdieu's notions of habitus and field, it is suggested that students' reluctance to draw on their out-of-classroom practices is due to the historically-constituted values which they themselves place on different types of knowledge. A typology of conformative and disruptive knowledge contributions is proposed, which attempts to reconcile transformative ideals with the constraints of the contemporary classroom.Although numerous studies suggest that adult learners possess repertoires of informal practices and competences which may not be evidenced by formal qualifications, this informal knowledge is often found to be under-utilised in adult literacy and numeracy classrooms (Civil, 2003;Baker, 2005;Wallace, 2006;Street et al, 2006). Although this has sometimes been attributed to a lack of opportunities provided by the learning environment (for example, Baker and Rhodes, 2007), here I suggest that adult learners themselves may choose not to use their informal knowledge, even when given opportunities to do so. This article reports on research in adult numeracy settings in England, in which audiorecordings of classroom discussions were used to investigate the ways in which students drew upon their informal knowledge as they worked together to solve mathematical problems. My aims in this article are two-fold: to present findings which suggest that adult learners themselves may privilege curricular and other conformative knowledge over their own informal knowledge; and to argue that this privileging of conformative knowledge by adult learners is both constituted by, and constitutive of, a 'schooled habitus'. Helen OughtonConformative and disruptive contributions in Skills for Life classrooms 2 I begin by reviewing models of informal knowledge in adult numeracy and literacy learning, particularly in relation to the policy context in England. I then present and analyse a key episode of classroom discussion, which exemplifies the different types of knowledge which students shared with each other during mathematical learning activities, and the ways in which they appeared to value each type of knowledge contribution. I use my analysis to propose a typology which attempts to recognise both transformative ideals and the constraints of the contemporary classroom.Although I suggest that adult numeracy and literacy learners themselves may...

This study explores learners' accounts of what they want from an adult numeracy curriculum, using mindmaps to construct and present a snapshot of their current conceptions of the curriculum. Analysis of the resulting maps finds that for most participants, the desired curriculum is constructed in terms of school mathematics. However, for one group, exposed to wider issues of social justice, the curriculum is constructed in terms of situated practice and financial literacy. The discussion draws on Bernstein's theories of curriculum and ideology; Freire's conscientization; and research on adults' motivations for learning numeracy. It is suggested that most learners in this study value the cultural capital associated with school mathematics, and that these learners wish to engage with the challenge set by school mathematics. However, a minority of learners appeared to undergo a process of conscientization, formulating ideas for a numeracy curriculum relevant to adults' lives.