Knowledge Gap & Chapter 12

A month ago we read about the Knowledge Gap Hypothesis in Chapter 12 in our textbook. Ever since that time, the information from that chapter have been floating around in my head. An important thing to remember for every college student is to draw connections between classes and draw on critical thinking from each class to make connections to the world as a whole as well. As a graduate education student seeking my second license, I am linking this chapter in Mass Comm class with the achievement gap in my education classes.

Also Severin & Tankard could learn a bit from reading Ruby Payne's "A Framework for Understanding Poverty" as well. Both the Knowledge Gap and the Achievement Gap are gaps that can be closed, but what is hard to understand is how everything else is connected to these gaps in this country. Due to financial status a person's focus on what is necessary is ordered differently depending upon how much a person owns or has in their pocket. However, I believe that the word "poor" is a frame of mind. One can be financially be "poor", but have the brightest disposition on life or vice versa. Also if a person is struggling with an issue of housing, the last thing on that person's mind will be whether they read the mornings newspaper. Thus, my point is that perspectives, opinions, and levels of importance are all based on the financial standing and knowledge the person has. This is reality and why school districts, the state, and the country spend millions trying out how to close something that falls deeper than teaching everyone equally. This whole issue falls on the values, beliefs, and perspectives, that the students are taught in their family prior to even attending school. But this is a whole new posting.

Severin & Tankard open chapter 12 with bulleted points as to what disadvantaged adults in the United States think about. Most of the bulleted points reflect basic living needs instead of highlighting information savvy people. These points show that when a person's basic living needs are dealt with they are more apt to focus on other things in their lives. While I know how to find the information to all of the bulleted questions, I do not have to deal with any of them in my life. However, the bulleted list does not show very "in-depth" thinking that a more financially stable person would have to deal with. Thus, Severin & Tankard have proven their point from the book, "The Information-Poor in America."

Farther into Chapter 12, Severin & Tankard give some possible reasons fro a Knowledge Gap. I will highlight two with some comments afterwards. "1. There is a difference in communication skills between those high and low in socioeconomic status" (Sevrin & Tankard, 2001). The Minnesota standards for education highlight aspects for every subject that a student needs to know in order to graduate. While these standards have pros and cons, what is not seen is how students are expected to know those standards if they do not have the same vocabulary. A student from a low socioeconomic status has 5000 fewer words comprehended than a student from a higher socioeconomic status. "2. There is a difference in the amount of stored information or previously acquired background knowledge" (Severin & Tankard, 2001). Sure, persons from higher socioeconomic status know more about a subject, but is that person "street smart"? Students from lower socioeconomic status know how to live without much financial rewards and have to know how to navigate their ways around a harsh public assistance system. If the Wall Street Crash of 1930s and 2007 taught us anything, it is that persons of higher socioeconomic status can drastically become financially strapped in the matter of seconds and find themselves without a home due to foreclosure. Now these persons find themselves navigating their ways around a public assistance area without prior knowledge.

One final thought is that these gaps will continue to increase because the facts tell us it will. But, one thing that can be done about this is to focus on the individual student. While students come to the classroom from all backgrounds and have plenty of issues surrounding them, we cannot discount them based on financial, or socioeconomic status. What we should do is teach the subject with high expectations from every student, because everyone deserves the chance to be seen as high achievers. Hope, positive words of encouragement, some extra attention, and a smile may be all that some students need in order to put their best foot forward. Therefore, that is what I intend to do in my classroom because I know there are plenty more Shakespeares, Mozarts, and Einsteins out there.