Spectrum Literacy: Class and the Oral/ Literate Culture Spectrum in the Classroom
This paper discusses how students from different socioeconomic classes acquire language skills differently based on the norms of communication in their home communities. Students from less-educated backgrounds exhibit many of the communication patterns present in pre-literate societies– one reason why they experience enormous challenges in school compared to students whose families attained a high level of literacy. This paper examines this communicative and cognitive disparity and makes recommendations on how to provide rich educational experiences which challenge both groups.
