Why is it important to bridge your gaps in knowledge?
- Better understanding: When you bridge the gaps in your knowledge, you gain a better understanding of the subject matter. This enables you to have more nuanced opinions, understand the full context of a situation or issue and communicate more effectively with others.
- Building expertise: Building expertise in any subject requires a strong foundation of knowledge. If you have gaps in your knowledge, it can limit your ability to succeed in this class, in career and in life.
- Enhance problem-solving skills: Bridging the gaps in your knowledge can help you find new ways to solve problems. By gaining a more comprehensive understanding of a subject, you’re more likely to solve complex problems.
- Avoiding mistakes: If you have gaps in your knowledge, it can lead to mistakes. Bridging these gaps can help you avoid errors and make better overall decisions.
- Keeping up to date: The world is constantly evolving and new information is being generated every day. If you don’t bridge your knowledge gaps, you may fall behind and become less relevant in your chosen field.
How do you fill your gaps?
- Read books: One of the best ways to bridge knowledge gaps is to read books on the topic. Books provide in-depth information and analysis, and can help you gain a better understanding of complex subjects.
- Attend classes or workshops: Attending classes or workshops can be an effective way to bridge gaps in your knowledge, especially if you prefer a more interactive, hands-on learning experience.
- Seek out mentors: Mentors can be valuable sources of knowledge and can help you bridge the gaps in your understanding of a subject. They can provide guidance, answer questions and offer feedback on your work.
- Talk to experts: Networking with experts in a particular field can also be a great way to bridge knowledge gaps. You can ask them questions, learn from their experiences and get recommendations for additional resources to explore.
- Use online resources: There are a variety of online resources – websites, podcasts, courses and videos – available that can help you dig deeper on any given subject.
- Discuss with peers: Talk to your peers about your ideas and questions. Ask them for feedback to help identify what you don’t know you don’t know.
Reflect on the brainstorming activity you completed last chapter and possibly expanded on this chapter. Those questions? It’s time to answer them!
Task:
Group together with other classmates who brainstormed questions about similar themes (economics, reconciliation, ecosystems, endangered species, etc). By working in groups, you’ll be able to pool your knowledge and help each other identify lines of inquiry you may have missed.
Work together to group your questions into similar categories (scientific findings, media coverage, community perspectives, laws and policies, etc) and, if possible, narrow the number of questions in each category by combining similar questions that require similar research. The Brainstorming tools you used in the previous chapter (Post-it notes, digital boards, etc) might be useful again in this activity.
Now here’s the best part: divide and conquer! Rather than taking on all the research work yourself, assign each group member a category of questions to investigate.
Your teacher will decide if this is an in-class assignment or homework, but once your research is complete, compile what you’ve learned into easy-to-understand bullet points (with references, so your classmates will know where to get the details!) and share your knowledge with each other. If you have questions for your classmates about their research or sources? Ask!
This activity aims to not only bridge your knowledge gaps and answer your burning questions, but also help you develop your research skills through peer-to-peer, hands-on learning. In other words, help each other get better at this critically important skill! And all of your newly acquired research and knowledge? It’s going to help you design a solid, thoughtful policy proposal. But more on that next chapter!