Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Highlands, Tex. : aha! Process, 2003.
Description
A Framework for Understanding Poverty was Dr. Ruby Payne's first book and the first book RFT Publishing Co. (now aha! Process, Inc.) published. It is fitting that the book and the company's history are intertwined. The central goal of the company is educating people about the differences that separate economic classes and then teaching them skills to bridge those gulfs. Framework is the method that delivers that message. Ruby's thesis for Framework is simple. Individuals accustomed to personal poverty think and act differently from people in the middle and upper economic classes. Most teachers today come from middle-class backgrounds. Economic class differences, in an educational setting, often make both teaching and learning challenging. Too often, teachers don't understand why a student from poverty is chronically acting out or is not grasping a concept even after repeated explanations. At the same time, the student doesn't understand what he/she is expected to produce and why. Ruby discusses at length the social cues or "hidden rules" that govern how we think and interact in society - and the significance of those rules in a classroom. Framework also illuminates differences between generational poverty and situational poverty. Ruby explains the "voices" that all of us use to project ourselves to the outside world and how poverty can affect those voices. Through the use of realistic teaching scenarios, Ruby focuses attention on sources of support, or resources, which might or might not be present in a student's life. Resources are important assets - things like mental stability, emotional support, and physical health - and the more resources students have in their lives, the better able they'll be to achieve their goals. Framework is a teacher's book. It draws on years of experience in multiple school systems, along with a wide range of academic positions. In this groundbreaking work Ruby Payne matter-of-factly presents the issues central to teaching students from poverty, then takes a pivotal next step by offering proven tools educators can use immediately to improve the quality of instruction in their classrooms.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member wwjules
Fascinating! Everyone who works in education, social services, and the legal system should read this. It is crucial for people to understand that the predominant culture in the US is not the only culture, and that learning how people think and what they value is critical to understanding their
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choices and behavior. Show Less
LibraryThing member ksmyth
As a teacher of poor students, I agree that this book does give some insight into some of their classroom behaviors. However, I believe it paints with much too broad a brush, and the generalizations offered are too broad to be useful in most cases. I wouldn't say it was useless, but apply the
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lessons sparingly. Show Less
LibraryThing member dpogreba
This is one terrible book. Poorly researched, bigoted, and absurd. Payne's research largely seems to consist of a steady diet of personal observations, Fox News, and her fevered imagination about the lives of the poor.
Avoid at all costs.
Avoid at all costs.
LibraryThing member FrontStreet
Ms Payne has recently published a revised edition of her popular book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, that addresses how poverty affects student performance and explores ways to help all students succeed in today's schools and world. The original book has received many reviews and much
The major change in this edition is a sleeker, more scholarly appearing format. Cartoon graphics, the use of bold type and underlining have disappeared to be replaced by paragraphs, shaded blocks and more uniform lists. Unfortunately it has lost much of its user friendly feel that drew the reader inside the original book. Although there are very few concrete changes the over all feel of the book is greatly different. The other changes are in vocabulary, "cognitive deficiencies" has been replaced by "cognitive issues," and some race references are deleted or vocabulary altered (white to Caucasian and vice versa) in scenarios and elsewhere. All statistics have been updated to 2003 and there is a web address to obtain the latest ones.
The other noteworthy difference is the addition, in an appendix, of the article "Additive Model: aha! Process's Approach to Building High Achieving Schools. The author is Philip E. DeVol, coauthor with Ms Payne of the book Bridges Out of Poverty. In this article he discusses the difference between the deficit model, with its emphasis on fixing the individual, and the naming or identifying the underlying issues, which he calls the additive model. DeVol describes aha! Process's term 'additive model' as combing "the value of accurate problem identification with a positive, strength-based, communitywide approach to change." He reviews the information contained in A Framework such as the hidden rules, language, family structure and branches out to community sustainability. He explains this all in terms of the goals and focus of aha! Process. It is a direct answer to much of the current criticisms concerning lack of quantifiable research and classism being leveled at Ms Payne's A Framework for Understanding Poverty.
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press so this discussion will cover the changes in this latest edition.The major change in this edition is a sleeker, more scholarly appearing format. Cartoon graphics, the use of bold type and underlining have disappeared to be replaced by paragraphs, shaded blocks and more uniform lists. Unfortunately it has lost much of its user friendly feel that drew the reader inside the original book. Although there are very few concrete changes the over all feel of the book is greatly different. The other changes are in vocabulary, "cognitive deficiencies" has been replaced by "cognitive issues," and some race references are deleted or vocabulary altered (white to Caucasian and vice versa) in scenarios and elsewhere. All statistics have been updated to 2003 and there is a web address to obtain the latest ones.
The other noteworthy difference is the addition, in an appendix, of the article "Additive Model: aha! Process's Approach to Building High Achieving Schools. The author is Philip E. DeVol, coauthor with Ms Payne of the book Bridges Out of Poverty. In this article he discusses the difference between the deficit model, with its emphasis on fixing the individual, and the naming or identifying the underlying issues, which he calls the additive model. DeVol describes aha! Process's term 'additive model' as combing "the value of accurate problem identification with a positive, strength-based, communitywide approach to change." He reviews the information contained in A Framework such as the hidden rules, language, family structure and branches out to community sustainability. He explains this all in terms of the goals and focus of aha! Process. It is a direct answer to much of the current criticisms concerning lack of quantifiable research and classism being leveled at Ms Payne's A Framework for Understanding Poverty.
Show Less
LibraryThing member anne_fitzgerald
Teaches the hidden rules of economic class and spreads the message that, despite the obstacles poverty can create in all types of interaction, there are specific strategies for overcoming them.
LibraryThing member Mazidi
I'm giving this book my highest rating, not because it is perfect, not because its theories are air-tight, but simply for the effect the book had on me as an educator. I've never had a book open my eyes the way this one does. So much misunderstanding between middle-class teachers and their students
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raised in poverty can be undone by this book. This book helped me understand why students make some choices they make - they are working off a different set of assumptions about what life has to offer them. I have always believed that people in similar circumstances will make similar choices, it is the rare individual who swims against the current. This book helped me understand the current that students swim in, which helped me tremendously when I taught at-risk students. Show Less
LibraryThing member leighanne85
Very eye-opening. Recommended to teachers and anyone who deals with kids and families.
LibraryThing member barlow304
In this self-published but somewhat controversial book, Dr. Payne examines the hidden rules of poverty, the middle class, and the upper class. In addition, she explains how students in poverty are missing crucial links in their cognitive skill sets and how schools might address those missing
Dr. Payne’s work has been criticized for “deficit thinking” and for relying on stereo-typing in describing the plight of the poor. Yet much of what she says rings true in my experience. We tend to underestimate the resilience of our poor kids and we undervalue the strength of family ties in poor communities. On the other hand, when she describes the hidden rules of the middle class and the rich, she is clearly relying on stereotypes. This raises the question: at what point does her description and analysis of kids living in poverty also rely on stereotyping?
Some of the criticism of her work comes from academics who complain of a lack of rigor in this book, even though the book is meant for a general audience. That criticism is misguided. Nevertheless, the book does not incorporate the latest findings of cognitive psychology or neuroscience, and therefore is in need of updating
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links.Dr. Payne’s work has been criticized for “deficit thinking” and for relying on stereo-typing in describing the plight of the poor. Yet much of what she says rings true in my experience. We tend to underestimate the resilience of our poor kids and we undervalue the strength of family ties in poor communities. On the other hand, when she describes the hidden rules of the middle class and the rich, she is clearly relying on stereotypes. This raises the question: at what point does her description and analysis of kids living in poverty also rely on stereotyping?
Some of the criticism of her work comes from academics who complain of a lack of rigor in this book, even though the book is meant for a general audience. That criticism is misguided. Nevertheless, the book does not incorporate the latest findings of cognitive psychology or neuroscience, and therefore is in need of updating
Show Less
LibraryThing member lgaikwad
A concise and helpful introduction to the variation in resources (economic, emotional, physical, mental, etc.), values (what is considered ultimately important), and hidden rules of generational poverty, middle-class, and wealthy.
LibraryThing member Scarchin
The frustration many teachers have with most struggling students is well explained in this book. The "achievement gap" is broken down into a fundamental disconnect between the value systems and world views of the economically disadvantaged in the system of public education.
If, as a teacher, you
Also, what I liked most about this book is that it presents numerous concrete solutions that the classroom teacher and school administrators can easily implement.
If, as a teacher, you
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have been baffled by the seemingly bizarre choices that these students and their families make again and again and again, this book is for you.Also, what I liked most about this book is that it presents numerous concrete solutions that the classroom teacher and school administrators can easily implement.
Show Less
LibraryThing member engpunk77
I think this should be a must-read for educators, and it looks like my school district has embraced all of the tips that have been suggested: the after-school homework period built into the day, the social skills workshops, the programs offered by the guidance department, the organization
This will affect my teaching immediately, as so many of the pitfalls I've encountered have been explained here--the way I handled certain behavior problems and why they weren't effective, when calling home will be effective and when it won't, etc.
The most unexpected things I learned from reading this has been figuring out some people close to me in my life. The book has been so eye-opening! It also explains why I, middle-classed, couldn't be in a room with people of generational wealth for 1 minute without seeming crude, base, or "low-class." When Payne explained the "rules of poverty" in terms that I could understand such as how the "rules of middle class" differ from those of the "upper class", it all made perfect sense. So much of this information was just dead-on. I'm seeing that many people find this to be too stereotypical, but I couldn't care less. It's made me take a much deeper look into my own ideas and misconceptions and has given me the resources to have an even deeper respect for people in poverty. (I tended to believe, deep down, that it's their own fault they "choose" to reject the government's attempts at giving them an education.) This is probably the most important book I've read in a few years, as its impact will reach into both my professional and personal life.
Show More
remediation, etc. This will affect my teaching immediately, as so many of the pitfalls I've encountered have been explained here--the way I handled certain behavior problems and why they weren't effective, when calling home will be effective and when it won't, etc.
The most unexpected things I learned from reading this has been figuring out some people close to me in my life. The book has been so eye-opening! It also explains why I, middle-classed, couldn't be in a room with people of generational wealth for 1 minute without seeming crude, base, or "low-class." When Payne explained the "rules of poverty" in terms that I could understand such as how the "rules of middle class" differ from those of the "upper class", it all made perfect sense. So much of this information was just dead-on. I'm seeing that many people find this to be too stereotypical, but I couldn't care less. It's made me take a much deeper look into my own ideas and misconceptions and has given me the resources to have an even deeper respect for people in poverty. (I tended to believe, deep down, that it's their own fault they "choose" to reject the government's attempts at giving them an education.) This is probably the most important book I've read in a few years, as its impact will reach into both my professional and personal life.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
A succinct, readable coverage of the hidden rules of poverty and how educators can recognize these rules and work with people of poverty so that kids can garner the resources needed to better oneself. This can also help people understand the hidden rules of the middle class and wealthy. Very
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interesting points made that I never realized. Show Less
LibraryThing member AR_bookbird
Reading again to get prepped for introducing to my class in the fall. It is an important book when read with other books focusing on children and families.
Subjects
Language
Physical description
207 p.
ISBN
1929229143 / 9781929229147