aha! Process, Inc. Blog

Can you hear me now?
by Terie Dreussi-Smith
The Philadelphia Inquirer article “Advocates say poor need available free cell phones” (June 14, 2010) illustrates a common line of thinking within U.S. society.
In the article, some interviewees say they don’t think people in poverty should be buying cell phone minutes, and others don’t want cellular service providers to [...]

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When people are struggling to meet basic needs, they are more likely to be concerned with issues of survival.
I explained our definition of poverty in my last blog. People will have difficulty learning if they lack basic resources, especially if they:

are hungry (possible lack of financial resources)
lack assistance with projects or homework when needed (lack [...]

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What do relationships, math, and a deck of cards have in common? Family night for pre-kindergarten! Several families gathered in the cafeteria to celebrate family night in May. Students helped the parents choose milk, foods, and dessert before beginning the evening’s activities.
The students had been studying geometric shapes in class. Flower pictures for May were [...]

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Over the past several months, I have been working with contacts from the United Kingdom to host a group of teachers who have been selected to come to the States to visit American schools. The purpose of their visit is to learn more about Dr. Payne’s work, as well as other best practices being implemented [...]

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A college in California is developing a Center for Teaching Excellence that will feature a teacher training and professional development program for instructors, many of whom are from professional fields and for the first time entering the teaching profession. Their intent, of course, is to provide opportunities for professional development for all faculty and staff, [...]

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Ruby Payne opened up the second URL Summit with a key note entitled Practical Steps Toward Equity and Achievement for All.  Some of her keypoints include –
Out of School Factor that Affect Learning Opportunities for Children:  (Berliner, 2009)

Low birth weight and non-genetic influences
Inadequate medical, dental, and vision care
Food insecurity
Environmental pollutants
Family relations and family stress
Neighborhood characteristics

How [...]

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Each year before school started I often spent two or three weeks making sure my classroom was “perfect” before my students arrived. I would arrange my room one way; then rearrange it. On the first day of school as the teacher, I found myself as excited as I was on my first day of school [...]

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I was presenting in North Central Texas, and a man came up to me at the break and said, “I heard you about eight years ago in Huntsville, Texas.”
I said, “I am so sorry. That was the first time I had ever presented for Dr. Payne.”
He replied, “No, I drove 80 miles to hear you [...]

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Attending the opening session of the Under-Resourced Learners Summit I experienced another new set of ahas around teaching and learning. The session presented research on the brain relative to the impact of poverty and the effects of life in a chaotic environment while offering several opportunities for participants to experience and use technology to develop [...]

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This week I met a high school principal who grew up in poverty. His daddy was a compulsive gambler and his mother was an alcoholic. There was no violence in the home—lots of love and food—just parents with their own issues. He said that when he was 10 years old, the homework assignment was to [...]

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