Special Populations

Learning To Learn:
A Possible Strategy for Improving Progress in a TANF Classroom

Some nights I can't sleep thinking about them - that group of students who just don't seem to progress as quickly or as much as other students. After all, they are in the same classroom and experience the same learning opportunities that have brought many of their peers to successful completion of the GED. I see them in my mind, toss, turn, and ask, "What can I do?". . .

As is often the case, a possible answer was right in front of me. Last spring I attended a workshop on the research of Dr. Ruby Payne. I remember being very excited by it and thinking that her theories might be applicable in a TANF classroom. But somehow between then and now, the material got stored in the "think about someday" part of my mind.

The sleepless nights and an opportunity to apply for a Project IDEA research grant led me to re-examine Dr. Payne's work. According to Payne, children from low-economic backgrounds come into the classroom without the "ready to learn" attributes expected by teachers and must be taught these attributes, or structures, if they are to be successful (Payne 1998). As I read this, a metaphoric light bulb came on. Could this lack of learning structures be the reason for the limited progress made by some students? They certainly fit the profile described by Payne. All are second, if not third, generation welfare recipients and all dropped out of school earlier than their more successful counterparts, thus limiting the opportunities they may have had to develop the learning structures Payne claims to be vital to academic success. Fortunately, I was awarded the grant so I could learn if the application of Dr. Payne's teaching strategies helps these students become more successful learners.

According to Dr. Payne, children from a background of "generational poverty" (more than two generations) have two characteristics that negatively affect their performance in school (Payne 1998). First, they have difficulty going from the concrete to the abstract and have difficulty recognizing information in varying forms. Second, they do not have the learning structures necessary to accept information. As outlined by Payne, these structures are:

• an organized structure for data;
• cognitive strategies or cognitive processes;
• conceptual frameworks; and
• sorting mechanisms.

These vital learning structures are developed in the mind of learners through a process called "mediation" (Payne 1998). As described by Payne, "mediation involves. . . pointing out the stimuli (what the individual is to give attention to), giving it meaning, and providing a strategy." To achieve these, lessons and activities must give students opportunities to do following:

• Use planning behaviors;
• Control impulsivity (think before doing);
• Use specific language;
• Explore data systematically; and
• Use evaluative behaviors.

I have begun my research on how (or if) "mediation" will affect my students' progress in the following three ways. First, my students are using planning behaviors through a standardized organizational system. Every student has a "Subject Binder" with color coded dividers for each subject. Handouts are coded in the same manner, thus making filing easy and clear. For example, red handouts (math) go behind the red divider; green handouts (science) go behind the green divider. Students have color coded spiral notebooks in which to do exercises and take notes plus a "Learning" Journal and a "Miscellaneous" binder. Portfolio items, weekly goal sheets, and copies of all of their completed study plans go into their Learning Journal, and all non-subject material go in the Miscellaneous Binder.

In addition to this organizational system, each classroom activity has clear procedural components. Whether students are working on a curricular-based problem, a class assignment, or a project they initiated, their first task is to complete a "Plan of Action" outline and a step-by-step evaluation of what must be done to successfully complete the task. Also include clear directions on assignments and make sure every student understands them before they begin.

Finally, each lesson includes a graphical and/or kinesthetic component (manipulatives) to provide students with a "mental model" so the information being presented can be stored and sorted in their brains (Payne 1998). For example, students use pictures or drawings to learn vocabulary words, design "how to" step-charts in math, and use graphic organizers for writing.

It is too early to tell if "mediation" strategies will help my students become better learners, but there are some encouraging signs. First, I have not heard "I can't find it!" in weeks since everybody knows where to file handouts. They also are more confident when starting a task and are learning that the process is often more important than the product. Most encouraging, however, is their new found confidence in and excitement for learning academic material. Although I am a firm believer in student-based teaching strategies, the new GED demands a certain amount of curricular-based instruction. The modeling elements have taken this material out of the traditional context, thus making it non-threatening, fun, and effective.

Even though I do not know yet how all of this will affect my students' academic progress, I can tell you, however, that I have slept much better lately.

Payne, Ruby K. A Framework for Understanding Poverty: Learning Structures: Workbook for Day 2 Workshop. Highlands, TX: aha! Process, Inc. (formerly RFT Publishing), 1998, pp 5 - 9).

Payne, Ruby K. A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Highlands, TX: aha! Process, Inc. (formerly RFT Publishing), 1998, p 128).

[Editor's note: Both these books are available on loan from the Clearinghouse. E-mail: tcall@tamu.edu.]

Melanie Mayeaux is an ABE/GED instructor for Houston Community College. She teaches a TANF class at the WorkForce Gulf Coast Career Center at Gulfgate in Houston. She just celebrated her two year teaching anniversary. Melanie is a Project IDEA Master Teacher and is part of TEA's GED 2002 training team. She has a BA in History and a Masters in Education from the University of Houston. Melanie loves reading, the Houston Comets, and home improvement projects, especially making furniture.