Chapter 4: The

‘Situated
Learning’ Reality
of Poverty
LAURA PHILLIPS
Two Types of Poverty

Generational Situational
Reality of Generational Poverty

1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
0 1

Instability Violence Food Unadressed Frequent Predators Crowded Incarcera Uneducated/ Limited
insecurity Unemployment/ exposure housing/ tion
of underemployme
health undereducat knowledge
housing issues to lack of ed adults bases
nt addiction personal
space
  Background “noise”
 Significance of entertainment
Patterns  Importance of personality/Sense of humor

Present in 


Importance of relationships
Matriarchal structure
Generational  Survival orientation

Poverty  Identity for men/women

 Polarized thinking
 Time/Living in the moment
Family Patterns in Generational
Poverty
Diagram of Middle-Class Diagram of Family From
Family: Generaltional Poverty
Characteristics of Adults and Students from
Poverty

Use humor or
Get mad and More openly
Will work hard if physical assault
quit their display feelings
they like you as conflict-
job/work and emotions
resolution

Extreme
Very Need emotional Distrust
freedom of
independent warmth organizations
speech
  They don’t know there is a choice
Education is  Rarely about lack of intelligence or ability

Key  Schools are the only places students can learn

the choices and rules of middle class