5.3.3 Developing interventions related to mismatches between a student's or group's preferred learning approaches and those of the classroom

If you think mismatches in learning approaches might be contributing to the puzzling situation, there is some guidance in the literature about how to develop appropriate interventions.

Drawing on cultural-historical ideas, Gutiérrez and Rogoff (2003) argued that instruction needs to: (1) build on and extend students' prior experiences, (2) help students develop skill in determining which learning approach from their repertoire of approaches is appropriate in a given circumstance, and (3) introduce students to new ways of doing things. Interventions could follow the path they have outlined. For examples of the kinds of learning environments they have in mind, they pointed to several classrooms where "students receive multiple forms of assistance and participate in rigorous learning activities that extend their initial approaches to learning and participation (Gutiérrez, Baquedano-López, & Tejeda, 1999; Moll, Saez, & Dworin, 2001; Rogoff, Turkanis, & Bartlett, 2001)" (p. 20).

Scholars have collaborated with community members and educators to develop learning environments developed on the basis of cultural-historical ideas. Cole (1998) described these environments as "bridges" with two-way traffic between students' home and school communities. Gutiérrez (Gutiérrez, Baquedano-López, Alvarez, & Chiu, 1999; Gutiérrez, Baquedano-López, & Tejada, 1999) called them as "third spaces" where hybridity of language practices and knowledge become a rich resource and site for learning.

Many of these newly created learning environments are situated in after-school centers. One approach is the 5th Dimension, university-community collaborations located around the world. The activities at the 5th Dimension centers "mix play, learning, and involvement with older, college-attending peers using a combination of computers, computer networks, and off-the-shelf hardware....[The activities are] designed to facilitate the development of local communities of practice that emphasize written and oral communication in an environment saturated with different forms of culturally valued knowledge" (Cole, 1998, pp. 302-303). For an outline of the basic approach to 5th Dimension sites, see Cole (1996, pp. 286-325). For an example, see the discussion of Las Redes (Gutiérrez, Baquedano-López, Alvarez, & Chiu, 1999). Summarizing the outcomes across many different 5th Dimension sites, Cole (1998) indicated that "The participating children, regardless of their ethnicity and social class, appear to achieve better in school, adopt a more positive attitude about learning, and develop skills in interacting effectively with other people" (p 303). The Virtual Fifth Dimension Clearinghouse provides information about 5th Dimension sites and publications.

Gutiérrez has also studied "third spaces" in classrooms. For example, she (Gutiérrez, Baquedano-López, & Tejada, 1999) described the practices of a bilingual teacher of a combined second- and third-grade two-way Spanish immersion class where hybrid language practices and knowledge are supported and used as a productive stimulus for students' learning.

Although not explicitly developed within a cultural-historical framework, the public school described by Rogoff, Turkanis and Bartlett (2001) was consistent with that approach because teachers, parents and students learned together in a "third space." The central principle of learning as a community at the school was to "create instruction that builds on children's interests in a collaborative way, where learning activities are planned by children as well as adults, and adults learn from their own involvement as they help children learn" (italics in original) (p. 226).

Coming from a different perspective, Fox (1994, pp. 107-126) presented strategies she found useful for helping "world majority" university students understand university expectations in the U.S. related to academic writing.

If you haven't read the CIP pages for Step 5 or Step 5.3, please do so because they provide information about developing inverventions for your CIP study.

Success Stories & CIP studies Related to Mismatches Between Cultures

Reconsider  question: 3.3.3 
Gather more information on this question: 4.3.3 
Step 6-Monitor Intervention(s) 
Guide for Reading Step 4 and Step 5 Pages