5.5 Develop appropriate intervention(s) related to students' cultural "negotiations" as they relate to the puzzling situation

In addition to reading the general suggestions about interventions presented on the CIP Step 5 page, consider the following suggestions for interventions if you found students' cultural negotiations to be relevant to understanding your puzzlement. Two general approaches for interventions related to students' cultural negotiations are (1) to create circumstances that make it easier for students to successfully negotiate their multiple worlds or cultural identities and (2) to help students become more consciously aware of their multiple worlds or identities.

In thinking about creating circumstances that make it easier for students to successfully negotiate their multiple worlds or cultural identities, you might consider involving classroom(s), school, and community-based settings. In general, interventions could involve reducing borders among worlds, providing skills and knowledge that allows students to cross their different worlds more easily, or helping students develop identities that include being academically successful. The AVID Program and the PLAN Program are relevant academically-oriented school-based programs. Mentoring programs involving successful older students or adults can be helpful, whether school- or community-based (Morris, 2000). Programs involving the arts or sports can be very important in helping some students succeed in school (Heath & McLaughlin, 1993a; Morris, 2000; Seifried, 2002).

Helping students become more consciously aware of their multiple worlds or identities can also be useful. Group discussions (in classrooms or in counseling sessions) among students who are facing similar negotiations might be helpful (Morris, 2000). A movie (e.g., Finding Forrester, Whale Rider, Real Women Have Curves) might provide a useful stimulus for such discussions.

The following links provide some suggestions for interventions related to students' negotiations of their multiple worlds or cultural identities:

• 5.5.1 Negotiations of home, peer, and school cultures
• 5.5.2 Negotiations of cultural identities

Success Stories & CIP studies Related to Individual Students' Cultural Negotiations

Reconsider question: 3.5 
Gather more information: 4.5 
Step 6-Monitor Intervention(s) 
Guide for Reading Step 4 and Step 5 Pages