Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Guidedparticipation
Guidedparticipation
WaysofKnowing
GuidedParticipation
InBarbaraRogoffsbookTheCulturalNatureofHumanDevelopmentwelookintothe
conceptofGuidedParticipationinaspecificchapter.Rogoffintroducesthisconceptasaway
tobroadenourviewofthecollaborativenatureoflearningthatoccursoutsideofexplicit
instructionalsituations(Rogoff,283).Guidedparticipationisdefinedasawayoflearning
(specificallyinchildren)throughparticipationinordertoacquireknowledgeandnewskills.
Thisparticipationisdonealongsidesocialpartnerswithmoreexperienceinlife(parents,
guardians)andarenotdirectlyseenaslessonsforthelearner.
Guidedparticipationmaytakemanyformsregardingthesituation.InthereadingRogoff
mentionstheuseofMutualBridgingofMeanings,anexampleofguidedparticipation.With
thisuseasRogoffmentions,Partnersseekacommonperspectiveorlanguagethrough
whichtocommunicatetheirideasinordertocoordinatetheirefforts(Rogoff,285).Mutual
bridgingismostlydonewithnonverbalcommunication.Rogoffusestheexampleofamother
andbabyandtheirinteractionswithatortillaandclay.Thebabywouldholdthetortillatohis
mouth,andthemotherwouldnodyes,givingtheindicationitwasedible.Whenthebaby
wouldholdtheclaytohismouth,themotherwouldnodno.Thisindicatedtothebabythatthe
claywasnotedibleandcreatedamutualunderstandingbetweenthetwo.