Revisiting cognitive strategy instruction in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms

Handsfield, L. J., & Jimenez, R. T. (2008, July). Revisiting cognitive strategy instruction in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms: Cautions and possibilities. Language Arts, 85(6), pp. 450-458.

Handsfield discusses the use of cognitive strategies (see also: Strategies that Work, [Harvey & Goudivis, 2007] for information on cognitive strategies) with students who are culturally and linguistically diverse. She cautions against focusing solely on these strategies, citing observations from a classroom that uses primarily cognitive strategy instruction with culturally and linguistically diverse third graders.
Handsfield’s criticism of cognitive strategy instruction seems to be focused primarily on the implementation and the pedagogy of the classroom teacher. For example, one caution involves literacy as a solitary activity existing mostly in the mind. However, other research suggests that literacy development is a social process, and I believe that is what Handsfield is trying to caution users of cognitive strategies against.


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