ABSTRACT
Laura's reaction to the eagle report, a blend of surprise, doubt, and congratulatory support, was just one example of the many ways in which she communicated her persistently low expectations for Jay. Laura distributes the novel the students are engaged in reading, The Whipping Boy is filled with such comparisons. The social exclusion described in these scenes had dialectical consequences for Jay's academic performance and for his learning opportunities. The structure of Laura's classroom activities did not provide this kind of scaffolding of personal organization. Exclusion from the activity, as in this example, or withholding of rewards, as in the recess example, was used as punishments for forgetfulness and disorganization. Thus sociocultural theory offers a view of identity and social positioning as dialectically produced through situated action and reaction.
