'Developing Destinies: A Mayan Midwife and Town'

Barbara Rogoff, the university of California - Santa Cruz Foundation Distinguished Professor of Psychology, will speak at Western Washington University April 16 and 17 about her ongoing research in a Guatemalan Mayan town.

The presentations are part of the Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies World Issues Forum.

At 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, Rogoff will present “Observing and pitching in: Learning in Indigenous communities of the Americas” in Academic Instructional Center West Room 204. In some communities, a prevalent form of learning is through keen observation of ongoing community events in which people collaborate when they are ready. This approach to learning seems to be especially common in Indigenous-heritage communities of the Americas, and less prevalent in communities that segregate children from the range of activities of their community. These ideas will be illustrated with research in Guatemalan Mayan, Mexican-heritage, and European-heritage U.S. communities.

From noon to 1:20 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, Rogoff will speak in the Fairhaven College Auditorium about changes and continuities across decades in children's and families' lives. The account centers on the life and work of a renowned Mayan midwife and her town. The presentation uses photos and film since 1941 to show the changes. Rogoff's presentation is based on her new book, "Developing Destinies: A Mayan Midwife and Town" (Oxford University Press).

Barbara Rogoff is a fellow of the National Academy of Education, Association for Psychological Sciences, American Anthropological Association, American Psychological Association, and American Educational Research Association. She has been fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Kellogg Fellow, Spencer Fellow, and Osher Fellow of the Exploratorium. She has served as editor of Human Development and committee member on the Science of Learning for the U.S. National Academy of Science. Recent books include "Learning Together: Children and Adults in a School Community" (Oxford, 2001), "The Cultural Nature of Human Development" (Oxford, 2003), and "Developing Destinies: A Mayan Midwife and Her Town" (Oxford, 2011).