This commentary on Roth, Lee, and Hwang's paper aims at analysing their theoretical approach in terms of its object of study, and the aspects that are brought to the fore, like the cultural activity of conversation, and those that are overshadowed, like the role of the material world and its perception on learning. This analysis, developed on the basis of a pragmatic approach that combines theoretical frameworks, leads to a debate about the relevant components of teaching–learning situations according to the theoretical approaches, and the extent to which, due to the complexity of the studied phenomena, some theoretical frameworks are complementary or concurrent.