This paper examines the respective contribution of two theoretical approaches to teaching and learning: the classroom ecology (CE) framework from Anglo-American research and the joint action in didactics (JAD) framework, which is part of French "didactique" research. This theoretical comparison is grounded in data from a case study in a Physical Education class in a French middle school located in an underprivileged area. Comparing how both frameworks account for classroom life (here, teaching and learning in Physical Education) enables us to uncover the unique contributions and limitations of each. As for commonalities, both frameworks examine the dynamics of teaching and learning based on ethnographic approaches. Although CE and JAD both focus on classroom settings and depict teacher-student interactions, they do not have the same background. We argue that the pragmatist and historico-cultural stances of the JAD framework have the potential for capturing in-depth the ways in which knowledge is enacted through teacher and student transactions, and therefore can help expand and deepen the CE epistemological approach.