ANINQUIRYBASEDINSTRUCTIONALPLANNINGMODEL.docVIP

PAGE  PAGE 17 AN INQUIRY BASED INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING MODEL THAT ACCOMMODATES STUDENT DIVERSITY Cheryl M. Jorgensen Abstract The students in today’s public school classrooms represent great diversity and the struggle of teachers to teach all their students well. This paper describes an inquiry based instructional planning model that reflects lessons from the literature on effective teaching for diverse classrooms. An example of a high school lesson exemplifies the model. The model includes a framework for planning supports for students with extraordinary learning challenges. INTRODUCTION Today’s public school classroom includes students from diverse cultural, linguistic, family, and achievement backgrounds. A class of 30 students might include: a) four who have educational disabilities, b) three who experience the risk factor of poverty, c) two who are second language learners, and, d) several more who are struggling with emotional difficulties. Teachers searching for guidance within the professional literature for how to accommodate this diversity find no shortage of recommended pedagogies and instructional planning models, including: a) multiple intelligences (Armstrong, 2000; Gardner, 1983); b) cooperative learning (Johnson Johnson, 1984); c) differentiated instruction (Tomlinson, 1999); d) problem-based learning (DeLisle, 1997); e) multi-level instruction (Collicott, 1991); f) reading and writing process (Graves, 1983); g) Understanding by Design (McTighe Wiggins, 1998); and h) commercially available curricula. However, even the experienced teacher finds it difficult to incorporate into her practice the best of what’s known about effective instruction for all students. The purpose of this paper is to describe an inquiry based instructional planning model that is anchored in the values of inclusive classroom community and is supported by a solid research base. First, a lesson is described that is taught by a teacher who is successful in creat