Avoiding the one-size-fits-all curriculum: textsets, inquiry, and differentiating instruction.

In this era of high-stakes testing, many teachers feel forced to aim instruction toward what will be assessed and ignore what students really want to learn. Publishers create materials guaranteed to boost students' test scores, but they neither broaden students' understanding nor increase their interest in learning. When the textbook becomes the only source that teachers use, they recognize that this "one-size-fits-all" curriculum does not really meet students' needs. In their hearts, teachers realize that they are not teaching the way they should, but feel unsure about what they can do about it.

What would happen if teachers approached learning in a different way--a way that encourages in-depth questioning, rather than one right answer? Or a way that provided time for students and teachers to explore, investigate, and delve into a topic they selected? One means to support inquiry as well as differentiated instruction is through theme explorations supported by textsets.

In an inquiry-based approach to learning, questions of wonderment become the driving force in designing the what and how of instruction. As members of a classroom community, the teacher and the students collaboratively compile these questions. Together, their collective knowledge (schema) is identified. Then they clarify what individuals, teams, and the whole group "wonder" about. Next, they discuss how to gather information. Finally, the teachers and students negotiate the processes for demonstrating learning (assessment). These "wonderings and wanderings" (Harste, Short, & Burke, 1988) can be webbed or schematically organized into theme explorations.

As learners wander, they use the disciplines to gather information, which usually leads to further wonderings. Integration is not contrived, but rather a natural outcome as learners apply the most appropriate tools in seeking to know. The same topic of study collaboratively theme-webbed by teacher and students in different classrooms creates dramatically different results while maintaining the core of district curriculum mandates. Thus, when a 5th-grade teacher compared her students' planning web for a study of Canada and Mexico with those of two of her fellow teachers, none of the planning webs was identical. Student ownership in the curriculum and sense of responsibility are enhanced when they realize the uniqueness of classroom experiences that have their signature.

The benefit to the teacher is that each time the topic is studied with a different class it is fresh and new, personal and exciting instead of rerun after rerun. If we are to create classrooms that truly are learning communities, the instruction that accompanies students' explorations of a topic must scaffold their learning in ways that address individual needs and interests; resources used must authentically lead successful searches for answers; and students must work in a variety of grouping formats, appropriately matched to tasks. With a lot of listening, focused feedback, and patience, the teacher guides students' wondering and wandering.

It is important that the time set aside for wanderings is not hurried, for it is within this hub of activity that genuine learning occurs. Students need to "muck around" or wallow in their learning. During this "simmering" time, learners are immersed in multiple ways (e.g., art, music, drama, print/non-print forms) of coming to know and share their knowing in multiple ways (Harste, Short, & Burke, 1988). They share information in all stages of the evolution to "experthood," getting feedback, support, and purpose for continued work as learners. During the stage of "coming to know and the showing your knowing," wonderings continue to erupt. These are encouraged and give shape, direction, and new twists to ongoing research. Some wonderings spin off into lives of their own as extension themes. The cycle is endless--much as natural learning occurs in the world outside of school. The objective is to uncover the curriculum with students, rather than cover it. Evaluation of students' learning is multidimensional, collaborative, and ongoing throughout the study. It operationalizes current theory on authentic assessment.

To meet the need of such expansive inquiry, classrooms must work beyond a singular textbook. "Most textbooks belong in the reference category along with encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses" (Daniels & Zemelman, 2004, p. 36). The textbook furnishes learners with a succinct overview on a topic--a base of common knowledge to build bridges to many areas of personal or group interest. Sets of related texts, or textsets (Harste, Short, & Burke, 1988), augment the textbook as print/non-print resources in the classroom. These include primary and secondary sources in the form of trade books, magazines, newspapers, pictures, videos, charts, Internet sources, and other media and art forms.

Textsets reveal many views of a point, stimulating critical discussions and perspective sharing. "When we rely on a single source for all of a course's content, we are teaching students to accept one view, one authority" (Daniels & Zemelman, 2004, p. 39). Textsets are compiled with a focus on specific questions posed in areas of the thematic study. Research has shown that students' acquisition of facts and understanding of concepts is greater when they use an array of multi-genre resources in content areas (Guzzetti, Kowalinski, & McGowan, 1992).

Textsets are groupings of texts or pieces of writing that are connected by a common thread. Selections cover a range of difficulty levels and genres, appealing to specific interests while making information accessible to all. Response activities are designed to stimulate personal and group inquiry, creative and critical thinking, problem solving, and meaningful interaction.

Textsets are organized across the whole theme or around subtopics within the theme. These resource collections become the tools for learning. Children use them in a variety of teacher- and self-directed ways as they search for information by themselves, with partners, or in small groups. Differences are easily accommodated with resources that match students' varied instructional levels, interests, strengths, and needs. Students are provided with problems that stimulate them to use these resources for the purpose of collaborative inquiry, discourse, and the creation of personally meaningful products (Wiggins, 1998).

Tasks are designed to make information accessible, to enhance assimilation and application of concepts in authentic ways, and to share knowledge in ways that enlighten all, while strengthening students' self-esteem as learners. Learners' self-esteem, which is closely related to improvement in learning, is increased when they have successful academic experiences (Cruickshank, Bainer, & Metcalf, 1999). Tailoring or differentiating instruction; incorporating motivating, accessible resources; and encouraging collaborative learning ensures that students are highly motivated. They are engaged in learning, which brings the meaningful academic success that builds self-esteem.

Before Brian began a thematic study of "Extreme Weather" in his 6th-grade science class, he gave his students a survey adapted from a recent research study (Wenner, 2003). This instrument elicited information on their background knowledge and attitudes related to science. The population in this setting, in western New York, can be described as rural, low- to middle-class. Most students are white, with less than 5 percent being minorities; close to 25 percent of the students receive free and/or reduced lunch. The district has approximately 2,500 students in four buildings--a primary building (K-2), an elementary school (grades 3-5), a middle school (grades 6-8), and a high school (grades 9-12).

First, Brian's students explored the topic by using the district-adopted textbook. As he guided the students' inquiry, generating questions to investigate, Brian supported students' learning with a textset. This included a wide array of resources that were included daily in students' reading, viewing, writing, charting, discussing, researching, and reporting activities. Not only did students read nonfiction trade books and magazines, they also used hands-on labs, posters, audio CD programs, and "Storm Stories" videos from The Weather Channel as sources for their investigation.

Ongoing assessment throughout the Extreme Weather thematic unit traced students' acquisition of concepts and related vocabulary as they engaged in various activities. Students demonstrated their understanding as they were learning. Students also completed a unit quiz as a summative assessment of their learning. Brian noticed that students' grades were higher than those on previous unit quizzes. His students who were typically failing or performing at minimal levels now participated more enthusiastically and scored higher on this quiz. In this classroom, Brian supported his students' "wonderings and wanderings," and it paid off!

At the end of the unit, students were asked to complete the post-survey, which asked many of the same questions as the pre-survey. The results showed that students' attitudes toward science and scientists became more positive. While the pre-survey results revealed that students thought scientists were mostly men, a larger percentage in the post-survey recognized that both men and women were equally represented in the population of scientists. Likewise, in the post-survey, more students could name scientists who worked in the world outside of their classroom. In fact, they identified over 30 individuals! More students were independently reading science books and they could name almost 40 titles. In addition, students checked out science tradebooks from the school and local libraries more frequently. Finally, when asked to rank their favorite school subject, 84 percent chose science as a first, second, or third choice. Brian was certainly reassured by these findings.

When students like what they're doing, they're intrinsically motivated to attend and participate. With such changes in a one-month implementation, it would seem likely that teachers who consistently use inquiry-based approaches could significantly affect students' motivation to learn and achieve. At last, they would be teaching the way they know they should.

Bringing the world of resources into the classroom, allowing collective wonderment to guide the curriculum, differentiating instruction, and creatively organizing work groups cultivate a magic garden of learning (the classroom) where each flower (the learner) blooms (develops to fullest potential) beautifully.

References

Cruickshank, D., Bainer, D., & Metcalf, K. (1999). The act of teaching. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Daniels, H., & Zemelman, S. (2003/04). Out with textbooks, in with learning. Educational Leadership, 61(4), 36-40.

Guzzetti, B., Kowalinski, B., & McGowan, T. (1992). Using a literature-based approach to teaching social studies. Journal of Reading, 36(2), 114-121.

Harste, J., Short, K., & Burke, C. (1988). Creating classrooms for authors. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Wenner, G. (2003). Comparing poor, minority elementary students' interest and background in science with that of their white, affluent peers. Urban Education, 38(2), 153-172.

Wiggins, G. (1998). Educative assessment: Designing assessments to inform and improve student performance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Rosemary Murray and Mary Shea are Associate Professors, Canisius College, Buffalo, New York.

Brian Shea is Adjunct Instructor, Canisius College, and a 6th-grade teacher, Lockport, New York.