Teaching for “Real”: Reconciling Explicit Literacy Instruction With Inclusive Pedagogy in a Fourth-Grade Urban Classroom

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Increasing evidence of the re-segregation of students of color within special education suggests that the constructivist-explicit instruction debate may still be relevant for urban educators. While inclusive educators advocate learner-centered constructivist methods for supporting students with disabilities, mainstream special educators equally promote explicit instructional processes. This article describes the literacy instruction of two teachers who drew on both explicit pedagogy and constructivist approaches to student learning. They reconciled these oppositional frameworks through their focus on “real” reading outcomes for their students. I argue that the teachers’ deeper commitments rendered their eclectic approach a form of inclusive pedagogy.