5E Learning Cycle model

This wiki defines the 5E model as
"an instructional design model that defines a learning sequence based on the on the experiential learning philosophy of John Dewey and the experiential learning cycle proposed by David Kolb. Attributed Roger Bybee of the Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS), the model presents a framework for constructivist learning theories and can be effectively used in teaching science."

This is an active style of teaching that requires student engagement at every level. Students get hands-on learning instead of passive instruction, allowing them to be more creative and work collaboratively with their peers. This method encourages observation and critical thinking skills that will provide the framework for more advanced content in later grades. 

The Model contains 5 separate but important components:

• Engagement
• Exploration
• Explanation
• Elaboration
• Evaluation

These steps can be used over the course of one day, week, or unit. This largely depends on the learners skills and the material being instructed. A younger elementary classroom might have an experiment that lasts one afternoon, while a fifth grade class can stretch this model out over the course of several lessons.


Engagement

In this step, an instructor creates interest in the question. They may pose a question    or demonstrate an experiment. The purpose of this stage is to create engagement, but also to figure our what students already know, or do not know, or any misinformation they may have about the particular subject. This is the chance for students to make connections to past learning and set up expectations for the lesson to come.

Exploration

The exploration phase is the hands on phase. Learners are allowed to explore the problem/ question using experiments, documentation, questioning and answering. This may be done in groups that work collaboratively.

Explanation

This is the communication phase. Learners are expected to communicate their findings, questions, and discoveries by analyzing their data. The instructor can play a bigger role in this step, clearing up questions, providing scaffolding, and prompting more questions.

Elaborate

In this stage, students have to opportunity to make inferences based on their discoveries. Interpreting their data and answering the question "so what" is done in this phase. This is a critical component because it allows the learner to make deductions that will solve the problem.

Evaluation

This is the teachers role during the entire lesson. Evaluation can be done at the end to check for understanding, or as an ongoing process. Because this process can be open ended, some teachers use a flexible rubric to check for understanding. Other situations can be evaluated with a simple quiz using plickrs or an exit slip.

This video was helpful in breaking down the five steps. I particularly resonated with the example of ice in water. Ice is a solid, so why does it float suspended in water? This simple seeming question opens a flood of other questions about density and water properties. This lesson could be used in a lower elementary classroom or an upper elementary because it is an accessible content that can become more challenging with new variables. 

This video broke down the steps to the 5E model clearly and concisely. His discussion of constructivism reminded me of this image below.