Sounds like a Car... A 5E Model you say?

from www.bscs.org

Inquiry based learning is one of the most popular instructional strategies used today.  However, it is also one of the toughest to implement in the classroom.  While searching for types of inquiry activities to use (and blog about), I stumbled across a great article related to the 5E inquiry model: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation.  This model, which was never discussed in our Faculty of Education classes, is one which actually explains in detail, the components of a good inquiry lesson.  It supports the 'constructivism' philosophical approach (Piaget and Gardner) where it is believed that students learn best by exploring and constructing their own ways of understanding an idea or concept. (Nasa.gov)


Engagement:  Purpose is to assess prior knowledge and get students engaged by way of starter activities that peak student interest.  The activity (or hook) should connect prior knowledge (lessons) to possible misconceptions thus creating 'cognitive disequilibrium', an uncomfortable state or frame of mind.  Examples of these kinds of 'hooks' include:  asking a question, showing a 'discrepant event', showing a problem, doing a cool demonstration.  The goals is to have students to successfully engage due to the motivation lead by the 'hook' activity. (Mostly from bscs.org, p.9).

Exploration:  Provides students with a basis at which to work with in order to further explore 'unbalanced' concepts, processes and skills presented during the 'hook'.  Students use their prior knowledge to base their new learning from, while exploring ways to reinstate equilibrium through investigation.  For this phase to be effective, it must be hands-on and students must be given the necessary time to explore objects, events and/or situations.  Teachers must only act as facilitators in the learning process. (Mostly from bscs.org, p.9).

Explanation:  Teachers focus on one aspect of their students exploration process and gives students the opportunity to explain their understanding.  Teachers then introduce new concepts, ideas or skills to students while providing a formal explanation about the new idea.  The teacher should connect the student's explanation to their own explanation as well as the experience itself.  This tends to deepen student understanding, which is a critical part of this phase. (Mostly from bscs.org, p.9).

Elaboration:  Students can further explore and demonstrate their newly acquired understanding by applying or transferring it to new situations.  These activities can be more complex and require high-order thinking.  Interactions within small groups and collaborative learning give students the opportunity to develop new ways of thinking. The main goal of this phase is to get students trained in generalizing concepts and processes.(Mostly from bscs.org, p.10).

Evaluation:  Teachers and students can assess new student understanding while affirming whether students have reached the respective learning goals.  This can be accomplished through formative teacher evaluations, and self-evaluations, although peer-evaluations may also be used. (Mostly from bscs.org, p.10).

This model was created in 1987 (I believe) by the Biological Science Curriculum Study (BSCS).  Have you ever heard of it?