The Learning Cycle (The 5 E's of Science Education)

The 5 E's (a great way for students to acquire and process science learning):

• Engage
• Explore
• Explain/Communicate
• Elaborate
• Evaluate

Gearing up to teach an online learning class has really got me thinking about ways to up my game as a teacher.  In my graduate school science methods course, I remember that the professor consistently stressed that the Learning Cycle (http://faculty.mwsu.edu/west/maryann.coe/coe/inquire/inquiry.htm) was considered the best practice for science education.  Another thing that I took away from that course was that science learning obviously should be experiential, and hand-on activities should be used as much as possible.

Well, so far in my career, I think that I have done pretty well in providing my students with concrete, hands-on learning experiences whenever they were appropriate.  But actually using the learning cycle to explicitly facilitate inquiry-based learning?  Admittedly I have been lacking there.  It seems that the timing is now right to develop my hand with the Learning Cycle.  For one thing, the shift to the virtual classroom will eliminate much of the opportunities for "hands-on" experiences, so I should replace those experiences with as much inquiry as possible.  Secondly, the learning cycle (http://www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/science/LearningCyclePlanInst11.05.pdf) offers a consistent framework that is meaningful and easy to follow, which will serve me well in organizing my distance learning lessons.  It will also allow for a logical learning progression for all students, providing support for those who need it, as they progress through increasingly challenging tasks.  The learning cycle approach provided ample opportunities for students to choose how they complete a task or direct their learning.  Therefore, it will also help me to meet the requests of school administrators that asking us to achieve higher levels of differentiated instruction in our classrooms.  The upshot is that I feel like I'm killing a lot of birds with one stone here.

I am so excited to really begin implementing the learning cycle with students that I have decided to pilot the process with one my classes this month.  More on that as it progresses.