2010/04/23 Week 6 Inquiry Based Learning 5Es

The 5E instructional model was a focus this week in class. The 5E model is a process that moves between five areas in instruction.

They are Engage, Explore, Exlpain, Elaborate and Evaluate. This was developed by the Biological Science Curriculum Study. Which brings me to part of my dilema this week. Science is by it's nature one of exploration. I had some difficulty transferring the process into my discipline of music. Not that music cannot be exploratory but not in the same sense as science. Even though the 5E process was a bit difficult to adapt in the same way as science, the five areas should be present in any content lesson. Educators should always try to engage their students at the start of a lesson. The "hook" to grab their attention and gain their interest should get them thinking towards the concept of the lesson. The next phase is to let students explore, ask questions, and search for answers. Any well designed lesson would give students the opportunity to discover the concept and then move on to explaining what they have found. Students should then be encouraged to naturally move toward elaborating in their research and discovery. Almost any lesson could be fashioned in this manner. If teachers work towards guiding students to an inquiry process the learning will be more meaningful. If the learning is meaningful and students are able to apply it to their world, they will be more likely to remember the information. My great question this week though is that the 5E process is a moderately longer than average process. I wonder if teachers will be willing or have the time to devote to the 5E model? On the other hand, how can they not? sources: http://moodle1.wilkes.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=55135