A Learning Cycle for All Students: Modifying the 5E Instructional Model to Address the Needs of All Learners

Abstract

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] in our schools must be for all students: All students, regardless of age, sex, cultural or ethnic background, disabilities, aspirations, or interest and motivation in science, should have the opportunity to attain high levels of scientific literacy. --National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996, p. 20) The National Science Education Standards are designed to provide a vision of scientific literacy for all students--regardless of age, race, ethnic background, English-language proficiency, socioeconomic status, disability, or giftedness. The Standards delineate what all students should know and be able to do by the time they graduate high school (NRC 1996). But how do we, as teachers, provide each student with the opportunity to attain scientific literacy without compromising these Standards? One of the most powerful strategies in science instruction--which aligns with the Standards--is the use of learning cycles and instructional models. The Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) 5E--Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate--instructional model is perhaps the most popular and widely used in the classroom (BSCS and IBM 1989). This model has been shown to have a positive impact on science education (Bybee et al. 2006) and is constantly being refined as new research emerges to support its effectiveness. In this article, we suggest modifying the 5E model by inserting a conscious pause in the learning cycle--what we call the Express phase--to assess and ensure that all students are progressing adequately through the early phases of the cycle. Ultimately, this revised cycle enables all learners to meet the Standards addressed in a particular lesson by providing differentiated opportunities. Modifying the model One of the most widely accepted principles in science learning is the idea that students must be provided the opportunity to construct their own knowledge and understanding (Yager 2000). In this student-centered environment, the use of learning cycles in the classroom helps students construct concepts, develop reasoning patterns, (Lawson 2001) and connect their new knowledge to real-life situations (Blank 2000). The 5E instructional model is supported by current cognitive research on learning (Bransford, Brown, and Cocking 1999). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many have modified and adjusted this model to meet the needs of teachers and students in the classroom. For example, one modification incorporates another E--E-search--by infusing technology in each phase (Chessin and Moore 2004). Another adds analogies to each phase to motivate students and clear up misconceptions (Orgill and Thomas 2007). And in the 7E model (Eisenkraft 2003), the Engage phase is expanded into two components--Elicit and Engage--and the Elaborate and Evaluate phases are divided into three components--Elaborate, Evaluate, and Extend. This 7E model emphasizes eliciting prior knowledge and ensures opportunities for the transfer of learning. Our modification to the 5E model seeks to confirm that all students are progressing adequately through the learning cycle. Specifically, our version is based on the need to encourage evaluation throughout the entire cycle and not just during the Evaluate phase (Volkmann and Abell 2003). This modification involves a conscious pause in the learning cycle--the Express phase--which allows the teacher to conduct active formative assessment of learning after the Explain phase (Figure 1, p. 57). The goal is to inform and guide additional differentiated instruction during the Elaborate phase. This type of assessment is different than the sometimes informal and anecdotal assessment that occurs during the Explain component. The Express phase We often hear teachers say the following: I don't know why students did so poorly on the test; they participated in the exploration and seemed to enjoy themselves. …