5E's+and+Constructivism

5E's and Constructivism

Sarah Falkoff The 5 E Model

Part 1: Reflection

After reading all about the five E’s of the Constructivist theory of teaching and learning, it really had me reflect on how I use the five E’s in the classroom. I did not even know that I was using the 5Es. I always try to incorporate different ways to reach my kids and organize my lessons. Creating a lesson consciously using the 5Es was a bit difficulty. First, my district does not require their teachers to turn in a lesson plan. I have learned how to teach from my colleagues and from the classes I took when I was in college. There are many things about constructivist theory that I find very real and valuable skills for students. Students should be constantly evaluating their progress, work, and skills they are learning throughout the lesson. I also like that the role of the teacher has been altered a bit. Instead of the teacher playing the role of the superior instructor and the all knowing person, the teacher’s new role is to provide ways for students to discover and demonstrate learning. Higher level inquiry based activities are a great way to do this and the teacher should provide these opportunities and activities for the students. This alteration buts the students in the driver’s seat for their learning. Since students are not responsible for their own learning, there is a new sense of ownership for them as well. This provides a great classroom environment where students can come together and work together and be proud of what they accomplish. Constructivism also teaches life skills and problem-solving strategies. I love using constructivism in science for this reason. It sparks interest in the students because the issues and problems we discuss and learn about are real for them and affect their lives. The students are going to have to take responsibility for learning and task completion at their job so what better way to start learning that now. Students learn how to get through issues and problems with confidence and on their own after learning these strategies in their school classes. I really like how the Inquiry website explains how inquiry is used. [] explains the inquiry lesson more of a path of learning. The first step is question generation, which is important. It helps them to first think of the questions that will spark the asking of questions. After the questions have been asked, then the students can then create hypotheses and investigate them. This falls very well into line with what we do in science class. We ask questions and investigate them. Once the investigation is at an end, the students then are able to Construct new knowledge and then discuss and reflect on their discoveries. Once the reflection was complete, the students then apply the new knowledge in aspects of their own life. Inquiry-based learning in the classroom and science inquiry labs go hand in hand. Inquiry based labs force the students to come up with their own questions. By forming their questions, the students are taking ownership of their own learning. Students then ask these questions and form hypotheses as to how to solve these issues. Students develop their own procedure for solving the problem and record data as to their findings. They then report their findings and they discuss the outcome of their experiment. The importance of the discussion and reflection in science is very important. They can get feedback from their classmates as to changes and improvements in their experiment, procedure. They can also ask more questions and create more experiments to learn from. The procedure may be altered based on the comments from their classmates. This promotes the scientific method. This can also cause other students to branch off of the original idea and start to research other questions. Since Inquiry learning is a cyclic process, students need to be aware of the process. It is up to the teacher to keep them informed of the process and make sure that you are demonstrating it for the students appropriately. You need to keep the process the same each time. You can also have the students research or experiment together or individually. The students need to learn how to work together ad with different people in order to succeed in the real world. It is the role of the teacher to teach them how to survive in society and be a knowledgeable member of society. Lastly, it is the role of the teacher to be a facilitator. The teacher should be a positive support and guide the research and give them suggestions. The students are supposed to come up with the procedure and ideas themselves, but the teachers can guide them on their journey through their investigations. The teachers are also supposed to look out for the students/ safety and well-being when the students are in lab. During research, it is important for the students to be safe. Inquiry-based learning is a great way to have the students take ownership for their own learning and learn skills to problem-solve in the future.

"The 5 E Learning Cycle Model." //The FreeZone : Midwestern State University//. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. .

"Constructivism." //Learning Theories//. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. .

"Grazing the Net." //Educational Technology Students Schools Libraries Teachers Parents Staff Development//. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. .

"Inquiry-based Learning: Explanation." //THIRTEEN - New York Public Media//. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. .

"KWHL Chart." //North Carolina State University :: Welcome to North Carolina State University//. Teacher Resource Room. Web. 23 Oct. 2011. .

"Miami Museum of Science-The PH Factor/Constructivism and the Five E's." //Miami Science Museum - Summer Camp//. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. .

"What Is Inquiry-based Learning?" //InquiryLearn Splash Intro//. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. .

Part 2: Expanded 5 E Lesson

Since we do not have to write lesson Plans in our district, I will do my best to incorporate a lesson that I already use and expand it for use with the 5 E model.

Nature of Science Activity Lesson

Engagement: Ask students what they think Science is. It may come as a surprise, but many kids do not know what science is or what makes something science. I ask the students to brainstorm and write word and sketch things that make them think of science or can describe what science is. This really has the kids pull from prior knowledge and think how all of their science classes, while all different, were all science. It also makes them think about what they studies, what they know, and what questions in general that they have. It can also jog memories, both good and bad, of previous science classes. This usually sparks discussion between the students and often involves sharing memories. We then share our ideas with the class and this sparks great discussion. We point similarities and differences in their thoughts about what makes something science.

Exploration: Hand out 8 cards to each student. Have the student check to make sure that all of the cards are different. These cards have quotes from print material, interviews, articles, etc. from people on the street, famous people, doctors, politicians, lawyers, scientists, activists, etc. These cards are all quotes about science. The students will read the cards they are given and organize them in the 3 piles: cards the students agree with, cards the students are indifferent about, and cards that the students do not agree with. Next, they do a card swap. They read the cards to each other and try to get the best hand of 8 they can (all 8 cards they agree with). They then find a partner and between the 2 of them (and their 16 cards), they need to widdle down to 8 cards that they both agree upon. Then they connect with another partner team and do the same thing.

Explanation: They share with the group which cards they chose to keep and why and they explain how it relates to what science is.

Elaboration: Have the students write a paragraph for homework answering the following question: Based on what you have seen in the card sort activity, what do you think makes something science?

Evaluation: The next day, the students have a discussion and share what makes something science and they assess each other and how they viewed the activity. I also give a small discussion about what they thought about the activity.

"The 5 E Learning Cycle Model." //The FreeZone : Midwestern State University//. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. 