The Learning Cycle as a Model for Science Teaching

Reading Assignment

Chapter 5 in Teaching Science to Every Child:

Using Culture as a Starting Point

Deductive and Inductive Approaches

Inductive Approach – Learning begins with the parts and ultimately leads to the whole.

Benefits of the Inductive Approach for All Learners

Involving all students in a shared experience at the outset, which provides an excellent scaffold. (Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development and Dewey’s notion of educational experience).

Reading comprehension and vocabulary development are increased.

Learning Cycle Teaching Model

• is built upon a synthesis of learning theories beginning with Robert Karplus.

• is a way of planning and teaching that is consistent with how children construct their understanding

The 5-E Learning Cycle – An Overview

Engage – Teachers engage students in the lesson, pique curiosity and provide focus, probe students’ conceptions and misconceptions, and help students make connections to prior knowledge.

Explore – Students plan and conduct investigations to gather evidence to answer the questions.

Explanation – Teachers formally present labels, concepts, and principles. They guide students to use the new knowledge to construct scientific explanations and answer initiating questions.

Elaboration, Expansion, Extension – Teachers aid students in applying new understandings to new problems.

Evaluation – teachers and students use formal and informal means to assess new knowledge, understandings, appreciations, and abilities.

The First “E” - Engagement

Promotes interest and motivation Does not overpower the lesson Strategic questions can engage learners and drive

the inquiry Preconceptions and misconceptions may be

revealed No single technique – may be a quick review of

previous activities or an initial opportunity to for the students to make connections between their backgrounds and the science concept.

The Second “E” - Exploration

Purpose – provide students with a firsthand experience with the science concept.

Need a balance between being too open ended, as with discovery learning, and being a “cookbook” type activity.One way to provide this balance is to give students a record sheet.

As you plan the exploration phase, think about the following:How will questioning be used to sustain the inquiry?What activities must the children do to become familiar

with the concept?What kinds of observations and records should the

children keep?What kinds of instructions will the children need? How will

you give the instructions without telling the concept?

The Third “E” - ExplanationTwo parts – students communicating with each other about what

they did and the other part is the teacher identifying the concept.

As you plan the explanation phase, think about the following:

What kinds of information or findings should the children talk about in order to “make meaning” from the inquiry?

How can you help students summarize their findings? How can you guide the students and refrain from telling them

what they should have found, even if their understanding is incomplete?

What concept “labels” should the children discover? How will you use sentence starters to help children form an

operational definition of the concept? Why is the concept important and how does it connect to

broader ideas?

The Fourth “E” - ExtensionStudents apply their understanding to a new situation.

As you plan the extension phase, think about the following:

How can you connect with children's prior experiences? How does the concept relate to the science program

goals? What questions can be used to encourage discovery of the

concept's importance? How will you connect the lesson to the new content

dimensions provided by the science standards? What new experiences will help to apply or expand the

concept? What is the next concept related to the present one? S

The Fifth “E” – Evaluation

Evaluation may take place throughout the learning cycle.

As you plan the evaluation phase, think about the following:

What are the appropriate learning outcomes you should expect?

What types of hands-on evaluation techniques can the children do to demonstrate the basic process skills?

What techniques are appropriate for children to demonstrate the integrated process skills?

How can pictures help children to demonstrate how well they can think through problems?

What types of questions will help children to reflect on what they have discovered?

Where do the assessment tools best fit within the lesson?

Review of the Components of a Learning Cycle Inquiry-Based Lesson Plan

Standards and outcomesA central conceptA mechanism to engage learners, and questions and

activity to drive the inquiryMaterials to sustain inquiryAppropriate safety & managementExploring the conceptWith learners, developing an explanation of the conceptExtending learner understanding and skills in using the

conceptEvaluating learning at appropriate times and in

appropriate ways throughout the lesson

Inquiry and Cooperative Learning Groups

Principal Investigator manages the group and checks the assignment

Materials Manager collects and distributes all equipment

Recorder collects all necessary information

Reporter communicates the group's findings

Maintenance Director directs the group's clean up effort

Key Features of the Learning Cycle

Spiral Curriculum

Method of curriculum design where the information in one learning cycle provides the foundation for the next.

A science unit may consist of a series of multiple learning cycles.

One Concept per Learning Cycle

Teachers often feel pressure to include too many concepts.

“Mile wide, inch deep curriculum in the U.S.”

Several Classes to Teach one Learning Cycle

It may require several sessions to teach one concept using the learning cycle approach.

Regarding Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students, Inquiry Methods Help Teachers…..

Focus and support literacy thought processes.Stimulate productive discourse among children.Challenge children to accept and share responsibility for

learning. Identify and support diversity.Encourage all children to participate fully in science

learning.Encourage and model literacy skills.Encourage and model productive attitudes.