What is the 5E Learning Model?

Designing curricula is a challenging process. The designers have to ensure there are no gaps or redundancies in the curriculum and ensure that the frequency and alignment of the standards are maintained. We, at Next Education, use the 5E learning model of constructivism, also known as the 5E learning cycle model, to create the framework for the world’s most comprehensive curriculum solution — NextCurriculum.

The inquiry-based teaching-learning model, which was developed by Rodger W Bybee of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study in 1987, follows a constructivist approach to learning. According to Simply Psychology, constructivism is an approach to learning that holds that people actively construct or make their own knowledge and that reality is determined by the experiences of the learner. In other words, learning is not passive absorption of knowledge but rather an active act of learning new concepts by associating with what the learner already knows.  

To ensure effective learning, a curriculum needs to equip the teacher to build an environment that facilitates active participation and collaboration between the teacher and children in the classroom. Therefore, the 5E learning model involves five distinct steps to help students achieve desired learning outcomes.

1. Engage

During the maiden phase of learning, teachers try to understand the knowledge state of the learners and try to foster an interest in the subject about to be learnt. Then the teacher introduces the topic to the student for the first time. This step of engagement with the topic is very important as the effectiveness of the following steps in the process depends on the success of this one.

NextBooks are designed to engage the students with captivating visuals and real-life examples.

2. Explore

Learners actively explore the topic they are engaged in and experiment with materials to identify associated concepts and develop skills related to the topic. This is the stage where the scientific method is very important for learning. While the concept in the engagement stage was still abstract in the mind of the learner, this stage makes it concrete by helping the learner expand on the initial exposure to the ideas.

3. Explain

This phase is led by the teacher as he/she ensures that the learning that has taken place in the previous step is synthesised properly by the learners. The teachers need to ask a lot of questions and use teaching aids to clarify the doubts of the students. This is another phase in learning as it prepares the learners for the next step.

4. Elaborate

This step has the learners develop a deeper understanding of the significant concepts, obtain more information on their areas of interest, and refine their skills in the subject. This stage also has the learners practice applying the newly acquired knowledge to test themselves before the final stage of learning.

5. Evaluate

This step enables learners to assess their understanding of concepts and abilities. It helps teachers to measure the students’ understanding of key concepts and skill development. The model allows for both formative and summative assessment methods in order to fairly assess the students. 

The 5E learning model is often best applied as a part of a bigger framework for pedagogy than applying it on a chapter-wise basis. The time spent in each step is also important as lingering in a single step for too long decreases the overall effectiveness of the model. At Next Education, we have carefully integrated this learning approach into our solutions to provide teachers with state-of-the-art tools to make teaching simple and effective.