Week 6 Inquiry-Based Learning

 This week I added a lesson plan using the 5E's Instructional Model to my Day of the Dead Unit website. Learning about the 5E Instructional Model, looking at examples, and incorporating them into a lesson plan helped me to think about how I would actually use inquiry-based learning in my classroom.

The 5E's are something that I sometimes use to guide my lesson planning without realizing it. I normally have some sort of engaging activity to begin a unit, then I normally skip right to the explain portion. After some direct instruction I then allow my students to explore and then elaborate. In the 5E model, the students explore before the teacher explains. I like this type of lesson plan because it incorporates more inquiry into the lesson. The students get to take time to formulate their own questions and try to find the answers. Allowing the students to explore first also gives the teacher a chance to observe the students to find out what they already know and are currently learning about a topic. The teacher can then take the time to teach about the specific concepts that need clarification. This saves precious time in the school year while allowing all of the concepts to be covered through inquiry-based learning.

I also appreciate that the evaluate phase of the model can be formative or summative and it includes a reflective piece. I often forget to allow the students to reflect on their learning and performance. Reflections are a powerful way to help the students to see what they could improve on and what concepts they still might be unclear about. It also allows the teacher to see if anything needs to be retaught. I strive to incorporate more formative assessments and reflections next school year.

The incorporation of Web 2.0 tools into each phase of the 5E Instructional Model and our lesson plans allowed me to see how the technology that I already use could be made inquiry-based. I also learned about some new tools that I hadn't heard of. I plan to think critically about how I'm using technology next school year in relation to inquiry-based learning.

Overall, I don't have any burning questions. I look forward to using the website and lesson plan in my classroom next school year.