5E Model

The article, Using the BSCS 5E Instructional Model to Introduce STEM Disciplines, by Rodger W. Bybee, explains the 5E model which can be used for teaching STEM. This model breaks instruction... See More

The article, Using the BSCS 5E Instructional Model to Introduce STEM Disciplines, by Rodger W. Bybee, explains the 5E model which can be used for teaching STEM. This model breaks instructional guidelines into 5 phases. The phases include; engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate. The application of this model maximizes the efficiency of teaching STEM by ensuring that, “learning experiences… contribute to students’ development of an initial understanding of STEM disciplines and their application to the problem…” (Bybee, 2019). 'Engage' is the first phase of the 5E model. To promote curiosity, teachers present students with a problem-based situation. The problem should be, “...understandable, appropriate, and authentic relative to students’ age, grade, and developmental stage” (Bybee, 2019). The goal of this phase is for students to build knowledge and initial definitions within this STEM discipline. 'Explore' is the next phase of the model. Students draw on background knowledge to brainstorm initial ideas that pertain to their problem and connect those ideas to the STEM discipline that is presented. Teachers provide students with activities, those in which can serve as formative assessments to gauge the class's knowledge. The 'explain' phase focuses the students learning by constructing meaning from the explorations that they found in the ‘explore’ phase. Further explanation of the student's findings will guide the class to a deeper understanding of the topic. In the 'elaborate' phase, the students deepen their understanding even further. This is done through additional experiences, activities, investigations, and problems. Lastly, the 'evaluate' phase is the stepping stone that links this discipline to other disciplines in STEM. Student understanding is assessed and summarised.