There are a lot of ways that integrating the 5E’s model into a school setting may offer students the chance to learn much better. At the same time, though, this comes with its share of problems, which must be confronted by educators.
The 5E model refers to the Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. This is primarily designed for inquiry-based learning and should connect scientific concepts with experiences for the learners. But before it could be done successfully, there must be proper considerations of all the factors that would bring about failures.
Understanding the 5E Framework
The 5E model is aimed at helping teachers plan an active learning lesson. Each of the five phases has a specific purpose:
- Engage: It captures the students’ interest and links previously acquired knowledge to new ideas.
- Explore: It gives opportunities for students to find out about and experiment with new ideas.
- Explain: It allows opportunities for students to verbalize what they understand.
- Elaborate: It gives opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in novel contexts.
- Evaluate: It assesses student understanding and mastery of the content.
Despite all these, several implementation issues can arise when instructors attempt to embrace this structure within their classrooms.
Implementation Issues
Knowledge Gap on Content
One significant limitation is the poor content knowledge of teachers. Several instructors could lack the required confidence in teaching good and subtle scientific understanding. Research established that student teachers experienced tremendous difficulty at the “Explain” and “Elaborate” stages of 5E model, primarily due to weak content knowledge of the subject matter they are expected to instruct. When this knowledge gap happens, instruction becomes weak, and students tend to miss the concepts that they ought to.
Time Management Issues
The first critical challenge is time management. The realization of any phase of the 5E model needs considerable amounts of time, especially the exploration and elaboration activities, as shown above. Teachers have often complained that there is always a time difference between the need for curriculum coverage and the time required to implement inquiry activities. For instance, it may not provide ample time for full exploration by the students or complete explanations by the teachers because of rushing lessons. Eventually, this ends up making lessons that rush instead of using the full capacity in the 5E framework.
Challenges of Classroom Management
Classroom management is another significant challenge. The techniques implemented in inquiry-based instruction-inquiry will at times be group work, while other times, they are hands-on activities. This may create the potential of elevating the level of distractions or behavioral issues if not handled well. It would seem that the teacher finds it challenging to balance order with student-led exploration. It means that this may make it even harder for the students to focus on their investigations.
Assessment Problems
The 5E model poses a challenge in the assessment of student understanding. The inquiry-based learning experiences of the model may not align easily with traditional assessments. Teachers may not be prepared to design the sorts of assessments that reflect what students have learned at each step along the way. In the “Elaborate” stage, for example, developing and testing strategies for measuring the students’ ability to use their knowledge in new contexts is something different from a traditional test or quiz.
Resistance to Change
Resistance by both students and teachers also poses a challenge to the successful implementation of the 5E model. The teachers may have a liking for the old process because it is familiar or easier to implement them. Some instructors resist this process as they feel not prepared or well-equipped to deliver the inquiry-based process. Students who are accustomed to more conventional instruction methods, may take some time to embrace self-driven learning activities.
Ways to Address Resistances
To overcome these challenges, several approaches can be adopted as under:
- Professional Development: It could be one of the very effective methods where constant training and resources are provided to the teachers in order to update their contents knowledge as well as pedagogies skills in connection with the 5E model. The series of workshops on inquiry-based teaching and learning must be conducted so that the educator starts feeling that confidence.
- Collaborative Planning: Collaboration with teachers promotes shared experiences, knowledge, and resources. This collaborative planning enables the teacher to work together while developing a comprehensive lesson. It ensures that all aspects of the 5E model are well put across.
- Flexible Scheduling: Flexibility about scheduling time can occur in schools. More time is allowed for inquiry-based lessons. This flexibility ensures all aspects of the 5E model are catered to adequately.
- Student-Centered Assessments: Developing assessments should include inquiry-based learning objectives. Instead of a standard test, a teacher could involve project-based assessments or portfolios that show the work of students over time.
Conclusion
The 5E model is a great combination to be used for curriculum implementation. Therefore, it has many great impacts on teaching and learning. However, the lapse in content knowledge, time management, classroom management, assessment, and the resistance to change, need to be engaged for its implementation to be fruitful.
Educators can look forward to being empowered to implement this effective instructional model by investing in professional development, promoting collaborative planning, allowing flexible scheduling, and creating aligned assessments. These challenges will eventually translate into richer learning experiences for students in becoming more effective agents in their learning.
