5E Instructional Model
Science-based inquiry learning model
When you need to design a complete learning experience from scratch
You're planning a workshop, training, or learning session and need a proven structure to organize your content and activities.
Engage
Capture your team's attention and spark their curiosity by introducing a problem or question. This initial phase sets the stage for learning and motivates participation by connecting to prior knowledge.
Explore
Provide hands-on activities or discussions where team members can investigate the topic and share initial ideas. This collaborative exploration allows them to build a shared understanding and identify areas for deeper learning.
Explain
Guide your team to articulate their understanding and connect concepts with formal definitions or explanations. This phase helps solidify knowledge and correct any misconceptions through clear communication.
Elaborate
Challenge your team to apply their new knowledge to different situations or solve related problems. This deepens understanding and reinforces learning by extending concepts to novel contexts.
Evaluate
Assess your team's understanding through observation, discussion, or targeted questions. This provides valuable feedback on learning progress and identifies areas where further support may be needed.
Ensures your session has clear goals, logical flow, and measurable outcomes.
Participants move through engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation.
- 1Start by defining what success looks like at the end
- 2Work backwards from outcomes to activities
- 3Build in checkpoints to verify learning
- 4Allow time for practice and application