At The University of Southern Mississippi’s Marine Education Center, the 5E model of instruction is at the core of how we design and deliver programs. Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate help us move beyond lectures and into hands-on, inquiry-driven learning that connects students directly to our coastal environment.
The 5E model traces its roots back to early learning theories from Johann Herbart in the 1800s and John Dewey’s philosophy of learning through experience in the early 20th century. In the 1960s, Jerome Atkin and Robert Karplus developed the “learning cycle,” which emphasized exploration, invention and discovery. Building on that work, the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study expanded the cycle in the late 1980s, adding the Engage and Evaluate phases to create what we now know as the 5E Instructional Model.
Studies have shown that lessons built around the 5E cycle can lead to greater gains in subject knowledge, stronger scientific reasoning skills and more positive attitudes toward science when compared to traditional lecture-first teaching. Students also tend to retain what they learn longer and apply it more effectively when they move through all five phases without skipping steps.
The framework guides us to begin by sparking curiosity and tapping into what students already know. For example, with a plankton lesson, I’ll ask questions like “Where does it live? How does it move? What does it eat?” We even pass around a plush plankton! This simple step gets students talking, predicting and connecting before we start. Students then investigate for themselves. They collect plankton samples from the bayou and observe them under microscopes while using a key to identify common species. We can see students making connections between their prior knowledge and the discoveries right in front of them.
We then help students organize what they’ve seen by introducing terms like phytoplankton and zooplankton. Because they’ve already explored on their own, they tend to ask sharper, more thoughtful questions during this phase. Next, we apply new knowledge to a different context. Comparing bayou plankton to preserved Gulf plankton allows students to see how ecosystems differ and overlap. I’ve watched them make powerful connections here, realizing that the same organisms play important but varied roles across habitats.
For classroom teachers, the 5E Model offers a flexible structure for lesson-building. It ensures students move through a natural learning cycle — from curiosity to exploration, from explanation to application, and finally to reflection. At the MEC, I’ve seen this approach turn a single lesson on plankton into a full investigation of ecosystems and stewardship.
Our programs, supported by the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, are built on this framework across everything we do — from field trips to summer camps to teacher workshops. We’d love to share this process with formal educators and help bring the same inquiry-driven approach into classrooms!
If you are interested in learning more, please contact me.
Meet the author
Lacy Lindsey
Marine Education Specialist, USM Marine Education Center
Lacy Lindsey works as a marine educator at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Lab's Marine Education Center. She creates and implements educational programming that includes... Read more
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