Learning Cycles: A Constructivist Approach**[**]

BIG IDEA: The Enduring Understandings the sets of lessons will help develop.

DRIVING QUESTION: The question ‘drives’ the lessons and student learning experiences. By the end of the learning cycle, a student should be able to address the question successfully.

LEARNING
CYCLE / LESSON TITLE & DESCRIPTION
ENGAGE / This lesson promotes the student interest in the topic of the learning cycle.
EXPLORE / This lesson allows students to follow up any questions that were raised in the Engage lesson.
EXPLAIN / This lesson requests that the students be able to explain what they are learning and understanding. Usually a larger measurable product is produced in this cycle lesson.
APPLY / This lesson challenges students to apply what they have learned.

A ‘BACKWARDS DESIGN’ Curriculum Development Approach*[*]

  1. Begin by identifying the desired results like your standards or goals.
  2. Determine what would be acceptable evidence to arrive at your goal. Identify performances that would help the students arrive there.
  3. In order to arrive to the goal, plan appropriate learning experiences and instructions (the Lessons & Practices)

About ENDURING UNDERSTANDING*

Identify the enduring understandings you want students to acquire.

  • Enduring understandings anchor the units or courses.
  • Enduring understandings refer to the big ideas we want the students to understand after they have forgotten many of the details.
  • Enduring understandings are the big ideas that reside at the heart of thediscipline.

4 criteria for understanding*

1. Understand beyond discrete facts or skills by focusing on larger concepts. (Ask yourself: Is it worth an adult learning this?)

2. Understand the extent in which the topic, idea, or process resides at the

heart of the discipline. (Ask yourself: What does this have to do with -subject-?)

3. Understand the extent in which the topic, idea, or process requires uncoverage (exploration and inquiry). (Ask yourself: Are these concepts or processes difficult to graspand do they tend to lead to misconceptions that need to be challenged?)

4. Understand the extent in which the topic, idea or process offers potential for engaging students (through contextualization)? (Ask yourself: How is this topic, idea, or process reflected in the students’ lives?)

Constructivist Learning

Constructivist learning encourages students to develop their critical thinking skills by initiating their own inquiries of the topic to be learned based on their own prior knowledge. This is achieved through supportive guidance and hands-on problem solving that challenges them to construct their research and communication (oral and written) experiences in order to make logical and critical connections to the topic.

[**]Other Learning Cycle Approaches, BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study), Roger Bybee (Ref: Bybbe, R.W. et al. (1989). Science and technology education for the elementary years: Frameworks for curriculum and instruction. Washington, D.C.: The NationalCenter for Improving Instruction.) The 5E Learning Cycle:

[*]Notes from Understanding by Design, by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1998.