Merging flipped classroom approaches with the 5E inquiry model: a design heuristic

Figures & data

Figure 1. The 5E inquiry model

Table 1. Design heuristic for 5E-based flipped classroom scenarios.

5E phase	Out-of-class activities	In-class activities
1. Engagement	Teacher introduces the educational scenario to provoke curiosity and aims to activate prior knowledge using digital material (e.g. interactive video with integrated questions) when appropriate.Students go through the provided material at their own pace and note any questions that arise.	Teacher leads classroom discussion, and the question(s) for investigation is/are developed.Students engage in the classroom discussion.
2. Exploration	Teacher provides a learning environment to be explored.Students prepare for class by inspecting the learning environment presented.	Teacher supports the exploration process and encourages learners to formulate findings based on their experiences.Students explore the learning environment and share their findings with the class.
3. Explanation	Teacher introduces relevant concepts or theories that might have escaped students’ notice or that students are not familiar with to foster deeper understanding, e.g. using video, textbook materials.Students study the provided material and compare it with their explanations.	Teacher and students utilize the concept(s) and the experience(s) to describe and explain the phenomenon and answer the initial question(s).
4. Elaboration	Teacher describes new, but closely related problems, e.g. using video and/or textbook materials.Students get the task to identify new but closely related situations.	Teacher promotes elaboration.Students apply the knowledge gained to solve new, but closely related problems.
5. Evaluation	Teacher provides self-assessment for learners.Students engage in self-assessment tasks to reflect on their learning process.	Teacher applies an assessment technique to evaluate students’ progress towards achieving educational goals.

Table 2. Lesson plan example ‘Formula for the total surface area of a right circular cone'.

5E phase	Out-of-class activities	In-class activities
Engagement	Prior knowledge regarding the right circular cone is activated with online resources (website with online activities).	Teacher answers questions from the homework phase within a classroom discussion.Teacher presents the educational scenario where students should derive the formula for the total surface area of a right circular cone.
Exploration	Nil	Students explore the following GeoGebra dynamic activity themselves supported by the teacher and their peers.
		Students share their experiences and start formulating and justifying their findings and explanations in groups.
Explanation	Students are asked to watch a YouTube video (duration: 2:27) explaining how to derive the formula for the total surface area of a right circular cone. Students should compare their derivation with the one presented in the video and note any questions that arise.	Teacher answers questions from the homework phase within a classroom discussion.
Elaboration	Nil	Students should apply their gained knowledge by solving several textbook examples calculating the total surface area of right circular cones in pairs.
Evaluation	For self-assessment, students calculate the total surface area of right circular cones with self-chosen values and check their results with an online cone calculator.	Nil

Table 3. Evaluation of lesson plans according to the 5E scoring instrument.

5E ILPv2 item	Item description	Number of lesson plans that fulfilled the criterion (N=18)
Engage item 1	The engage phase elicits students’ prior knowledge (based upon the objectives).	10
Engage item 2	The engage phase raises student interest/motivation to learn.	17
Engage item 3	The engage phase provides opportunities for student discussion/questions (or invites student questions).	14
Engage item 4	The engage phase leads to the exploration phase.	15
Explore item 1	During the exploration phase, teachers present instructions.	16
Explore item 2	Learning activities in the exploration phase involve hands-on/minds-on activities.	17
Explore item 3	Learning activities in the exploration phase are student-centred.	17
Explore item 4	The inquiry activities of the exploration phase show evidence of student learning (formative authentic assessment).	10
Explain item 1	There is a logical transition from the exploration phase to the explanation phase.	16
Explain item 2	The explanation phase includes teacher questions that lead to the development of concepts and skills.	16
Explain item 3	The explanation phase includes mixed divergent and convergent questions for interactive discussion facilitated by teacher and/or students to develop concepts or skills.	14
Explain item 4	The explanation phase includes a complete explanation of the concept (s) and/or skill (s) taught.	16
Explain item 5	The explanation phase provides a variety of approaches to explain and illustrate concept or skill.	14
Explain item 6	The discussions or activity during the explanation phase allows the teacher to assess students’ present understanding of concept(s) or skill(s).	15
Elaborate item 1	There is a logical transition from the explanation phase to the elaboration phase.	12
Elaborate item 2	The elaboration activities provide students with the opportunity to apply the newly acquired concepts and skills into new areas.	17
Elaborate item 3	The elaboration activities encourage students to find real-life connections with the newly acquired concepts or skills.	10
Evaluation item 1	The lesson includes summative evaluation, which can consist of a variety of forms and approaches.	8
Evaluation item 2	The evaluation matches the objectives.	7
Evaluation item 3	The evaluation criteria are clear and appropriate.	6
Evaluation item 4	The evaluation criteria are measurable (i.e. using rubrics).	6