How to make the engage really engaging: A framework for an instructional approach for the pre-service teachers

The five phases of the 5E instructional model based on the constructivist learning theory encourages inquiry in the science classroom. The first, engage phase of the 5E inquiry model plays a critical role in piquing students’ interest and in the pre-diagnostic assessment before beginning the lesson. In this study, 55 pre-service teachers (PSTs) enrolled into a science methods course and participated in a qualitative research study. Using the 5E instructional approach, PSTs planned and implemented peer teaching and field teaching. The data from the PSTs inquiry-based peer teaching lesson plans, field teaching lesson plans, peer teaching sessions, and PST interviews were constantly compared and analyzed. The results showed that only 56% of the PSTs planned lessons with good engage phase that relates to the objective of the lesson, with good questions to assess students’ knowledge and spur their curiosity. Based on the results of this study, we came up with a framework to design a good engage phase:
- Engage phase must relate to the objective of the lesson.
- Engage phase must assess students’ prior knowledge and identify their misconceptions.
- Engage phase must create curiosity among students.