The 5E Learning Cycle | 012 | Practical Pedagogy
A flexible framework for effective teaching and learning.
Educators have many frameworks to choose from, but here’s one you can actually use. Immediately.
The 5E Learning Cycle isn’t new. In fact, I’ve been coaching educators on it for about two decades. But here’s what’s wild: it’s still not widely used in higher ed. That’s a missed opportunity because this framework doesn’t just organize instruction or presentations. It shapes how students or the audience build meaning, how teachers and presenters guide inquiry, and how learning sticks.
Recently, a group of Ventura College faculty used the 5E Learning Cycle so effectively that they saw significant gains in student success and closed equity gaps.
Whether you're teaching in-person, online, hybrid, or in some dusty trailer behind the campus gym, the 5E model works. And if you're presenting to adults at PD workshops, retreats, or summits, it works there, too.
So instead of just describing it again, let’s put it to work. Below is a breakdown of each "E" with reflection prompts to help you design or redesign an upcoming lesson, workshop, or series. Print it. Share it. Use it. And remember you learned about it from Dr. Al.
Listen to a group Santa Barbara City College faculty unpack how they leveraged 5E Learning Cycle to improve their craft. (It starts on 13:20.)
Engage
Goal: Connect past learning to what’s coming next. Spark curiosity. Invite people in.
Reflection Prompts:
What problem, question, or phenomenon would spark curiosity in your students or audience?
How will you tap into prior knowledge, experience, or identity?
What do you want students or the audience to feel in the first 5 minutes—confused? intrigued? excited?
What “hook” will keep them from checking out?
Examples: Thought-provoking image, controversial quote, quick poll, short story, or a personal anecdote.
Explore
Goal: Let people get messy. Make sense of the topic before you tell them what it is.
Reflection Prompts:
What activity will let students experiment, observe, or debate without you stepping in too early?
How will you group people to encourage peer dialogue?
What materials, data, or scenarios can they dig into without needing a lecture first?
How will you listen for misconceptions without correcting too soon?
Tip: Resist the urge to explain here. Your job is to create the conditions. Let them wrestle.
Explain
Goal: Now that students or audience have explored, it’s time to connect the dots, and name what they’ve been circling, underlying, etc.
Reflection Prompts:
How will you invite them to verbalize what they now understand?
What questions will surface their thinking before you chime in with terminology?
When you introduce new vocabulary or concepts, how will you tie it back to their experience?
How will you gauge who’s on track and who needs more support?
Note: Explanation isn’t always a TED Talk. It’s a conversation with meaning, not a monologue.
Elaborate
Goal: Stretch their understanding. Help people apply new learning to fresh situations.
Reflection Prompts:
What new problem or context will push them to apply what they’ve learned?
How can you integrate interdisciplinary examples or real-world connections?
What challenge will deepen—not just repeat—their knowledge?
How will you support transfer of learning beyond this lesson?
Think: Projects, case studies, role-playing, simulations.
Evaluate
Goal: Check for learning. Gather insight on what they’ve learned and what you still need to teach.
Reflection Prompts:
How will they demonstrate their learning in authentic, relevant ways?
What feedback will help them grow without killing their motivation?
How will you assess understanding throughout the lesson—not just at the end?
What will you do tomorrow based on what you learn today?
Reminder: Evaluation isn't just for grading. It's for guiding.
Direction Download: 5E Instructional Plan Template
Final Thought
We have many shiny new frameworks in education. But sometimes the real shift isn’t learning a new model. It’s actually using one well. The 5E’s aren’t magic. But they are solid, flexible, and they put learning where it belongs: in the hands of the student or the audience.
Design with the 5E’s. Let students construct, not just consume.
And if you’re conducting professional learning? Use this cycle there, too. Adults need time to explore before they’re expected to “buy-in.”
Onward…
Dr. Al Solano
Founder, Continuous Learning Institute | About
Host, Student Success Podcast
A meaningful test of success is how helpful we are in contributing to our fellow human being’s happiness.