RESEARCH-BASED LEARNING.

Research-based learning provides training and practice for students in a number of broad
learning objectives: How to pose a research question, how to test the question, how to present
research findings and how to practice research integrity. Not all students can join a full-time
undergraduate research experience, but most classes can be structured to teach elements of
research. Research skills are not learned solely by observation, but need to be taught, practiced,
and critiqued. Research skills are useful for every student, and the reinforcement of research
skills should be at multiple levels from course or lesson organization to use of learning
objectives and grading rubrics, to consistency in how the instructor models research standards.

1. Set a learning goal for each lesson.

Setting a learning goal at the start of a lesson helps learners understand what they are meant to
know by the end of the lesson. Different educational frameworks approach this in different ways.

Typical ways to use this teaching strategy for learners include:

 Using an essential question that students should be able to answer by the end of the
lesson

 Phrasing the learning goal in language such as I will know/understand . . . or I will be

able to do . . .

The important part of setting a learning goal is that teachers have a goal for the lesson and have
planned activities that will help students reach the goal. A further benefit is that students will
understand what success in the lesson looks like.

2. Engage students before you begin.

This second research-based strategy for teaching high school students is especially important.
Students need to be engaged in learning. That means that it’s your job as a teacher to capture
their attention.

Now teachers all bring different skills and personalities to the classroom, so how you do this will
depend on your strengths as a teacher. If you are a great storyteller, an anecdote may capture
your students’ attention.
Or, if you have had varied life experiences, your real-world experiences or photos could engage
your students.

Other ways to use this strategy include:

 Using ‘lesson starters’: one of my mentor teachers always had a short grammar activity
that students grabbed as they walked in the door. They sat down straight away and did the
activity. It was an awesome way of getting students in and working before starting the
‘main’ part of the lesson. In addition, it helped her to incorporate grammar into all of her
lessons.

 Showing photos about the topic at hand: this is particularly effective in subjects such as
history and science, where the content can seem dry without real-world examples

 Using a short funny or interesting video related to your topic

 Doing a true/false activity where you review previous content and students stand for true
and sit for false

 Relating the lesson you are about to begin with students’ own lives and explaining how
this lesson will benefit them in their life beyond school

The 5E Inquiry-based learning.

Engage

The purpose of the Engage phase is to elicit students' prior knowledge, stimulate interest and
gather diagnostic data to inform teaching and learning. Each unit begins with a lesson that
mentally engages students with an activity or question. It captures student interest, provides an
opportunity for them to express what they know about the concept or skill being developed, and
helps them to begin to make connections between what they know and new ideas.

Explore

Students carry out hands-on investigations in which they can explore the concept or skill. They
grapple with the problem or phenomenon and describe it in their own words. This phase allows
students to acquire a shared set of experiences that they can refer to help each other make sense
of the new concept or skill. The Explore phase is characterised by multiple opportunities for
students to experience hands-on learning and represent their thinking.

Explain

The purpose of the Explain phase is to support students to develop scientific explanations,
drawing from experiences and observations, using representations. Students continue to develop
knowledge of concepts and demonstrate their developing understanding.

Elaborate

This phase provides opportunities for students to apply what they have learned to new situations
and develop a deeper understanding of the concept or greater use of their science inquiry skills. It
is important for students to discuss and compare their ideas with each other during this phase.
Investigations in the elaborate phase build student capability for science inquiry skills in a
meaningful context.

Evaluate

The final phase provides an opportunity for students to review and reflect on their own learning,
and on their new understanding and skills. Students represent changes to their understanding,
beliefs and skills.