Learning Cycle Lesson

1. The Learning Cycle Lesson
Making learning meaningful.

2. The Learning Cycle Lesson
 research-based teaching strategy
 effective in planning social studies
lessons
 promotes conceptual change and
increases students’ meaningful
learning

3. Three Phases
 Exploratory Introduction
 Lesson Development
 Expansion

4. Exploratory Introduction
 Enables the students to become
more aware of their own
reasoning and recognize
shortcomings in their prior
knowledge.

5. Ask: What activities will enable my
students to:
 become aware of and make public
their prior knowledge?
 have the opportunity to try out their
prior knowledge in a new setting?
 compare their prior knowledge to the
new idea and recognize flaws in their
prior knowledge?

6. The Teacher’s Role
 present one or two key questions
to confront the students’ thinking
 raise questions
 facilitate the students’ exploration
 stand back and observe

7. Important Components of the
Exploratory Phase
 use cooperative learning groups
 include interaction and
exploration
 include a formative assessment
to determine prior knowledge and
misconceptions

8. Formative Evaluation
 provides the teacher with
information to determine
students’ learning
 used for monitoring and
diagnosing

9. Lesson Development
 Discuss results of the exploratory
introduction, providing connections to the
new social studies idea.
 Teach the new idea. Include interesting
practice activities.
 Model and/or practice.
 Provide closure for the new idea.

10. Lesson Development
 The lesson develops in this phase often
through investigation and inquiry.
 This phase is often called the Invention
Phase because the Learning Cycle
Phase is an adaptation of the the Science
Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS)
model for learning science developed by
Robert Karplus and his colleague,
Herbert Thier.

11. Ask: What activities will:
 provide my students with a clear
explanation and sufficient practice to
allow them to connect the new idea
to what they already know?
 enable my students to construct their
own “new” knowledge based on the
new idea?

12. The Teacher’s Role
 explain
 provide examples
 check for understanding
 guide
 provide closure (a clear description
of the idea or skill with which they
have been working)

13. Important Components of the
Lesson Development Phase
 provides more than one form of
explanation
 gives clear examples
 uses modeling
 checks for understanding
 includes a formative assessment

14. Expansion Phase
 Apply and transfer the new social
studies idea or skill to different
situations.

15. Ask: What activities will:
 enable my students to apply the new
knowledge in relevant contexts?
 help my students develop successful
procedures for making decisions and
solving problems while transferring
the new idea to other settings?

16. The Teacher’s Role
 provides some but less guidance
 provides activities for the transfer of
the new concept or skill
 encourager

17. Important Components of the
Expansion Phase
 allow students to apply the new skill
or idea into a situation that is
meaningful to them personally
 include a summative assessment to
check for transfer of the new idea
into the new situation

18. Summative Assessment
 Examines students’ progress at the
end of an activity, lesson, or unit
 Any grades that are given are taken
from summative assessments and
not formative

19. Formative Assessments
 Conferences
 Observations
 Checklists
 Questions and
Answers
 First drafts
 Pre-tests
 Journals
 self and peer
assessments

20. Summative Assessments
 Chapter tests
 Projects
 Portfolios
 Performances
 Benchmarks
 State
assessments
 Final copies

21. Recap: The Learning Cycle
Lesson

22. References:
Karplus, R. (1974). Science curriculum improvement study teachers handbook.
Berkeley, CA: University of California.
Sunal, C. & Haas, M. (2016). Social studies for the elementary and middle grades.
Boston, MA: Pearson Education Incorporated.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological
processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

23. Quick Quiz
 What are the three phases of
a learning cycle lesson?

24.  Why is the exploration phase
so important?

25.  What is an important part of
each phase that determines if
the student is ready for the
next phase?

26.  Which phase has the most
teacher-direction?

27.  Which phase is known as the
Invention Phase?