The implementation of inquiry-based teaching is a major theme in national science education reform documents such as Project 2061: Science for All Americans (Rutherford & Alhgren, 1990) and the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996). These reports argue that inquiry needs to be a central strategy of all science curricula. Using a learning cycle approach in the classroom helps to facilitate inquiry practices because learning cycles focus on constructivist principles and emphasize the explanation and investigation of phenomena, the use of evidence to back up conclusions, and experimental design. Although there are several variations of learning cycles, the one that is highlighted in this manuscript as a method to support inquiry-based teaching is the 5E Instructional Model (Bybee & Landes, 1990). The use of this model in several science education professional development programs is also addressed.
Key words: 5E Instructional Model, National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996), inquiry-based teaching
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