# data[].attributes.headline
Inquiry Question: How can the 5Es be utilized to promote independent/empowered learning in all content areas?

# data[].attributes.subject
Inquiry Question: How can the 5Es be utilized to promote independent/empowered learning in all content areas?

# data[].attributes.headline
Inquiry Question: How can the 5Es be utilized to promote independent/empowered learning in all content areas?

# data[].attributes.subject
Inquiry Question: How can the 5Es be utilized to promote independent/empowered learning in all content areas?

# data[].attributes.headline
Inquiry Question: How can the 5Es be utilized to promote independent/empowered learning in all content areas?

# data[].attributes.subject
Inquiry Question: How can the 5Es be utilized to promote independent/empowered learning in all content areas?

# data[].attributes.headline
Inquiry Question: How can the 5Es be utilized to promote independent/empowered learning in all content areas?

# data[].attributes.subject
Inquiry Question: How can the 5Es be utilized to promote independent/empowered learning in all content areas?

# data[].attributes.headline
Inquiry Question: How can the 5Es be utilized to promote independent/empowered learning in all content areas?

# data[].attributes.subject
Inquiry Question: How can the 5Es be utilized to promote independent/empowered learning in all content areas?

# data[].attributes.body
This was the first lesson where I switched the template for how I teach. Instead of providing direct instruction, I started with exploration of a topic. I then moved to direct instruction. This allowed for more engagement and better questions to be asked throughout the lesson.

# data[].attributes.headline
My Science Experience and Resources to change it!

# data[].attributes.subject
My Science Experience and Resources to change it!

# data[].attributes.body
My science experience was very hands off. As I reflected I also researched a variety of resources in order to ensure that I have a number of tools to encourage exploration and hands-on learning as a method to build confidence and competence in a subject area.

# data[].attributes.body
Discusses mastery of the known and how it makes less of an impact than working towards learning about the unknown through exploration.

# data[].attributes.headline
New Skills learned through Experiential Play vs. Direct Instruction

# data[].attributes.subject
New Skills learned through Experiential Play vs. Direct Instruction

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What happens when you stop teaching young children via direct instruction and instead set up purposeful opportunities to play? They could learn just as much-or more- when it comes to literacy, numeracy and executive function skills critical to early academic success, according to a new review of 17 studies of play.

Researchers looked at 39 studies of play and included 17 in a meta-analysis that found when children ages three to eight engage in guided play, they can learn just as much in some domains of literacy and executive function as children who receive direct instruction from a teacher or adult. (The studies that were excluded did not fit the review's criteria of assessing child learning and development outcomes.) Guided play, unlike free play, means there is a learning goal set by an adult and children are ' gently steered' to explore. The study found children also learned slightly more in some areas of numeracy, like knowledge of shapes, and showed a greater mastery of some behavioral skills, like being able to switch tasks.

These findings, which were published in the journal, Child Development, add to a growing body of research that has found play is not simply a carefree tangent to learning, but rather an effective way to teach important early skills.

"Children often struggle with mathematical concepts because they are abstract," said Elizabeth Byrne, a co-author of the study and a research associate at the University of Cambridge, in a statement. That's why the hands-on nature of play may be helpful. Those concepts "become easier to understand if you are actually using them in an imaginary game or playful context."

These findings come at a time when many experts are calling for more play for kids to mitigate the trauma children have experienced during the pandemic. Last year, a report by the LEGO Foundation that looked at 26 studies of play from 18 countries found play is so powerful it can reduce inequality and close achievement gaps between children ages 3 to 6. Those studies, which also looked at free play in addition to guided play, found children progressed in several domains of learning, including language and literacy, math and social-emotional skills.

While direct instruction gets information across quickly and is effective for certain skills or lessons in a classroom, "real learning" occurs when children are active and engaged, said

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a professor of psychology at Temple University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. That's why play can be so effective, she added, as children are active and engaged when playing, but may be passive listeners when sitting through some direct instruction lessons. "What it's really about here is can we teach human brains in the way human brains learn," Hirsh-Pasek said.

An added benefit is kids enjoy play more than sitting and listening to an adult talk at them. "The kids are happier, the teachers are happier. It's teaching them more about how to collaborate and communicate," she added.

In the years prior to the pandemic, some states and districts were bringing more play into schools by creating play-based kindergarten classrooms. It was an attempt to move away from the rigorous, academic-focused kindergarten classrooms that emerged in a nation concerned about low reading scores and meeting the Common Core standards. One top pre-K researcher recently called for more play in pre-K amidst concerns that state-funded pre-K programs involve too much direct instruction and not enough time spent outside.

Meanwhile, programs like the Playful Learning Landscape project, led by Hirsh-Pasek, and nonprofits like KABOOM! aim to create play-based learning opportunities outside of the classroom while also improving access to playgrounds.

While play seems simple enough for kids, Hirsh-Pasek said guided play is a bit more purposeful.

Ideally, guided play involves forethought in setting up play opportunities based on a learning goal, but it doesn't necessarily require extensive adult interaction. For example, if a climbing structure is painted to show units of measurement, children may take notice and talk about how high they're climbing. Or if kids are trying to learn addition and subtraction during lesson, throwing a giant number line on the ground and letting children jump forward or backward becomes a guided play activity.

Teachers or parents "become guides on the side," Hirsh-Pasek said. "When we interact too much and become helicopter parents, the kids check out," she added.

The authors of the review note that not all studies included in their report have the same definition of guided play, and that means outcomes may vary. They also called for more research on factors within guided play, such as varying levels of adult guidance and child choice.
Editor's note: This story led off this week's Early Childhood newsletter, which is delivered free to subscribers' inboxes every other Wednesday with trends and top stories about early learning. This story about guided play was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger's newsletter. Subscribe today!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kids can learn more from guided play than direct instruction, studies say

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What happens when you stop teaching young children via direct instruction and instead set up purposeful opportunities to play? They could learn just as much-or more- when it comes to literacy, numeracy and executive function skills critical to early academic success, according to a new review of 17 studies of play.

# data[].attributes.body
Students were given a set of parameters to build a castle that would protect against an attack from Lord Voldemort. They had to explore options for defense and test materials to build.

# data[].attributes.body
My students were asked to create their own cuneiform. They had to explore the best tool for writing and were able to expand upon what types of things would have been written down as a result of the hands-on exploration offered in this activity.

# data[].attributes.headline
Content Creation + ELA through Exploration

# data[].attributes.subject
Content Creation + ELA through Exploration

# data[].attributes.body
Eagle Leadership students produce their own news show daily to share important updates with students. They had to design their own template, learn how to record and edit, and understand what content would keep their audience engaged. They continue to evolve their show through exploration and willingness to learn from trial and error.

# data[].attributes.headline
Flipped Lesson- Exploration followed by Direct Instruction

# data[].attributes.subject
Flipped Lesson- Exploration followed by Direct Instruction

# data[].attributes.body
Flipping the template for the lesson allowed for better questions to be asked during direct instruction and stronger connections to WHY viruses are so hard to fight.

# data[].attributes.headline
Resources for Exploration in all Content Areas

# data[].attributes.subject
Resources for Exploration in all Content Areas

# data[].attributes.body
Hands-on + visual approach to storytelling

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Free Storyboarding Software — Online Storyboard Creator

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Storyboard That: Easy online storyboard creation! Perfect for filmmakers, teachers, and students. Create storyboards and comics with Storyboard That today!

# data[].attributes.body
Hands-On Science Exploration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Video lessons made in partnership with the National Science Teachers Association that engage, educate & inspire kids in science. Generation Genius videos are 12-minutes long and include lesson plans, teacher guides, DIY activities and stopping points for class discussion.

# data[].attributes.headline
Mozaweb- 3D Tours + Digital Interactive Lessons 

# data[].attributes.subject
Mozaweb- 3D Tours + Digital Interactive Lessons 

# data[].attributes.body
I have been using this to help make Social Studies more hands on! We are able to explore ancient structures and get a look inside what life would be like in ancient times. It has created AMAZING questions coming from my students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
the father of modern european science: aristotle

# data[].attributes.body
Covers a wide array of content areas. Direct instruction can connect in an engaging way with students utilizing tools like the above. Students can connect their hands on experience to content taught to solidify new neural pathways.

# data[].attributes.body
Direct Instruction following exploration allows students to connect personal stories to newly learned content solidifying knowledge more deeply.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This is the second of two posts co-written by Vanessa and Lani Peterson, Psy.D., a psychologist, professional storyteller and executive coach.
Telling stories is one of the most powerful means that leaders have to influence, teach, and inspire. What makes storytelling so effective for learning? For starters, storytelling forges connections among people, and between people and ideas. Stories convey the culture, history, and values that unite people. When it comes to our countries, our communities, and our families, we understand intuitively that the stories we hold in common are an important part of the ties that bind.

This understanding also holds true in the business world, where an organization's stories, and the stories its leaders tell, help solidify relationships in a way that factual statements encapsulated in bullet points or numbers don't.

Connecting learners
Good stories do more than create a sense of connection. They build familiarity and trust, and allow the listener to enter the story where they are, making them more open to learning. Good stories can contain multiple meanings so they're surprisingly economical in conveying complex ideas in graspable ways. And stories are more engaging than a dry recitation of data points or a discussion of abstract ideas. Take the example of a company meeting.

At Company A, the leader presents the financial results for the quarter. At Company B, the leader tells a rich story about what went into the "win" that put the quarter over the top. Company A employees come away from the meeting knowing that they made their numbers. Company B employees learned about an effective strategy in which sales, marketing, and product development came together to secure a major deal. Employees now have new knowledge, new thinking, to draw on. They've been influenced. They've learned.

Something for everyone
Another storytelling aspect that makes it so effective is that it works for all types of learners. Paul Smith, in "Leader as Storyteller: 10 Reasons It Makes a Better Business Connection", wrote:

In any group, roughly 40 percent will be predominantly visual learners who learn best from videos, diagrams, or illustrations. Another 40 percent will be auditory, learning best through lectures and discussions. The remaining 20 percent are kinesthetic learners, who learn best by doing, experiencing, or feeling. Storytelling has aspects that work for all three types. Visual learners appreciate the mental pictures storytelling evokes. Auditory learners focus on the words and the storyteller's voice. Kinesthetic learners remember the emotional connections and feelings from the story.

Stories stick
Storytelling also helps with learning because stories are easy to remember. Organizational psychologist Peg Neuhauser found that learning which stems from a well-told story is remembered more accurately, and for far longer, than learning derived from facts and figures. Similarly, psychologist Jerome Bruner's research suggest that facts are 20 times more likely to be remembered if they're part of a story.

Kendall Haven, author of Story Proof and Story Smart, considers storytelling serious business for business. He has written:

Your goal in every communication is to influence your target audience (change their current attitudes, belief, knowledge, and behavior). Information alone rarely changes any of these. Research confirms that well-designed stories are the most effective vehicle for exerting influence.

Stories about professional mistakes and what leaders learned from them are another great avenue for learning. Because people identify so closely with stories, imagining how they would have acted in similar circumstances, they're able to work through situations in a way that's risk free. The extra benefit for leaders: with a simple personal story they've conveyed underlying values, offered insight into the evolution of their own experience and knowledge, presented themselves as more approachable, AND most likely inspired others to want to know more.

Connection. Engagement. Appealing to all sorts of learners. Risk-free learning. Inspiring motivation. Conveying learning that sticks. It's no wonder that more and more organizations are embracing storytelling as an effective way for their leaders to influence, inspire, and teach.

Read more about the power of storytelling in our brief, " Telling Stories: How Leaders Can Influence, Teach, and Inspire "
Vanessa Boris is Senior Manager, Video Solutions at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Makes Storytelling So Effective For Learning?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Telling stories is one of the most powerful means that leaders have to influence, teach, and inspire. What makes storytelling so effective for learning? For starters, storytelling forges connections among people, and between people and ideas. Stories convey the culture, history, and values that unite people.

# data[].attributes.headline
Resources for Explain in all Content Areas

# data[].attributes.subject
Resources for Explain in all Content Areas

# data[].attributes.headline
Suggestions that Helped During my Lesson

# data[].attributes.subject
Suggestions that Helped During my Lesson

# data[].attributes.body
During direct instruction I had students make a bulleted list on a boogie board of questions they had or things they learned from exploration. This allowed them to stay engaged and visually reflect during direct instruction on their learning and where it connected.

# data[].attributes.body
During direct instruction I toss out question cubes. This keeps kids paying attention AND they connected these questions to evidence they had recorded during our EXPLORE time. It allowed for more higher order thinking questions to be asked. It also allowed for more student engagement (hands in the air) during instruction because they had real world experiences to connect to.

# data[].attributes.body
One thing I’ve noticed is students are content to just answer the questions they are being given. They give the answers they know are correct but they don’t always know why they are correct. I have started asking my students “Why?” after every question they answer. This forces them to take a deep look into the answer and why it is correct, rather than just knowing it is correct.

# data[].attributes.body
In this lesson my students had to research and create a News Report on a renewable energy source. In this news report they had to not only explain their renewable energy resource but they had to explain how it works and WHY it is a good source of renewable energy.

# data[].attributes.body
In this lesson students created and tested their own water filter. Once the they completed their tests they completed a write up where they had to explain their filter, state if it worked or not and elaborate on why it worked or why it didn’t. Though some of the students responded with “because it didn’t work” I had a wide array of students who really thought about what went wrong and what they could do to make it better. When students take the time and effort to explain the why it shows they truly understand the topic.

# data[].attributes.body
A lesson without engagement is like a classroom without students. There is a wide variety of ways to engage your class.

# data[].attributes.body
Videos provide a fun way to engage your classroom. You can find a video on almost any topic.

# data[].attributes.body
One of my favorite way to introduce a topic and guarantee engagement is through thought provoking questions. This causes students to think, wonder and engage in a lesson.

For example: Have you ever experienced something you could not explain? If so, what?
I used this to open up the phenomenon discussion. My students had a blast discussing unexplained things that have happened to them.

# data[].attributes.body
Show me a kid who doesn’t love a catchy song? My students love anything that is put to a tune and so do I! Not only is it interesting but studies show songs are easier to remember.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Multiplication Mash Up - A Fun Way to Learn Your Multiplication Facts!

# data[].attributes.body
My students respond really well when I do a “soft” introduction. This is where I briefly explain the lesson topic and then they think about it and then share with a partner. This allows for them to hear different opinions and discuss their own. They love the idea of exploring a subject to find out if they were “right”.

# data[].attributes.body
According to Bybee (2009), “The evaluation phase encourages students to assess their understanding and abilities and provides opportunities for teachers to evaluate student progress toward achieving the educational objectives” (p. 5).

# data[].attributes.headline
Lesson 2a - Empowering students through formative assessments. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Lesson 2a - Empowering students through formative assessments. 

# data[].attributes.body
This was an 'aha' moment for me as I discovered the formative assessment portion of my lesson. I discovered that the open-ended questions in the collaborative boards on Nearpod were a fantastic formative assessment tool. Students were able to assess themselves and their learning every time these would appear. It can therefore be said that these virtual collaborative boards empowered independent learning among students.

# data[].attributes.body
#NovelEngineering

For this lesson I referenced the informational text 'If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon' by Elene Levine. For their STEM project my class created a covered wagon out of construction paper using various materials. The whole project was a microcosm that taught students about the fragileness of the engineering process of the wagons. Many students struggled creating various prototypes until it was agreed that cardboard, yarn and a bunch of tape created the best prototype. Further, physical models are empowering tool for students' independent evaluation.