Evaluate – How To Use Evaluate In Your Classroom

The Evaluate phase of the 5E instructional model involves student self-reflection and peer evaluation. It is very common for the Evaluate phase to overlap with Explain, especially if Evaluate is part of how students explain their work.  Students may also engage in this phase throughout the learning process as they take time to think about what they have learned.

What is the purpose of Evaluate?

Evaluate gives students time to reflect upon what they have learned, evaluate where they are in the process, and share their ideas about these new concepts. In addition to self-reflection and evaluation, this is also an opportunity for students to evaluate and provide constructive critique to their classmates.

This phase is important because it provides a space where students can think about what comes next and what other information they might need to seek out. This phase can also help students gain confidence in their own learning process as they consider how much they, and their peers, have learned throughout the process.

What does Evaluate look like in the Classroom?

The main goal with the Evaluate phase is to allow students to reflect on and think about what they have learned during a lesson or experiment. In your classroom, include reflexive questions that guide student reflection. Similar to explain, this reflection piece should be part of the presentation, poster, and/or discussion that they give to the class. It is important to allow students time to evaluate and to practice this essential skill.

Questions you can ask to provoke deeper contemplation:

  • How can you verify your knowledge/findings?
  • How would you do things differently if you did this experiment again?
  • Did the information you gathered help you answer the question?  Do you need more information? If so, what kind of information would you need?
  • Were your findings clear? Why, or why not? Are there other potential explanations for what you found?
  • What else do you want to know about this subject?

Challenges You Might Face

It is important to remember you are not testing student knowledge during this phase, nor are you, yourself doing the evaluation (although we should be conducting formative assessment throughout all the i5Es). You are giving students the space they need to demonstrate what they have learned about the subject and time to reflect on what that means to them.

The Evaluate phase of the 5E instructional model involves student self-reflection and peer evaluation. It is very common for the Evaluate phase to overlap with Explain, especially if Evaluate is part of how students explain their work.  Students may also engage in this phase throughout the learning process as they take time to think about what they have learned.

What is the purpose of Evaluate?

Evaluate gives students time to reflect upon what they have learned, evaluate where they are in the process, and share their ideas about these new concepts. In addition to self-reflection and evaluation, this is also an opportunity for students to evaluate and provide constructive critique to their classmates.

This phase is important because it provides a space where students can think about what comes next and what other information they might need to seek out. This phase can also help students gain confidence in their own learning process as they consider how much they, and their peers, have learned throughout the process.

What does Evaluate look like in the Classroom?

The main goal with the Evaluate phase is to allow students to reflect on and think about what they have learned during a lesson or experiment. In your classroom, include reflexive questions that guide student reflection. Similar to explain, this reflection piece should be part of the presentation, poster, and/or discussion that they give to the class. It is important to allow students time to evaluate and to practice this essential skill.

Questions you can ask to provoke deeper contemplation:

  • How can you verify your knowledge/findings?
  • How would you do things differently if you did this experiment again?
  • Did the information you gathered help you answer the question?  Do you need more information? If so, what kind of information would you need?
  • Were your findings clear? Why, or why not? Are there other potential explanations for what you found?
  • What else do you want to know about this subject?

Challenges You Might Face

It is important to remember you are not testing student knowledge during this phase, nor are you, yourself doing the evaluation (although we should be conducting formative assessment throughout all the i5Es). You are giving students the space they need to demonstrate what they have learned about the subject and time to reflect on what that means to them.

Please check out our other blog posts for a more in-depth look at each of the 5Es:

i5E Overview – How To Use The i5Es In Your Classroom

Engage – How To Use Engage In Your Classroom

Explore – How To Use Explore In Your Classroom

Explain – How To Use Explain In Your Classroom

Evaluate – How to Use Evaluate In Your Classroom

Elaborate – How To Use Elaborate In Your Classroom 

How To Engage Your Students With “I think, I wonder”

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