From Dry Didactics to Active Learning Sessions: Implementing the 5E Learning Cycle to Engage the Adult Learner

Saturday, April 26, 2025

1:00pm – 2:30pm HST

Location: Convention Center: 323

CE: 1.5

Leader(s)

AW

Ariella Weinstock, MD, MSED (she/her/hers)

Pediatrician
United States Air Force
Goldsboro, North Carolina, United States

Co-Leader(s)

NR

Nicole Rangos, MD

Fellow
Children’s National Hospital, United States
Grace Quinn, MD (she/her/hers)

Pediatric Chief Resident
Children's National Medical Center, District of Columbia, United States
Jeremy Kern, MD (he/him/his)

Pediatric Hospitalist
Childrens National Hospital
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Aisha Barber, MD MEd (she/her/hers)

Director, Pediatric Residency Program; Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Graduate Medical Education
Childrens National Hospital
Upper Marlboro, Maryland, United States
Bridget Allard, D.O. (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Children's National Hospital, George Washington Univeristy, United States
Xian Zhao, MD, MEd

Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine
Children's National Hospital, United States

Disclosure(s):

Ariella Weinstock, MD, MSED: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Nicole Rangos, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Grace Quinn, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Jeremy R. Kern, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Aisha Barber, MD MEd: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Bridget Allard, D.O.: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Xian Zhao, MD, MEd: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Workshop Description: For all current and aspiring physician-educators looking to capture their learners' attention, this workshop aims to expand participants' teaching toolbox and transform their learning sessions from dry lectures into active learning. We present the cutting-edge technique developed by the Biological Science Curriculum Study, the “5E Learning Cycle”, a highly interactive lesson plan model that scaffolds learning through a variety of modalities aimed to improve retention of content. This workshop is built in the 5E instruction model to showcase to participants this lesson planning style. In the “Engage” and “Explore” sections, participants will reflect on prior knowledge and beliefs in education and delve into current theories in adult learning. In the “Explain” section, participants will rotate through stations to gain exposure to a variety of alternative teaching methods that are not lecture styles. Participants will then “Elaborate” on what they have learned, by developing their own lesson plan. Finally, in the “Evaluate & Extend” section, we will give near-peer feedback on our lesson plans, and discuss plans to incorporate these new skills into current practice. Every workshop attendees will develop and receive feedback on their own 5E lesson plan, and will be provided with a virtual toolkit containing descriptions and samples of alternative learning modalities that can be applied in the future.

Learning Objectives:

Explain the different stages of the 5E Learning Cycle and how it integrates current adult learning theories
Select appropriate activities to support specific learning objectives and each stage of the 5E Learning Cycle
Design a lesson plan that utilizes at least 3 stages of the 5E Learning Cycle