Facilitated by Karen Green and Amanda Dressing
The e5 Instructional Model was developed by the
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Published in Melbourne April 2009
Milk Shake:
You are an outspoken extrovert with a propensity to develop obsessive, compulsive behaviours.
A high achiever who works hard and gets results!
Sherbie:
You are a sensitive, highly intelligent individual with a bent towards Mathematics.
You have excellent inter-personal skills and work well with people. Lives for the moment!
Redskin:
You are a joyful, happy and easygoing person who enjoys the outdoors. You are energetic and lively,
often the life of the party.
Chocolate Éclairs:
You have an excellent sense of humour and enjoy fine things. You are artistic and creative – an
Excellent companion.
Fantales:
You are an introverted quiet achiever. You were the one voted ‘most likely to succeed’ at your
Valedictory dinner!
On each table is a set of cards that have quotes
from the e5 Instructional Model document that
was published in April 2009.
Shuffle the cards and distribute them to the
group on your table.
Read your quote then introduce yourself to
your table group and discuss the meaning of
the quote to you.
Please take your drinking glasses with you.
Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
The origins of e5 are on pages
2 and 3 of your handout.
Preparation
The teacher brings prior experiences to the students’
awareness.
Presentation
The teacher introduces new experiences and makes
connections to prior experiences.
Generalisation
The teacher explains ideas and develops concepts for the
students.
Application
The teacher provides experiences where the students demonstrate
their understanding by applying concepts in new contexts.
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Sensing a perplexing situation
Clarifying the problem
Formulating an hypothesis
Testing the hypothesis
Revising tests
Acting on solutions
Engagement
Exploration
Explanation
Elaboration
Evaluation
EVALUATE
EXPLORE
EXPLAIN
ELABORATE
ENGAGE
e5 has not been designed as a planning model
(what is taught) but as a Teacher Instructional
Model (how it is taught). It is not linear. A
teacher needs to develop expertise in each of
the Domains and apply that expertise at the
point of need within any teaching program.
Domains
There are 14 Domains in VELS such as The Arts,
Thinking Processes, Personal Learning etc.
There are 5 Domains within e5 – Evaluate,
Explore etc.
Levels
There are 6 Levels in VELS (Prep to Year 10)
There are 4 Levels of teacher capability in e5
‘A principle is a fundamental truth or proposition
that serves as the foundation for a system of beliefs
or behaviour or for a chain of reasoning.’
Oxford Dictionary of English
PoLT provides many ways for teachers to deliver
exemplary learning experiences to students.
Possible links to PoLT have been provided against
the Instructional Model Domains in your
Workbook. PoLT component details are provided
in your Handout on Pages 4 - 16
‘If you don’t know what good practice looks like
and you can’t translate it into a common and
shared language, improvement won’t happen.’
Richard Elmore
At each table there is a piece of butchers paper
with a lolly and the name of one of the e5
Domains attached.
You are to move to one of the tables with the
lolly you chose when you sat down on arrival.
There are to be no more
than 4 people at each
table.
Each group has been given a different coloured
texta. Your task is to move around the room as
a group and add any words that you connect
with the e5 Instructional Model Domains of:
 Engage
 Explore
 Explain
 Elaborate
 Evaluate
Hot Potato explanation on P21 of handout
Using the word splash created by the
Hot Potato as a prompt, generate a
paragraph that explains what teachers
may be doing when they are
instructing students within this Domain.
Swap your paragraph with one of the other teams
working on the same Domain.
Without altering the work on the page, write any
questions or thoughts/suggestions you have about
the paragraph they have written.
Return it to the original group.
Looking in your workbook (page 9) compare the
paragraph developed in the last activity group
with the definition stated in the e5 Instructional
Model .
Was there anything important that you missed?
Pay particular attention to the teacher
teacher capabilities.
If you have a red Domain card on your table
can you please share the thinking that
occurred when writing your definition and then
comparing your definition
with the ‘official’ e5 definition.
Form like school groups of no more than 4 members
wherever possible.
Within the Secondary Groups work in similar
faculty/subject groups.
Within Primary school groups try to form groups at a
similar VELS teaching level (not essential)
We suggest you try to work with staff from other schools.
In order to help explain the e5 Instructional Model,
we have provided each level (pages 2-8 in your
workbook) with the initial thinking behind a unit of
work based on the big idea of ‘Courage’ that would be
appropriate to teach students in Levels 1-4 and the big
picture thinking behind a unit on ‘Sustainability’ for
Levels 5 and 6 including :
•
•
•
•
•
Concept Phrase
Rationale
Investigation Into
Essential Questions
VELS as appropriate (see separate sheets provided)
Find your level’s Big Picture Planning page.
This page refers to a Rich Assessment Task (RAT).
Planning units with the ‘end in mind’, provides
opportunities for teachers to design assessment
tasks that genuinely address the standards and
to explicitly communicate student outcomes.
You have been provided with VELS standards
across all three Strands.
These are the standards to consider when
working through today‘s activities.
In your groups have a 5 minute discussion about a
possible assessment task that would assess the
standards you have been given.
Record your thoughts in the RAT section of your
Big Picture page in your Workbook.
Which two people are prepared to volunteer to
perform a task in front of this group?
You will be prepared to leave the room and
then come back in separately and do
something for one minute.
Criteria
Beyond the
group
Competent
Beginner
3 points per dot point
2 points per dot point
1 point per dot point
body parts
used (self and/or others)
•Expression evident in
facial and body
movements
•Novel approach –
unpredictable and
innovative
•Expression
evident in either
facial or body movements
•Different body parts used
(self only)
•Aspects of performance
indicated some innovation
but it was not sustained
•Hands
Volume
•Audible
throughout the
performance as
appropriate
•Varied volume regularly
throughout the
performance.
•Some
aspects audible
•Volume varied at some
stages of the performance
•Difficult
Rhythm
•Varied
rhythm
throughout the
performance
•Some
rhythmic variation
on occasion
•No
•Followed
•At
•Less
Creativity
Follows
instructions
•Different
all instructions
and covered all criteria
least half of the
instructions followed
•Little
only used to clap
expression evident
•Traditional
clapping with
two hands only
to hear
•Volume at on level
throughout performance
variation of rhythm
than half of the
instructions followed
Using the RAT rubric (pages 10 & 11 of
your workbook) , consider the task that
you just discussed and continue to
develop it so that it could be assessed
against the selected standards.
There is a blank page on the last page of
your workbook for you to properly write
up your RAT.
Working in levels look at the Big Picture thinking, the
standards that has been provided for your level/discipline and the
Rich Assessment task you’ve designed.
Working off the ‘Engage’ page in your Workbook (page 12),
as a group discuss what a teacher will do, say and/or ask
students in order to engage them throughout this unit.
Make sure you consider each statement in the explanation of the
Domain AND the capabilities.
You may wish to consider some of the PoLT Components
referred to on the ‘Engage’ page.
Write your ideas on the T Chart provided.
Examples of T Chart entries are in your handout on
pages 17-19.
Level
What you might do
What you might say/ask
One
Place students in pairs and
provide an opportunity for them
to think of a time when they have
been brave, share it with their
partner and role play the
situation.
Rove through the groups seeking
clarification.
‘This unit will help you find
ways to help you to be brave in
the playground.’
‘Can you explain a time when
you have been brave?’
Level
What you might do
What you might say/ask
Two
Show students a cartoon of a
super hero as a stimulus and
have them ‘think-pair-share’
acts of bravery.
‘ This unit is about Courage’.
‘Was there any time in the
cartoon where the ‘bad guy’ was
brave?’
Level
What you might do
What you might say/ask
Three
Have students say/ask something
to the teacher that they have
been too scared to say. Assure
them that their comment will
simply be acknowledged, not
discussed or challenged.
‘When you have seen someone
demonstrate bravery how did
you feel?’
‘That was very brave of you to
do that dance at assembly!’
Level
What you might do
What you might say/ask
Four
Students individually identify
something that scares them (e.g.
fear of spiders, public speaking) and
find someone in the room that
doesn’t get scared by this.
‘Different people are
frightened of different things.’
‘When you have seen
someone being bullied what
do you wish you had the
courage to do?’
Level
What you might do
What you might say/ask
Five
Share Rodney King footage. Use
‘Inside-Outside Circles’ for
students to share their thoughts
on who was responsible for this
happening.
‘This unit will encourage
honesty in our classroom
which will necessitate you
demonstrating bravery.’
Level
What you might do
What you might say/ask
Six
Show students the ‘Blue Eyes,
Brown Eyes’ video and place
them in small groups to
graphically record their
impressions (e.g. mind map,
brainstorm web).
‘Is a dictatorship more or less
likely to require/inspire acts of
courage?’
Reflection and metacognition are supported when
journal writing.
Read the scenario in the reflective journal provided
and spend a few minutes reflecting on your answer.
One of the teacher capabilities within this Domain
is to develop students’ metacognitive capacity.
Writing in your journal is mirroring this process.
Working individually write a
sentence that may be found
in a dictionary to define
‘Explain’.
‘ Make something clear to someone by
describing it in more detail or revealing
relevant facts.’
New Oxford Dictionary of English
Whoever is deemed to have the definition
closest to this one, wins the prize on your
table.
Read the general explanation of the Domain of Explain on
page 13 of your Workbook. Considering your unit,
complete the Alphabet Key.
Outline possible explanation tasks that address teacher
capabilities outlined in the general explanation of the
Domain.
Tasks are the teacher planning for the actions of, and
the environment conducive to, the students’ learning.
How effective are the group activities that we are doing
today in engaging you as the learner, and providing
opportunities for you to explore the content?
Working in pairs, select one person who will ask
questions (questioner), and one who will provide a
statement about their life (friend) that they are
prepared to discuss.
The friend makes the statement and the
questioner uses the question stems provided on page
20 of the handout, to facilitate a substantive
conversation. Please discuss for 5 minutes.
Did the questions lead to higher-order thinking?
Why?
Using the ‘higher-order’ verbs (page 14 of
your Workbook) to elaborate on the tasks
(including the Rich Assessment Task) you
have designed/considered throughout the
day.
Considering whatever you are going to work on next
week , how might the work we have just done
regarding the Domain of Elaborate impact on your
practice?
Immersion in a topic that is relevant
and interesting to the student.
 Generate questions about the topic
 Sort the questions
 Consider how the questions could be
answered
 Gather information
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Sort and organise the information
 Form generalisations
 Produce evidence of answers to the
questions that have been generated
 Share knowledge, concepts and values
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For an effective inquiry to take place we
need:
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A context for questions
A framework for questions
A focus for questions
Different levels of questions
Well-designed inquiry learning produces
knowledge formation that can be widely
applied.
Page 15 of your Workbook.
Using 3 different coloured highlighters match the
sentences in the general explanation with the
Capabilities:
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Prompts inquiry
Structures inquiry
Maintains session momentum
How might students explore the unit you are
considering? What questions might you ask to
encourage their inquiries ?
Using the question cubes at your table to
support you, complete as much as you can of
the Question Matrix in your Workbook
(Page 15).
Template for questions cubes on P23 of Handout
Which of these questions are most likely to
prompt a deep inquiry?
Circle these questions.
How well do you feel you present
inquiry to your students?
How might you improve on your
current practice?
Full explanation of Inside-Outside circles on P22 of handout
Please complete the feedback sheet provided
as this allows for continual improvement of this
workshop as well as possible directions for your
future professional learning requirements.
Thanks for your participation in today’s
workshop.
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Day 2
A deeper look at the sequential levels (1-4) of
teacher profile statement with the e5 model
focussed on ‘Evaluate’ and ‘Engage’.
Linking e5 to best practice including rubric design,
pre-testing, goal setting and cooperative learning.
PUT YOUR WORKBOOK IN A SAFE
PLACE AND BRING IT WITH YOU ON
DAY 2!!
SEE YOU THEN!!