5 E's and Inquiry Methods

The 5 Es help teachers to create engaging lessons as well as recognize when their students are engaged. Learning is much more easily facilitated when students invest their interest and attention into a lesson. For that reason, the Inquiry Models of teaching are some of my favorite. They allow students to take charge of their own learning while still being guided by the teacher. The Inquiry Models allow teachers to pose broad, open-ended questions for students to explore on their own or in groups.
While I am a big fan of this kind of teaching, I understand that there are difficulties and downsides as well. If students don't feel like the classroom is a safe environment, the exploration of the provided learning material will be overshadowed by the fear that the students will do something wrong and be punished for it. It's very important for a teacher using the inquiry models to create a strong class community of respect and an environment in which students feel comfortable. If this is done correctly, students will be able to engage with the lesson and experience the joy of learning. When appropriate, teachers can offer a course correction if students are missing the mark completely. This should be done sparingly and with as much tact as possible. Tactfully spinning an "incorrect" answer to make sure the class as a whole is not mislead is a useful skill when teaching using this method.