exploration phase
start with an activity - students involved / teacher is observer
concept introduction phase
"write the words on the board" ( aka: "teach" )
as students feed you information they discovered or questioned during
the Exploration Phase. So now the teacher has a more active role.
concept application phase
apply the science concept "elsewhere." Very often this phase is the springboard (Exploration Phase) to introduce a related concept.
Ahhh ... a cycle
"geez, Louise ... the learning cycle is ... common sense."
rule #1 : if you can't give the kids a real experience with some object or science phenomena ... don't teach it.
rule #2 : if you can't give the kids another applied example of the concept or phenomena ... don't teach it.
were teachers to obey these two rules, think of how schools and curricula and you and kids ... would change.
for example you would never mention Jupiter or Mars or Venus ...
UNLESS
you first met with the kids in the school parking lot some evening or morning and pointed out these objects in the sky, and plotted their motion for months ..
now about teaching ... dinosaurs ... hmmm !