Hosted by the ODU Center for Educational Innovation and Opportunity, this event brings together new and returning ODU Lab School educators to connect, collaborate, and prepare for the 2026–2027 academic school year.
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Educators often find themselves carrying the cognitive load of learning through explanation, questioning, and discussion. This interactive session challenges participants to redesign learning experiences so that learners, not instructors, do the thinking, reasoning, and academic discourse. Participants will explore how purposeful questioning, structured discourse routines, and intentional facilitation moves increase engagement, strengthen critical thinking, and deepen conceptual understanding across diverse learning environments. The session also demonstrates how the 5E Learning Cycle (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) provides a flexible framework for designing learning experiences that naturally elevate learner voice, collaboration, and sense-making. Through modeling, analysis, and collaborative design, participants will examine what high-quality learner discourse looks like in practice and leave with immediately applicable strategies for creating environments where every learner actively constructs understanding through meaningful conversation.
