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Discovery Learning: Theresa Murphy, John Malloy, Sean O'Brien

Discovery learning is a student-centered approach where students learn through hands-on exploration of concepts and answering their own questions. It involves five steps: orientation, hypothesis generation, hypothesis testing, conclusion, and self-regulation. While discovery learning is highly motivating and fosters problem-solving skills, it can be difficult to implement and not all students benefit equally without sufficient prior knowledge or guidance. Critics argue pure discovery learning may lead to confusion, misconceptions, or students falling behind without enough structure.

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298 views32 pages

Discovery Learning: Theresa Murphy, John Malloy, Sean O'Brien

Discovery learning is a student-centered approach where students learn through hands-on exploration of concepts and answering their own questions. It involves five steps: orientation, hypothesis generation, hypothesis testing, conclusion, and self-regulation. While discovery learning is highly motivating and fosters problem-solving skills, it can be difficult to implement and not all students benefit equally without sufficient prior knowledge or guidance. Critics argue pure discovery learning may lead to confusion, misconceptions, or students falling behind without enough structure.

Uploaded by

FauziaMaulidiastuti
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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D IS C O V ER Y LEA R N IN G

TH ER ES A M U R P H Y, JO H N M A LLO Y, S EA N O B R IEN

W H AT IS D IS C O V ER Y
LEA R N IN G ?

Discovery learning is a learner


centered mode of teaching
most widely discussed by John
Dewey and Jerome Bruner.
In discovery learning
students become active
participants in learning by
exploring concepts and
answering their own
questions through testing
and experience.

D ISCO VERY LEARN IN G IS TH E


O PPO SITE O F D IRECT IN STRUCTIO N
Discovery learning works best in problem

solving situations in which the teacher


provides the students with materials
needed to complete a project along with
specific examples. The students work
alone or in groups arrive at their own
understandings

O ften tim es discovery leaning can be


divided into fi
ve distinct steps
1.) Orientation
2.) Hypothesis Generation
3.) Hypothesis testing
4.) Conclusion
5.) Regulative Processes

Step O ne O rientation
- In this stage learners develop their
initial ideas about the subject. They
may read introductory material,
explore the area, and activate prior
knowledge about the subject.

Step Two Hypothesis


Generation

- In this stage learners formulate


hypothesis about the problems and
questions of the material. A hypothesis
is usually a statement about the
relation between two or more variables.

Step Three H ypothesis Testing


In this step the learners test the

hypothesis generated in the previous


step. The students will conduct
experiments that test the
hypothesis, and gather and interpret
those results.

Step Four Conclusion


The student reviews the hypothesis

in the light of experimental findings.


Are the findings in line with the
predictions from the hypothesis?
How did the findings prove the
predications right and wrong?

Step Five Regulation


This step involves keeping track of

the progress made in the preceding


steps. This step also involves
planning and setting goals and
finally, evaluation. Evaluation
concerns assessing the outcomes of
the discovery process.

D iscovery Learning in a
N utshell
Discovery Learning involves recognizing

a problem, characterizing what a


solution would look like, searching for
relevant information, developing a
solution strategy and employing it.
It has three main characteristics:
exploration and problem solving, student
centered activities based on student
interests, and scaffolding new
information into students schemas

H ow is discovery learning unique


Learning is active and hands on
Emphasis on the process, how the student

got to the answers rather than the answers


themselves
Failure encourages students to keep working

to find the right solutions


Feedback and discussion with group

members promotes deeper understanding


Fosters curiosity and individual interests.

Advantages ofD iscovery


Learning

H ighly M otivating
Students are engaged actively in the

learning process.
They are responsible for their own
successes and failures.
They have something at stake.

Problem Solving
Fosters the growth of problem

solving and creative skills.


Similar to on-job learning that will
occur as adults.
Instills lifelong learning skills

Personalization
The learning experience is tailored to

each child.
Gives the students autonomy and
independence.

D evelops an Interest in
Learning
Students discover their own ways of

learning.
Students must utilize their own prior
knowledge and understanding.
Develops curiosity.

M em ory
Students may be more likely to

retain the information if they learn it


on their own terms.
When they learn the information in
context, they may be more likely to
remember it than if they are taught
from a textbook exclusively.

D IS A D V A N TA G ES O F
D IS C O V ER Y LEA R N IN G

N O T EA S Y TO IM P LEM EN T

Learners need to possess a number of cognitive


skills and be intrinsically motivated to learn

Pure M odelvs.G uided M odel


Teachers have found that discovery

learning is most successful when students


have prerequisite knowledge and undergo
some structured experiences.
Most researchers would argue that pure
discovery learning as a general and
global teaching strategy for beginning
and intermediary learners doesn't work.
The debate on how much guiding is
needed is somewhat open.

Som e Criticism s
(Sometimes huge) cognitive

overload, potential to confuse the


learner if no initial framework is
available, etc.
Measurable performance (compared
to hard-core instructional designs) is
worse for most learning situations.
Creations of misconceptions
("knowing less after instruction")

Weak students have a tendency to

"fly under the radar and teacher's


fail to detect situations needing
strong remediation or scaffolding.
In order to solve even moderately
complex problems a person must
engage many schemas. If nothing is
available in long term memory, the
learner is stuck.

In order to benefit from a discovery situation,

students must have basic knowledge about the


problem and must know how to apply problemsolving strategies. Without this knowledge and skill,
they will flounder and grow frustrated. Instead of
learning from the materials, they may simply play
with them.
Critics believe that discovery learning is so inefficient
and so difficult to organize successfully that other
methods are preferable. This seems especially true
for lower-ability students. Discovery methods may
make too many demands on these students because
they lack the background knowledge and problemsolving skills needed to benefit.

Mayer (2004) points out that interest in

discovery learning has waxed and


waned since the 1960s. He argues that
in each case the empirical literature
has shown that the use of pure
discovery methods is not suggested,
yet time and time again researchers
have renamed their instructional
methods only to be discredited again,
to rename their movement again.

D iscovery Learning is related


to:
Active Learning
Inquiry based Learning
Problem based Learning
Expeditionary Learning

TAN G RAM

RABBIT

RABBITS

CAT

SW AN

D IFFEREN T AN IM ALS

D U CK

FOX

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