Discovery Learning Method

APRIL 23, 2018

Image
It’s a picture we’ve seen all too often: an elementary school student
slumped over at his desk, bored and restless, his face barely
supported in his hands. He is trying not to fall asleep as his teacher
drills content about basic anatomy: the heart is here, the lungs are
here, the kidneys are here…The teacher gives the class a worksheet
asking them to fill in which body parts go where. It’s due at the end of
the period and the only way to measure whether the students have
learned anything is based on this worksheet and the inevitable unit
test.

Now imagine this: elementary students walk into a classroom and see
a basic skeleton with a models of the heart, lungs, kidneys, stomach,
and intestines laying on a table in the center of the room. Students
gather around in a circle, see the model organs, giggle, and begin to
guess the name of each body part, its function, and, through trial and
error, figure out where each organ fits in the model.

Both lessons have been used by teachers, but one lesson has
students actively involved, curious, and engaged. The other relies on
direct instruction, rote memorization, and knowing information “for the
test.” One lesson is memorable for students. The other relies on a
student memorizing information. Which lesson will have a lasting
impression?

Teaching methods that rely on student-centered learning are

considered a more effective style of teaching because, as the name
suggests, lessons are based on the student and meeting his or her
psychological needs to achieve learning outcomes.  If an educator
takes a child’s development into consideration, he or she can prepare
lessons that will not only engage the student but also leave a lasting
impression.
John Dewey famously wrote about student-centered learning in the
early part of the 20th century. In his book The Child and The
Curriculum, he stressed that children need a chance to explore,
experience and connect information in order to truly understand and
internalize abstract principles. Dewey also felt that curriculum
shouldn’t be made interesting to students, but should instead already
be of interest to students in order to avoid apathy.  

One of the most used versions of student-centered learning is the

Discovery Learning Method.
Background and Characteristics

The Discovery Learning Method is an active, hands-on style of

learning, originated by Jerome Bruner in the 1960s. Bruner
emphasized that we should be “learning by doing.”  With this method,
students actively participate instead of passively receiving knowledge.
Students interact with their environment by exploring and manipulating
objects, wrestling with questions and controversies or performing
experiments. They are encouraged to think, ask questions,
hypothesize, speculate, cooperate and collaborate with others. They
develop confidence in problem solving and feel comfortable using
knowledge they already have. Instead of a student being an empty
vessel for a teacher to fill with knowledge, the Discovery Learning
Method takes into consideration that all students have some
background knowledge that they may be able to apply to the current
subject at hand.

The Discovery Learning Method is a constructivist theory, meaning it

is based on the idea that students construct their own understanding
and knowledge of the world through experiencing things and reflecting
on those experiences. Willy Wonka very famously said “We are the
music makers. We are the dreamers of dreams.” Willy Wonka was a
constructivist and his factory constantly used the Discovery Learning
Method. That’s what made his Chocolate Factory so exciting to
children and adults alike–there was hands-on learning and trying in his
factory. Granted, some of the results weren’t favorable, but each time
something happened to a child, an Oompa Loompa would sing a song
not only reiterating the lesson, but also reminding the children and
adults that they should have known something would happen based
on their prior knowledge. This hands-on approach created lifelong
lessons nobody (not even the people watching it from the comfort of
their own homes) would ever forget.

The Discovery Learning Method is also unique in how it presents

problems. Teachers will give students a problem and some resources
to solve it. This concept alone is very different from standard science
experiments you may remember when you were growing up.  Most
science teachers would give the instructions for an experiment,
perform the experiment, show the result of the experiment, and then
grade the students on their write-ups of the experiment. There’s not
much discovery happening when students see every step and the
desired outcome before they even attempt it on their own. Students
are simply performing a task they watched someone else do.

The Discovery Learning Method may have a specific end result, but
the focus is on the steps and the critical thinking involved in getting
there. Teachers have to observe the process, not just grade a written
paper at the end of the experience.
Educational Psychologist Jean Piaget viewed children as little
philosophers and scientists building their own theories of knowledge.
The book Hands-On Science Teaching best summarizes this:

“Piaget’s research clearly mandates that the learning environment

should be rich in physical experiences. Involvement, he states, is the
key to intellectual development, and for the elementary school child
this includes direct physical manipulation of objects.”
Implementing Across The Curriculum

Even though most people associate the Discovery Learning Method

with science classes, it can be applied to all parts of a curriculum. In
an English class, for example, teachers may introduce the “dreaded”
Shakespeare unit with lists of vocabulary for each act and a make
students fill out a worksheet while watching a biographical video about
Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre. If using the Discovery Learning
Method, however, a teacher could give the students a handout to
create their own “Shakespearean Insult” by choosing a word from
each of three columns. After everyone gets a chance to hurl their best
insult (“saucy lily-livered moldwarp” or “peevish evil-eyed crutch” for
example), they have a better understanding of Shakespeare’s
language and could keep a notebook of insults they come across
during the play.
Why Educator Training is Important

The Discovery Learning Method, if used incorrectly, can also be a

barrier to learning. If teachers are having activities just for the sake of
having activities, then students will not learn concepts. Formal training
in this method is necessary for teachers and teachers also have to
reflect about how their activity is helping students master a concept.
Teachers have to remember that just because something is “hands
on” does not mean that it is “minds on”. Canadian educational
researchers Scardamalia and Bereiter further explain:

“The shallowest forms engage students in tasks and activities in which

ideas have no over presence but are entirely implicit. Students
describe the activities they are engaged in (such as planting seeds or
measuring shadows) and show little awareness of the underlying
principles that these tasks are to convey.”
Successfully Implementing the Discovery Learning Method in the Classroom

To effectively use the Discovery Learning Method in a classroom, a

teacher needs to not only be flexible, but also well-prepared,
organized, and have an understanding of how what is discovered in
class is educationally valuable and can lead to further investigations
for the student.  Teachers need to be able to help young children, who
are already curious about the world around them, learn how to ask
questions that will help them understand their surroundings.

Teachers also have to know where their student is developmentally

and how that will play in a role in a child finding success in a lesson.
This may sound like a lofty goal, but most educators have to take
classes in developmental psychology that are specifically geared to
the age with which they want to work. Additionally, teachers using the
Discovery Learning Method cannot wait until the end of the activity to
access a child. Instead, they interact with students to see what the
student is doing, what kind of questions are being asked, and help
them apply any new skills that may be necessary to solve problems
and draw conclusions. The teacher must also recognize that there is
more than one way to get to an end goal.

The Discovery Learning Method is a great choice for ESL students, as

well as students with behavioral or developmental problems. The
student who can’t sit still in class will have a chance to actively take
part in the learning process.  The student whose first language is not
English will be exploring ideas instead of being told what to think and
possibly not understanding the concept because of a language barrier.
When the Discovery Learning Method is used,students are on task
more often because they are actively part of the learning process
instead of just being spectators.

Conclusion
Overall, the Discovery Method is highly supported by educational
psychologists. They agree with Kant, Piaget, Vygotsky and Bruner as
well as educational philosopher Dewey that learning is based on
knowing and doing.  If a teacher takes into consideration that a child
already has some prior knowledge, then that teacher will be able to
show students how their lives are connected to the content without
having to work to create that connection.

It takes work to successfully use the Discovery Learning Method in the

classroom, and teachers have to be careful to not have class activities
just for the sake of having activities. The Discovery Learning Method
is hands-on, focuses on the process, and encourages students to look
for solutions. Instead of just teaching students to memorize rules or
concepts, this method lets them apply ideas to their lives, creating
memorable lessons that will help turn them into lifelong learners.

Discovery Learning Method - Inventionland Institute