Introduction
Discovery Learning is a learning method that encourages students to ask questions and formulate their own tentative answers, and to deduce general principles from practical examples or experiences. Discovery Learning is a learning situation in which the principal content of what is to be learned is not given but must be independently discovered by the student. Discovery learning can be defined simply as a learning situation in which the principal content of what is to be learned is not given, but must be independently discovered by the learner, making the student an active participant in his learning.
Target "Goals" of Discovery Learning Theory
The discovery learning mode requires that the student participates in making many of the decisions about what, how, and when something is to be learned and even plays a major role in making such decisions. Instead of being 'told' the content by the teacher, it is expected that the student will have to explore examples and from them 'discover' the principles or concepts, which are to be learned. Many contend that the discovery learning versus expository debate continues a timeless debate as to how much a teacher should help a student and how much the student should help himself."
Task
Jerome Bruner lays out two targets for discovery learning theory
:1.Discovery Learning Theory should act as a refined extension of the broad based theory constructivism by focusing on the individual.
2. Discovery Learning Theory should serve as a way of defining and providing structure to the way in which individuals learn thus acting as a guide for educational research.
There are four components to the Discovery Learning Theory:
Curiosity and uncertainty
Structure of knowledge
Sequencing
Motivation
There are three principles associated with Discovery Learning Theory
1. Instruction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts that make the student willing and able to learn (re
2. Instruction must be structured so that it can be easily grasped by the student (spiral organization).
3. Instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and or fill in the gaps (going beyond the information given).
Bruner identified six indicators or benchmarks that revealed cognitive growth or development:
1. Responding to situations in varied ways, rather than always in the same way.
2. Internalizing events into a 'storage system' that corresponds to the environment.
3. Increased capacity for language.
4. Systematic interaction with a tutor (parent, teacher, or other role model).
5. Language as an instrument for ordering the environment.
6. Increasing capacity to deal with multiple demands.
Process
History of Discovery Learning Theory
Jerome S. Bruner is credited with first introducing discovery learning as a formal learning theory in 1960.
Bruner publishes The Process of Education in 1960, which introduces the concept of discovery learning. In 1966, Toward A Theory of Instruction is published, which formalizes his earlier work and expands the four components of discovery learning. In 1972, Muska Mosston, introduces the concept of Guided Discovery Learning Theory, which becomes a branch of discovery learning theory used in tactile learning environments and situations. In 1986, problem solving becomes a second classification of discovery learning theory and Bruner includes this in his text Active Minds, Possible Worlds. In his more recent works, Bruner (1986, 1990) has expanded his theoretical framework to encompass the social and cultural aspects of learning.
Potential Advantages:
- Supports active engagement of the student in the learning process
- Fosters curiosity
- Enables the development of lifelong learning skills
- Personalizes the learning experience
- Provides high motivation because students have the opportunity to experiment
- Builds on the student's prior knowledge and understanding
Potential Disadvantages:
- Confuses the student if no initial framework is available
- Inefficient and time consuming
- Leads to student frustration
IMPLIFICATION OF DISCOVER LEARNING THEORY BY BRUNER IN EDUCATION
Jerome Bruner’ theory is very influential and has direct implications on the teaching practices. The main ideas of the theory can be summarized as follows:
- Learning is an active process. Learners select and transform information.
- Learners make appropriate decisions and postulate hypotheses and test their effectiveness.
- Learners use prior experience to fit new information into the pre-existing structures.
- Scaffolding is the process through which able peers or adults offer supports for learning. This assistance becomes gradually less frequent as it becomes unnecessary.
- The intellectual development includes three stages. The enactive stage which refers to learning through actions. The iconic stage which refers to the learners use of pictures or models. The symbolic stage which refers to the development of the ability to think in abstract terms.
- The notion of spiral curriculum states that a curriculum should revisit basic ideas, building on them until the student grasps the full formal concept.
- Although extrinsic motivation may work in the short run, intrinsic motivation has more value
- Implications on the learning process
- Bruner’s learning theory has direct implications on the teaching practices. Here are some of these implications:
- Instruction must be appropriate to the level of the learners. For example, being aware of the learners’ learning modes (enactive, iconic, and symbolic) will help you plan and prepare appropriate materials for instruction according to the difficulty that matches learners’ level.
- The teachers must revisit material to enhance knowledge. Building on pre-taught ideas to grasp the full formal concept is of paramount importance according to Bruner. Feel free to re-introduce vocabulary, grammar points, and other topics now and then in order to push the students to a deeper comprehension and longer retention.
- Material must be presented in a sequence giving the learners the opportunity to:
a. transform and transfer his learning.
b. acquires and constructs knowledge
- Students should be involved in using their prior experiences and structures to learn new knowledge.
- Help students to categorize new information in order to able to see similarities and differences between items.
- Teachers should assist learners in building their knowledge. This assistance should fade away as it becomes unnecessary.
- Teachers should provide feedback that is directed towards intrinsic motivation. Grades and competition are not helpful in the learning process. Bruner states that learners must “experience success and failure not as reward and punishment, but as information” Present of active engagement of the student in the learning process that imply that there is application of discover learning theory. Because the process of engagement in the learning that is the emphasis of the theory.
- In the paradigm shift from content base to the competence base that show contribution of discovery learning theory. The student is supposed to acquire knowledge and skills by him or herself instead of everything to listen or told by a teacher.
- The presence of the great emphasis on the use of participatory method in the teaching method that is one among of the ideas which theory talk about on sharing the knowledge, skills and experience
Evaluation
- HOW CAN THE THEORY BE EFFECTED IN THE CLASSROOM BY INTEGRATING IT WITH
ICT
IntroductionAny discussion about the use of computer systems in schools is built upon an understanding of the between schools, learning and computer technology. When the potential use of computers in schools was first mooted, the predominant conception was that students would be
‘taught’ by computers (Mevarech& Light, 1992).In a sense it was considered that the computer
would ‘take over’ the teacher’s job in much the same way as a robot computer may take over a
welder’s job. Collis (1989) refers to this as “a rather grim image” where “a small child sits alone
with a computer”. However, the use of information and communication technologies in the educative process has been divided into two broad categories: ICTs for Education and ICTs in Education. ICT for education refers to the development of information and communications technology specifically for teaching/learning purposes, while the ICTs in education involve the adoption of general components of information and communication.
Conclusion
ICT enhancing teaching and learning process
The field of education has been affected by ICTs, which have undoubtedly affected teaching, learning and research (Yusuf, 2005) .ICTs have the potential to accelerate, enrich, and deepen skills, to motivate and engage students, to help relate school experience to work practices, create economic viability for tomorrow's workers, as well as strengthening teaching and helping schools change (Davis and Tearle, 1999; Lemke and Coughlin, 1998; cited by Yusuf, 2005). In a rapidly changing world, basic education is essential for an individual be able to access and apply information. Such ability must find include ICTs in the global village.
ICT enhancing the quality and accessibility of education
ICT increases the flexibility of delivery of education so that learners can access knowledge anytime and from anywhere. It can influence the way students are taught and how they learn as now the processes are learner driven and not by teachers. This in turn would better prepare the learners for lifelong learning.
ICT enhancing learning Environment presents an entirely new learning environment for students, thus requiring a different skill set to be successful. Critical thinking, research, and evaluation skills are growing in importance as students have increasing volumes of information from a variety of sources to sort through (New Media Consortium, 2007). ICT is a potentially powerful tool for offering educational opportunities
ICT enhancing learning motivation
ICTs can enhance the quality of education in several ways, by increasing learner motivation and engagement,
benefits of ICT