Discovery Learning

Discovery Learning is, in essence, the way we all learn naturally or when we are not in a formal education environment. We run across some problem or situation in life that makes us curious, so we do “research” to find the answer. This could be something as simple as finding a phone number, or as complicated as doing extensive research on Basal Cell Carcinoma (skin cancer) after a friend or family member has been diagnosed. Discovery Learning is when we discover the answer to a question or solution to a problem on our own.

 Discovery learning is the idea of "learning by doing" a concept developed by Jerome Bruner in the 1960's.  In discovery learning a student uses prior knowledge and past experiences to interact with their environment.  By doing this they they can discover new concepts and ideas.  According to the theory this makes the learned information more readily available to the learner.  By discovering these concepts and ideas for themselves students make them their own.