According to Jerome Bruner (1915- ) Discovery Learning
Discovery Learning is an inquiry-based learning theory that takes place in problem solving situations where the learner draws on or his/her own past experience and existing knowledge to discover facts and relationships and new truths to be learned. Students interact with the world by exploring and manipulating objects, wrestling with questions and controversies, or performing experiments.
As a result, students may be more likely to remember concepts and knowledge discovered on their own.
Advantages
- Encourages active engagement
- Promotes motivation
- Fosters curiosity
- Develops creativity and problem solving skills
- Students take ownership of their learning
- Builds on prior knowledge
Disadvantages
- Potential to confuse if there is no initial framework, poor instructions, or no summarizing activity or follow up
- Teacher may fail to detect problems and misconceptions
- Can be time-consuming if not planned well or used to discover concepts which are overly complex