Discovery Learning

A concept must first be understood to be mastered. Any normal child can memorize. Since he enjoys repetition, he will easily recite whatever he is assigned--the alphabet, math drill cards, or the Declaration of Independence. The question is not whether a child can memorize proficiently. The question is whether by doing this he is gaining mastery of the concept.

Consider the following examples. By memorizing the chronology of presidents, will the child better understand what a president is? By memorizing the Twenty-third Psalm, will the child better understand the relationship between a shepherd and the Lord? By practicing fraction drill cards, will he better understand the concept of fractions? True understanding of a concept prepares the child for mastery; mastery (i.e. memory and other refinement skills) does not promote understanding.

The development of true understanding requires active, personal, ental involvement (e.g. imagining, generalizing, comparing, evaluating) plus time. The child needs freedom to explore his environment. In fact, the parent can sometimes serve his child best by giving him ample time to explore his environment and to discover the nature of the world rather than by "teaching" him. A child who is allowed to explore is led to new encounters with people and things, ever widening his learning potential. The child also develops reasoning skills through asking questions about firsthand experiences, through creating on his own, through trying new methods, and even through failing.

By using discovery learning, we are encouraging a child to teach himself. In spite of the child's need for adult guidance, if a teacher interjects unneeded and unsolicited advice, a child may not only reject learning but may reject his teacher as well.

Of course not everything can be discovered through the child's own reasoning process. Ultimate truths are reserved for the authority of Scripture. But without some opportunity for a child to discover on his own, he will not develop thinking skills.