Should teachers step back from guiding students in their learning and allow them to inquire and discovery for themselves? A recent report by the C.D. Howe Institute called discovery-based teaching methods ineffective as Canadian test scores have been falling. Does this method of instruction promote or hinder student learning?
I think we can all relate to having a faint memory on what we learned during our high school education. When most reflect on our high school education, we rarely remember what we learned. There may be some instances where a teacher was successful in imprinting some knowledge on us but overall we loose what we learned. From my own experience in high school, I was a very passive student and simply regurgitated what my teachers were teaching me. I was never genuinely learning independently. The teachers were doing all the thinking for me.
Through discovery-based (or inquiry-based) learning, students are in the drivers seat. They are more active in their learning. They are forced to think critically and are engaged in the material. They are producing a product that is their own that will hopefully be a lasting memory in their knowledge. This pedagogy also stresses the processes involved in acquiring the knowledge, which in turn will promote life-long learning.
A source that I suggest is Jo Boaler’s work. Jo Boaler, who focuses her work within the field of Mathematics, has studied the brain plasticity in her research. In one of her papers, “Ability and Mathematics: the mindset revolution that is reshaping education,” she explains recent discoveries of the brain plasticity and how deeper learning happens when students stress their thinking. When students a passively learning with the teacher doing all the thinking, students do not make strong synapses in their brain. But when they are forced to discover and think on their own, they build stronger pathways. Under this pedagogy, students will be able to remember what they learned longer and understand at a deeper level.
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