Discovery Learning—Jerome Bruner

Abstract

Cognitive constructivist theory of learning has been influential since the 1950s. Jerome Bruner was one of the pioneers of cognitive constructivism and his book in 1960, the Process of Education, had a huge impact on educational policies for a century. This chapter is about cognitive constructivism and one of its significant methods of learning, namely, Discovery Learning. Throughout, the background and guidance to Discovery Learning as an instructional model for science learning is explicated with its implications for science education. It is argued that the main aim in science education is not to make the students memorize the scientific knowledge but assist them to acquire the scientific attitudes, skills, and knowledge that they need to understand the world around them, to solve the problems they will encounter, and to make informed decisions related to scientific and socio-scientific issues. The research by Jerome Bruner was focused on this aim and his research improved our understanding of knowledge construction through symbolic representations, scaffolding, and discovery. His ideas led to the movements of ‘learning how to learn’ and ‘learning by doing’ which are still the pivots of science education. This chapter will guide the readers with suggestions for the use of discovery learning in science teaching.