Discovery Approach: Advantages

and Disadvantages
 Advantages of discovery approach
◗ Students are actively involved in the process of
learning and the topics are usually intrinsically
motivating.
◗ The activities used in discovery contexts are often
more meaningful than the typical classroom
exercises and textbook study.
◗ Students acquire investigative and reflective skills
that can be generalized and applied in other
contexts.
◗ The approach builds on students’ prior
knowledge and experience.
◗ Independence in learning is encouraged.
◗ It is claimed that students are more likely
to remember concepts and information if
they discover them on their own.
◗ Group working skills are enhanced.
◗ New skills and strategies are learned in
context
 Disadvantages of discovery approach
◗ Discovery can be a very time-consuming
method, often taking much longer for
information to be acquired than would occur
with direct teaching.
◗ Discovery methods often require a resource-
rich learning environment.
◗ Effective learning by discovery usually depends
upon learners having adequate literacy,
numeracy, independent study skills and self-
management.
◗ Students may learn little of value from
discovery activities if they lack an adequate
knowledge base for interpreting their
discoveries accurately.
◗ Young children often have difficulty forming
opinions, making predictions, or drawing
conclusions from evidence. They have major
problems with inductive reasoning.
◗ Teachers are not necessarily good at creating
and managing discovery learning
environments, resulting sometimes in poor
outcomes.