Discovery Learning and Special Education

Since the start of my teaching career, the debate between discovery learning and direct instruction has been very present. In my undergrad, we were taught about direct instruction solely as a way to instruct students with disabilities. It was not until I started using direct instruction programs myself that I started to see the holes in using direct instruction only. Though it was very effective in filling gaps, it did not allow students to think critically or connect it to their everyday lives. As a result, my overall opinion of the discovery learning versus direct instruction debate is that discovery learning can not be left out of teaching students with learning disabilities. 

The last two years of teaching with a direct instruction curriculum, I have seen a lot of boredom when it comes to my students’ learning. However, that is not the biggest issue that I have seen when it comes to implementing direct instruction.  There were many times when students were repeating back the learning, but then they could not use the information in their class, or could not apply it if I went “off script.”  Often, they sat and waited for me to read the script and tell them exactly what to say. This did not help them think for themselves or problem solve. 

One article I came across (http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/methods/theories/discovery.html) discusses the benefits of discovery learning for students with disabilities.  Integrating students with special needs into a discovery learning environment helps them to be able to solve problems and be able to learn beside their peers. 

One of the biggest misconceptions is that students with disabilities taught with discovery learning will not be able to effectively plan or solve the problems presented to them.  However, “a great deal of structure is provided through scaffolds in the IL and PBL environments” (Hemel-Silver, Duncan, Chinn, 2007, p. 102).  When I have students solve their own problems, there is graphic organizers, prompts, models and other scaffolds that aid them in being successful.  Then, as students gain independence in problem solving, the scaffolds can be taken away. This helps them become independent in their problem solving abilities. Additionally, it helps them apply their learning in a way that a scripted direct instruction curriculum can not. 

From my own experiences teaching students with disabilities in a resource setting, I think that discovery learning is something that is missing in special education curriculum, but could be beneficial to help students connect their learning to their everyday lives.

Hmelo-Silver, C. E., Duncan, R. G., & Chinn, C. A. (2007). Scaffolding and achievement in                                                         problem-based and inquiry learning: A response to Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2006). Educational Psychologist, 42, 99-107.