SusanFerdon,EDTECH5044173(FA09)Reviewer:LindaDeneher

Jerome S. Bruner: Discovery Learning

Overview:
Discovery Learning, promoted by Jerome S. Bruner (b. 1915), is an example of
constructivism. Built upon cognitivism, the constructivist view is that the learner creates
understanding through personal experience and interaction with external stimuli. Bruners theory
is a fusion of content and strategies in which emphasis on discovery helps the child to learn
the varieties of problem solving, of transforming information for better use, helps him to learn
how to go about the very task of learning (Bruner, 1966a, p. 87).

Contributors:
Giambattista Vico (1668 1744): Italian philosopher known for his verum factum principle:
truth is verified through creation.
John Dewey (1859 1952): In After John Dewey, What?, Bruner states that Deweys My
Pedagogic Creed defines truth in the pragmatic spirit: truth is the fruit of inquiry into the
consequences of action. (1966a, p. 114).
Jean Piaget (1896 1980): Though his theory builds upon Piagets stages of development
(Lawton, 1980), Bruners modes of representation can be present at any developmental stage.
Lev Vygotsky (1896 1934): Vygotskys Social Development Theory influenced Bruners
understanding of the impact that history, society and culture have on learning (Lyle, 2000).

Major Principles:
Bruners early work focused, in part, on modes that represent the process of knowing.
These three modes are part of development: 1) enactive - manipulative representation of past
events, 2) iconic - internal imagery, and 3) symbolic - language and mathematics. Key to
Bruners view is that a theory of development must be linked to both a theory of knowledge and
to a theory of instruction, or be doomed to triviality (Bruner, 1966b, p. 21). Theory of
knowledge and instruction must addresses predisposition to learn, structure of knowledge,
sequence, and reinforcement. Citing the appropriateness of spiral curriculum, Bruner states, any
idea or problem or body of knowledge can be presented in a form simple enough so that any
particular learner can understand it in a recognizable form (1966b, p. 44).
More recently, Bruner criticized his earlier views (Smith, p. 2) as being too limited and his
current writings emphasize the importance of narrative in learning. Bruner believes that narrative
both represents and constitutes reality (1991) and symbols, the products of cultural inventions,
are the means by which we construct ourselves and our worlds (Olsen, p. 29).

Application:
In the Guided Discovery model, students are provided with the environment and content
to explore a pre-determined problem. Instructional support guides the learner to make a series of
discoveries that lead to a predetermined goal. Guided Discovery is most often used in science
and mathematics. For example, in the lesson Discover the World Around Us, students explore the
senses through guided discussion and observation, then draw conclusions and categorize their
findings. Following initial discussion, students observe a variety of teacher-selected objects and
describe them. Without telling students, the teacher then classifies descriptions based upon which
senses students used to describe their objects. Students actively construct knowledge but are
guided, by the teacher, to pre-determined conclusions.

SusanFerdon,EDTECH5044173(FA09)Reviewer:LindaDeneher

References:

Bruner, J.S. (1966a). On knowing: Essays for the left hand. New York, NY: Atheneum.

Bruner, J.S. (1966b). Toward a theory of instruction. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of
Harvard University Press.

Bruner, J.S. (1991). The narrative construction of reality. Critical Inquiry, 18, 1-15. Retrieved
from http://liquidnarrative.csc.ncsu.edu/classes/csc582/papers/Bruner.pdf

Lawton, J.T., Saunders, R.A., & Muhs, P. (1980). Theories of Piaget, Bruner, and Ausubel:
Explications and implications. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 136(1), 121-136.
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Lyle, S. (2000). Narrative understanding: Developing a theoretical context for understanding

how children make meaning in classroom settings. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 32(1),
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Olson, D.R. (May, 1992). The mind according to Bruner. Educational Researcher, 21(4), 29-31.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1177209

Smith, M.K. (2002). Jerome S. Bruner and the process of education. The Encyclopedia of
Informal Education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/thinkers/bruner.htm