RESEARCH PAPER TEMPLATE

North American University

Education Department

M.Ed. in EDLE & CUIN

EDUC 5312: CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

Name: Halim Bilek Date: 6/12/17

Instructional Project 3

Part 1. DISCOVERY LEARNING:

What is discovery learning?

Discovery learning is an approach to learning that can be facilitated by particular

teaching methods and guided learning strategies (Castronova, J. A. (2002).

Discovery Learning is a means by which students engage in problem-solving in

developing knowledge or skills (Moore, 2015). Discovery learning is an inquiry-based,

constructivist learning theory that takes place in problem-solving situations where the

learner draws on his or her own past experience and existing knowledge to discover facts

and relationships and new truths to be learned (Bruner, 1961).

Discovery learning is all about creating, exploring, problem-solving; students actively

integrate to create and generalize knowledge. Since this method is student driven, they

can learn at their own pace, so with this method students have great motivation and they

feel more own their work. Finally, with help of activities students can use existing

knowledge to build new knowledge.

How does this form of teaching compare to traditional, teacher-centered

instruction?

Traditional teacher-centered instruction/method is not so creative for todays generations

and they are not so interesting for them as well. In discovery learning, learners are active

and focus on hands-on activities. According to Brinda (2006), discovery learning is a

very desirable, because it is a student-driven method. Moreover, with a good lesson

planning students and teacher would be really active and flexible during the learning

process.

In general, in traditional learning learners are passive, however, in discovery learning

they are active. In the traditional way, learning is content oriented, but in discovery way,

it is process oriented. Students are pushed to understand in detail. In the traditional way,

learning is based on success and correct answer, on the other hand in the discovery

learning failure is also important; failure is positive because even if students fail they still

learn. Feedback is essential in discovery learning, without feedback from other learned

learning will stay incomplete. The main idea in discovery learning is based on natural

learning as infant learn to talk, to do things by discovery.

What educational theories support the discovery learning model?

John Dewey, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky developed theories that based on discovery

learning, they defined the learning as process-based, active and collaborative.

What is the most important thing you discovered about discovery learning?

What I understand from this learning method is all about experiencing and learning.

When we analyze today's generations they more interested in self-learning through the

activities, which are based on discovery. When we look the current video games and

applications, they are based on try-fail and discovery to the next level. Even if they fail,

many times they do not give up but try again and again to succeed.
How can you apply this method to your future classroom?

As educator even if they are school goals and state requirements we should provide more

student driven activities in the learning process to make learning more permanent. We

should provide students the materials for specific subjects and give them the goals to be

accomplished in their own space.

Part 2. ADDITIONAL CHAPTERS

Chapter 3. Review the chapter and respond to related questions for that

chapter by conducting your own research.

Chapter 3- Managing Classroom Environment

1. Discipline approaches. Analyze the three approaches to classroom management.

Which approach, if any, do you prefer? Can you put together parts of the different

approaches and come up with an eclectic approach that you think would work for you?

Can you identify some basic concepts that appear to be true of all three approaches?

a. Self-discipline approach:

This approach is all about teacher-students relations based on trustiness. This method can

be considered as the democratic classroom model. The relationships are expected to be

positive. In this approach caring about each other, respecting each other is valued. The

teacher is responsible for providing needed guidance to the students so that they can

make good choices and be satisfied with their life. I really like the way Matthew Lynch

(2017) explained the classroom effectively, he said; As your journey as a teacher starts

to finally take shape, you will find that there is no single method to use to manage a

classroom effectively. As different situations arise, you will discover that different
approaches need to be taken. We should take this way into consideration when we build

the classroom management style.

b. Instructional approach:

According to Moore (2016) In other words, the instructional approach is predicated on

the assumption that well-planned and well-implemented lessons that engage students in

their own learning and afford them the opportunity to be successful learners will prevent

or solve most management problems.

I have been in the education field for my whole life as either as students or an educator.

According to my observations as a student for example; whenever we saw that the

teacher is not good on contents or if she or she was not prepared or organized the lesson,

we understood it very quickly and most of the student were making the day a tough day

for the teacher. We asking questions but the teacher was having a hard time to answer or

did not answer the questions. Either as a student or as a teacher when the class was

prepared well with different activities, I saw that most of the classroom problems have

been solved automatically.

c. Desist approach:

In this approach, all responsibility is on the teachers shoulders. This approach actually

gives the whole power to the teacher, teacher controls the class with own or school-wide

rules to deal with misbehavior. I can say that this approach is still very common in

todays world. This is especially very common in the K-8 since the students are not self-

disciplined yet.

As I state before, using these approaches are dependable, if you are in the elementary or

middle school it is not so easy to use self-discipline approach but it may work in the high
school much more easily. I would go with instructional and desist approaches. I would

prepare and plan my lesson very well and then if anything happened during the classes I

would follow the rules as they give me the power to control misbehavior.

2. Causes of misbehavior. Think back over the classes you have attended in which

there have been disciplinary incidents. List the possible causes for any such misbehavior.

How might knowledge of the causes of these incidents influence a teachers actions?

Some behavior problems are teacher created and some are student centered. Can you

think of examples?

We can list many causes for misbehavior; they could be student centered or teacher

centered. For student side we can give some reasons: some student seek for attention,

they do want to be or popular, they make jokes, act weird, and they try to make different

things than the others. There are some students desire for power, they simply do not

follow the rules, and always tend to argue either with the teacher or with classmates.

Some of the students may look for revenge, they may have had some problems with

teacher or classmate and they use it for any reason. Some student may have physiological

problems; lack of sleep, tired, sick, allergies. Classroom environment, which is mostly

about the teacher who needs to design the classroom properly, and makes classes

effective and interactive. They are some student simply do not like some subjects areas or

they do not like the teacher or teachers styles. What I understand the student side mostly

is exceptional, we can add many more reasons ; however, if the problem is on the teacher

side, this is big; if the teacher does nor prepares for classes well if the teacher does not

arrange classroom appropriately, if the teacher has some personal problems which affect

classes.
Part 3. REFERENCES:

Brinda, T. (2006). Discovery learning of object-oriented modeling with exploration

modules in secondary Informatics education. Education and Information

Technologies, 11(2), 105-119. doi:10.1007/s11134-006-7361-x

Castronova, J. A. (2002). Discovery learning for the 21st century: What is it and how

does it compare to traditional learning in effectiveness in the 21st century. Action

Research Exchange, 1(1), 1-12. Retrieved from

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.594.6363&rep=rep1&t

ype=pdf

Discovery Learning (Bruner). (2017, February 24). Retrieved June 10, 2017, from

https://www.learning-theories.com/discovery-learning-bruner.html

Ministry of Education, Guyana. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2017, from

http://educationgy.org/web/index.php/teachers/tips-for-teaching/item/1675-

what-are-the-causes-of-misbehavior-in-the-classroom

Moore, K. D. (2015). Effective instructional strategies: from theory to practice. Los

Angeles: SAGE

1., 2., 1., & 3. (2016, June 02). The First Year Teaching: The self-discipline approach

to classroom management. Retrieved June 13, 2017, from

http://www.theedadvocate.org/the-first-year-teaching-the-self-discipline-

approach-to-classroom-management/