Discovery Learning

-A learning method that encourages students to ask questions and formulate their own tentative
answers, and to deduce general principles from practical examples or experiences.

-A learning situation in which the principal content of what is to be learned is not given, but must be
independently discovered by the learner, making the student an active participant in the learning
process.

Spiral Curriculum

For Bruner, the purpose of education is not to impart knowledge, but instead to facilitate a childs
thinking and problem solving skills which can then be transferred to a range of situations. Specifically,
education should also develop symbolic thinking in children. While there are similarities between
Bruners modes of representation and Piagets stages of cognitive development, he opposed Piagets
theory of readiness which states that cognitive development occurs as a result of maturation.

In a spiral curriculum, the information is structured so that complex ideas can be taught at a
simplified level first, and then revisited at more complex levels later. This means subjects would be
taught at levels of gradually increasing difficulty. This allows the introduction of complex concepts at
earlier ages, and allows students to experiment with and discover more about the concept for
themselves over time.