Discovery-based learning is beneficial for math and science primarily because math and science require students to work through their mistakes. This approach encourages students to engage more deeply with the material, develop problem-solving skills, and learn from their experiences. Both subjects involve experimentation, hypothesis testing, and an understanding that making mistakes is a part of the learning process. This hands-on, inquiry-based method allows students to explore concepts actively and fosters a growth mindset, where they see challenges and errors as opportunities for learning rather than obstacles.
Biologist and science educator Joseph Levine co-authored b, a widely used high school textbook. This educator at the Museum Institute for Teaching Science at the Marine Biological Laboratory, in Woods Hole, Mass., also is trying to put inquiry-based learning into practice. His tactic: Enticing teachers to leave their classrooms for some time out in the field. Along with colleague Barbara Bentley, the two take teachers to the tropical forests of Costa Rica for two weeks of professional training. Their goal: Inspire the instructors to teach more hands-on practices.
“Science is always dynamic and changing,” says Levine. It’s much more complicated than any simple cookbook experiment, he maintains. “Students come up with their own questions and test their hypotheses using data. It creates lots of opportunities for making mistakes.”
A related approach is also seeping into K-12 math education. Common Core is a set of educational standards that 43 states and the District of Columbia have adopted. The set includes eight math practices that teachers are being asked to encourage their students to develop. The first: “Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.” The idea is to push students to make educated guesses. Then those students should not just to jump to a solution, but instead test different ways to solve their problems.
Why is discovery-based learning good for math and science?
Math and science subjects make the best group work.
Math and science problems usually only have one answer.
Math and science are the most difficult subjects and always result in mistakes.
Math and science require students to work through their mistakes.
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