What is the most effective way to teach kids, direct instruction or discovery learning? Decades of high-quality research suggest that, in most cases, direct instruction is the superior instructional method. Nevertheless, the debate is going strong (mostly because education professors never let a bad idea go to waste).
In the Spring 2012 issue of the American Educator, Richard Clark, Paul Kirschner, and John Sweller try to put an end to the debate. They argue,
Discovery learning, problem-based learning, inquiry learning, constructivist learning — whatever the label, teaching that only partially guides students, and expects them to discover information on their own, is not effective or efficient. Decades of research clearly demonstrates that when teaching new information or skills, step-by-step instruction with full explanations works best.
The authors point out that discovery-based methods may work for the few who have attained mastery of the material, but few students fall into this category.
