Theme 5: Discovery
What is the purpose of learning?
One view is that it is an accomplishment which will make other things possible. E.g. an end result such as a job, a career, or being able to play the guitar, cook, or program a computer.
Another view is that it is a process, a journey of self-discovery and development.
I believe both of these to be important and true. Learning is about achieving goals and accomplishing but it is also about a lifelong journey and our development has human beings.
These two points underpin my choice of a waka/canoe as a metaphor. On the one hand, learning is the vehicle – it gets us to where we want to be; on the other hand, learning is an integral, ongoing and definitive aspect of living fully as a human being.
What is the purpose of education?
To my mind, the purpose of education should be closely connected to the purpose of learning – a process through which the educator enables and facilitates the ‘learning journey’ of the learner. However, traditionally education has had other purposes – notably as a form of social control and replication of the status quo. Although a fascinating area in itself, this is outside the scope for this present project. The notions of exploration, journey and discovery are however key ones in contemporary education and also in career development theory.
Discovery-based Learning
Bruner is a key figure with regard to the concept of Discovery Learning, something I find appealing and perhaps this is at the base of the self-directed APL process I am engaged in. The end goal looked absolutely enormous and far far away at first glance. But now the journey is underway, support, tools and resources are being provided and discovered as I travel on along a path that is partly ‘on-road’ and partly ‘off-road’.
Discovery then, is more about using intuition, feeling and spontaneity, in contrast to following rigid structures and predetermined systems. I think this is why it appeals to me, as a person with strong creative and artistic interests.
Faye Borthick and Donald Jones (2000) suggest, “In discovery learning, participants learn to recognize a problem, characterize what a solution would look like, search for relevant information, develop a solution strategy, and execute the chosen strategy.” I see elements of this in the APL process, for example the creation of my own Personal Curriculum and associated Action Plan.
Discovery-based learning then, can enable learning to occur at a deeper and more personalised level and can facilitate the development of understanding, knowledge and skills that may last a lifetime.