ENGLISH

Common
Guided Discovery for Language Instruction:
A Framework for Implementation at all Levels
Vicky Saumell

M aria Victoria Saumell holds a degree in Literary and Technical

Translation and a Diploma, with Distinction, in the Theory
and Methodology of TESOL. She is co-author of “Preparation for the
Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT),” a module of the online multimedia
teacher-training program, Teacher Development Interactive. In
addition, she is author of Meeting Point, a teacher’s guide to digital
tools, as well as author of, and tutor for, New Learning Environments,
an online teacher-training course for the Masters in ELT program at
Universidad de la Sabana in Colombia. Ms. Saumell has taught English
in private schools for the past twenty years and is currently Overall
Coordinator of the EFL department at Instituto Francisco de Asis in
Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a frequent presenter at professional
development conferences and is an expert on the integration of ICT
for language learning.

N ew language can be introduced in different ways, and

there has been a long standing debate on how to do it
best. Most approaches fall within the deductive / inductive
classification. Guided Discovery takes the best from both
in a way that makes it work for a variety of settings and
contexts, and as a tool to introduce different aspects of
language at all levels. The purpose of this article is to
provide theoretical background and a practical 4-step
framework for implementation of Guided Discovery.
Clarifying concepts: Guided Discovery
Deductive vs. Inductive In between these
two approaches lies
Deductive and inductive approaches derive from “People are generally
“Guided Discovery”,
deductive and inductive reasoning. Deductive better persuaded by
which combines
reasoning applies a general rule to particular the reasons which
the best from each.
instances as opposed to inductive reasoning, they have themselves
Guided Discovery is
which involves inference from the particular to the discovered than by
a modified inductive
general. Thus, language learning is deductive when those which have
approach in which
teachers explicitly present the rule, which come in to the mind of
there is exposure to
is later applied by students in practice tasks.
language first, followed others.” Blaise Pascal
In inductive language learning, however, the rules
by the use of inference,
are worked out from exposure to the language
and finally an explicit
in use. In other words, deductive indicates explicit
focus on rules and practice. There are cognitive,
presentation of rules, while inductive relates to
linguistic, and social benefits to this approach.
implicit learning of rules. Both approaches have
Here are some of them:
advantages and disadvantages and stand as opposing
extremes in a language instruction continuum. Here Cognitive benefits
are a few concepts associated with these. It encourages analytic learning.
It exploits learners’ cognitive skills.
Deductive Inductive It improves critical thinking skills.
General to particular Particular to general It involves students in problem-solving tasks.
Explicit Implicit It helps learners become aware of and articulate
Rules first Exposure to language first their mental processes.
Rule-driven learning Rule-discovery learning Learners participate actively in the learning process.
Cognitive Associative Learners understand and remember better
Conscious Subconscious what they have worked out for themselves.
Application of rules Problem-solving Linguistic benefits
Teacher-centered Learner-centered
It resembles natural language learning/ language
Dependent on the teacher Autonomous acquisition.
Passive reception Active participation
If done in groups, it provides extra language
practice.
Social benefits
Some of the disadvantages of a deductive approach It increases student participation and fosters
are that it can be too controlled and is associated collaboration.
with a teacher-fronted, transmission-style It empowers learners thus enhancing autonomy
classroom. It may also put off analytical learners and self-reliance.
who enjoy being involved in the process. It is motivating for learners who enjoy the
hands-on approach.
Some drawbacks of an inductive approach are
that it is time-consuming and energy-consuming, Guided Discovery addresses some of the drawbacks
and it may lead to misunderstanding of the rule associated with both deductive and inductive
or reaching a wrong conclusion. It demands instruction as it is essentially learner-centered. The
more lesson planning as well as carefully and teacher becomes a facilitator, who guides learners in
systematically designed data and materials. It may the right direction so as to avoid misunderstandings of
also be frustrating for learners with a less analytical the rules. It makes learning memorable since learners
learning style. are actively involved in the process. It is meaningful
because it involves the learners` own reasoning.
What can be taught with This first step allows learners to activate their personal
learning strategies in order to understand the language.
Guided Discovery techniques? For example, a lesson for beginners focusing on the
use of the articles a vs. an might approach Step 1 like
Although guided discovery is generally associated
this. Learners are shown a list of occupations like the
with grammatical rules, it really lends itself to a
ones below and are invited to match the occupations
variety of concepts and aspects of language ranging
with their pictures. At this point the teacher might
from grammatical form and usage to pronunciation,
simply call learners’ attention to the fact that
spelling and lexis. It is, however, important to make
there are two different articles (a and an) which
sure that the rules we present fulfill the following introduce each occupation.
guidelines, as outlined by Michael Swan (cited in
Thornbury, 1999, p. 32)
1. The rules should be true; a nurse an assistant
an artist an electrician
2. The rules should show clearly what limits are on a dentist a student
the use of a given form; an engineer a journalist
3. The rules need to be clear; a teacher a lawyer
4. The rules ought to be simple; an architect
5. The rules need to make use of concepts already
familiar to the learners; and
6. The rules ought to be relevant. Step 2: Observation and analysis of the language
through guided questions
An easy step by step The teacher guides the observation and analysis of
methodological framework the language by drawing attention to the significant
points he or she wants to present. This can be
Guided Discovery can be easily implemented with
done through questions, by completing gaps in
any class, at any level, by following these four steps.
sentences or rules or by matching examples and
rules. Learners’ cognitive potential is put into play
Step 1: Exposure to language through examples
as they cooperate, analyze, hypothesize, compare,
or illustrations
and construct and generate knowledge. Taking
The teacher exposes students to the language part in the learning process empowers them.
through illustrations, examples or a combination This scaffolding step is essential to avoid learners
of both. The examples can be in the form of reaching a wrong conclusion or misunderstanding
isolated sentences, although it is always more the rule.
effective if the language is presented in context.
In the example mentioned above, the teacher
Contextualization of the language makes grammar
might ask beginning students to think about what
relevant and alive and can be done through a
is different about the occupations following a from
reading or listening text, illustrations or photos, or
those following an. Learners could be invited to
real life situations and topics. Context also helps to
rewrite the words in two separate lists under one
facilitate understanding.
column for a and another column for an. A further
step could be to ask learners to circle the first
letter of each occupation and to think about what
“Guided discovery really lends itself the occupation words have in common within
to a variety of concepts and aspects of each column.
language ranging from grammatical
form and usage to pronunciation,
spelling and lexis.”
Step 3: Statement of the rule To apply the newly learned rules in free practice,
learners could engage in natural communication
The teacher uses the information from step 2 to
activities like this one.
state, or gets the learners to state, the rule in
order to make sure that all learners understand it.
Learners construct their new knowledge based on Group work: Guess other students` jobs. Use
their own insights from their observations in the a dictionary.
previous step.
Ex: Are you a taxi driver?
For example, after having analyzed the occupations  No, I`m not a taxi driver.
using a and an, learners can be asked to complete
the rules as follows:

Look at the jobs in Ex 1. Complete the rules with a or Applying Guided Discovery
an.
in higher levels
Different learning styles can also be activated
1. Use before vowel sounds, such as
by applying Guided Discovery to a variety of language
/a/,/e/, and /i/.
texts ranging from captioned illustrations to reading
She`s artist.
texts to listening activities. In addition, as learners
advance in level, they might be asked to observe
2. Use before consonant sounds, such
language in more substantial contexts. At the
as /b/,/d/, and /f/.
intermediate level, a lesson on the uses of future tenses
She`s lawyer.
might engage learners in the following listening activity.
Learners first observe the structures in context, but
focus on what they are hearing.
Step 4: Application of the rule in practice tasks
graded by difficulty or complexity Listen to the Miller and Costa families talk
about their plans for a home exchange. Circle
This step aims at putting the language in practice. the correct alternatives.
The teacher assigns tasks from more controlled
(matching, filling the blanks, close-ended questions) 1. We `ll / `re going to see the old churches and
to more communicative and meaningful (open- historic buildings.
ended questions for discussion, role-playing, writing
tasks, etc). The difficulty and complexity of the 2. David and I love Brazilian food, so we will / are
tasks is usually graded from receptive to productive going to try all the local dishes like churrasco
skills, that is, from identifying or understanding to and feijoada.
producing.

For example, learners who have just come up with 3. I really hope this `ll be / is being the vacation of a
the rules governing the use of a and an could then lifetime for us.
apply the rules in a controlled practice activity such
as this one. 4. We will spend / are spending more than a month in
Toronto. We`ve never been there before.

Write a or an 5. I`m sure you`ll love / `re loving it.

1. aunt 4. country
2. uncle 5. answer 6. And I `m going to / `m going do lots of shopping.
3. number 6. famiy
7. Oh, there are some wonderful shopping areas in
Toronto. I`ll give / am giving you the address of a
great outlet mall.
For Steps 2 and 3, learners then analyze the correct References
answers for the activity and try to construct the
rules. This could be achieved through an activity like Al-Kharrat, M. (2000). Deductive & Inductive
this one. Lessons for Saudi EFL Freshmen Students, The
Internet TESL Journal, 6/10
Match sentences 1-7 in previous exercise Chan, P. (2010). Empowering Students to Self-learn,
to the rules (a-d) below. Use the present ELT World Online: Voices from the Classroom, 2
continuous, be going to or will to talk about
future plans. Gollin, J. (1998). Deductive vs. Inductive language
learning, ELT Journal, 52/1, 88-89
a.Use be going to, to talk about Handoyo Puji Widodo (2006). Approaches and
something you’ve decided to do. procedures for teaching grammar, English Teaching:
Plans can be general. Practice and Critique, 5/1, 122-141
b.Use will for a decision made at the Thornbury, S. (1999). How to Teach Grammar.
time of speaking, or an offer. Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited

c.Use the present continuous to talk

about arrangements (plans that you [Link]/EnglishInCommon
have already organized, and for which
you have arranged the dates).

d.Use either will be or going to for

predictions.

Step 4 then would proceed with both controlled and

free opportunities to apply the newly learned rules.

Summary
Guided Discovery is aligned with more modern
language learning theories that advocate student
participation and the development of critical
thinking skills and autonomy. It relates to analytic
learning and problem solving. It helps learners
engage in the learning process and thus make
personal connections that anchor their learning.
It is a learner-centered approach that increases
participation and fosters collaboration. It empowers
learners towards assuming responsibility for their
own learning and becoming more autonomous. It
is therefore a valid and useful way of approaching
language instruction at all levels of language ability.