What does "Guided Discovery" primarily focus on?

Guided Discovery primarily focuses on providing scaffolding for students to learn through exploration. This instructional approach involves the teacher guiding students in their learning process while allowing them the freedom to explore and discover concepts on their own. The teacher's role is to facilitate understanding by asking leading questions, providing hints, and offering support as students engage with the material. This method encourages active learning and helps students develop critical thinking skills by allowing them to connect new information to their prior knowledge through exploration.

In contrast, teacher-centered instruction emphasizes direct teaching, where the teacher is the primary source of information and students are more passive recipients of knowledge. While students independently finding solutions may seem similar, guided discovery specifically includes the teacher's guidance, which is essential in helping students develop their understanding. Lastly, using standardized testing to measure learning does not align with the exploratory nature of guided discovery, as it focuses more on assessment rather than the process of learning through inquiry and exploration.