ized. In the classes where everything was predicated on rote learning, I was supremely bored. Years later, when I read about discovery learning, I recognized at once that this was what provided the spark that ignited my passion for school.
Today, in a larger sense, I see discovery learning as part of my lifelong learning, because I am still in the discovery mode. I enjoy exploring new things and learning about subjects I know little or nothing about, and I especially enjoy the kind of research we did in science class, where no one told us what to think, do, or believe during our exploration time. It was our time to enjoy the thrill of discovery and guide our own process of learning.
The philosophy of discovery learning influences my classroom practices to a significant degree. Even when the teacher's version of the textbook or the school curriculum specifies rote learning, I always try to adapt the lesson to discovery learning wherever possible. For example, in a recent science lesson, the curriculum specified that the class was to be taught a list of 20 different tree species an
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