“Principles are best learned by their application, rather than by the abstract study of the principles themselves.”

- Major General Eben Smith

What Is Guided Discovery Learning?

Senior leaders need to engage the subordinate leader in a two-way communication about their observations. While a direct approach could be used, an indirect approach places more responsibility on the subordinate to identify personal strengths and developmental needs. This fosters subordinate leader acceptance, ownership, and action. Guided discovery learning is an indirect approach that propels learning and doesn’t rely on simply giving the subordinate the correct answer.

Why Guided Discovery Learning Is More Effective

  • It is the subordinate leader’s responsibility to make sense of incoming information and integrate it with his or her personal base of experience and knowledge of relevant doctrine (the discovery).
  • Subordinate learning and transfer of knowledge are maximized because the supervisor generally keeps the subordinate on track through hints, direction, coaching, feedback, or modeling.
  • Guided learning enables deep understanding of targeted concepts, principles, and strategies.

Why – Without Guidance – It Is Less Effective

  • The subordinate leader merely executes without having to think about it.
  • The subordinate leader makes sense of incoming information using whatever criteria they feel is relevant.
  • The supervisory leader is passive, providing no guidance or feedback concerning the rules or criteria that the subordinate is using for problem solving.