Firsthand Learning
Promoting the process of inquiry as a vehicle for learning
Video link from Massachusetts Audubon featuring the Science of Massachusetts Program for Schools
Firsthand learning empowers people by providing them with opportunities to figure things out for themselves, to believe in the analytical abilities of their own minds, and to connect with the world around them.
Firsthand learning arises from the learner's innate curiosity and the desire to investigate real phenomena. It requires close engagement with the immediate environment.
Firsthand learning generates questions that focus subsequent investigations. It invites learners to gather and record their observations, to analyze and interpret them, and to arrive at provisional answers.
Firsthand learning involves communication of the results of this investigative process. Sharing evidence and discussing findings with others underscores that learning is a social process.