Lawson uses the methodology every day in his work as a professor of zoology at Arizona State University. The best way to learn is to dive in and start 'playing,' if you will. Such disequilibrium fosters creative thinking and innovation skills. That, Lawson says, is what prompts real learning to occur. During the Exploration phase, teachers introduce topics of interest to students.
Students then proceed to conduct hands-on research, using real materials.
The idea is to have students look for patterns and begin to wonder how, why, and how often each thing occurs. He warns that the exploration process can be ruined if the teacher asks questions that are too specific at the start. Classes and guesses can move many ways quickly. Once general patterns are observed, teachers should bring their students back together for phase two. Term Introduction is the point at which general patterns are discussed and observations named.