DIRECT PURPOSEFUL EXPERIENCES

TEACHING WITH CONTRIVED EXPERIENCES

I. Module Overview

In this module, we will single out direct, purposeful experiences as instructional

materials and how they can be effectively used for instruction. And if for one reason or
another, we cannot employ direct experiences as materials for instruction, let us make
use of an “edited” version of direct experiences---the contrived experiences.

II. Desired Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, students should be able to:

1. Use direct experiences in the teaching- learning process effectively
2. Explain the meaning of contrived experiences
3. Use examples of contrived experiences in lesson development

III. Take-off/ Motivation

1. Read the following testimonies, then answer the questions below.

"The meanings of negative discrimination index and positive discrimination index became
crystal clear to me only when we did an item analysis of our test items."- Grade VI teacher
My husband and children used to do computer job for me which made me totally dependent on them.
The problem was they were not always around to help me with my reports, lecture notes, etc. To redeem
myself from my helplessness, I forced myself to learn, first of all encoding, then sending e-mail and
surfing the Internet. What encouraged me was my five-year old granddaughter who could do what I was
not capable of doing. Now I feel liberated. I can encode and print my lectures, send emails, surf the
Internet, and do PowerPoint lecture presentation, even when no one is around to help only after 1 had to
do these things myself. - Graduate School Professor
My boss assigned me to put the transparencies on the plate of the overhead projector while he
delivered his lecture on stage. It turned out that the first transparency was not positioned upright for the
audience. I repositioned the transparency but it was still inverted. I felt nervous and the woman in the
audience who was seated nearby came to my rescue. I have never forgotten that experience but having
been assigned the task repeatedly, I can say I am now expert at the ОНР. - Secretary to the Dean
"It was only when I went to the Manila zoo that I learned that a giraffe is that tall and an
elephant is that big." Grade 4 pupil
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you have a similar experience? Share.
2. Think of a skill you have. How did you acquire it?
3. Think of a concept. How did you learn it?
4. How did the four narrators learn their respective skills/ concept? Analyze.

IV. Content Focus

Whatever skills or concepts we have did not come out of the blue. We spent hours doing the
activity by ourselves in order to acquire the skill. The same thing is true with the four (4) narrators
above. They learned the skills by doing. The Graduate School professor had to do the computer task
himself/herself to learn the skilI. The Secretary learned from his/her mistake and repeatedly doing the
task correctly enabled her to master the skill. The Grade IV pupil got a crystal-clear concept of the size
of the elephant and height of giraffe after seeing with his/her eyes the real elephant and giraffe. For the
Grade VI teacher, the statistical concepts of positive and negative discrimination indices became fully
understood only after the actual experience of item analysis. All these experiences point to the need to
use, whenever we can, direct, purposeful experiences in the teaching-learning process.
What are referred to as direct, purposeful experiences? These are our concrete and first
hand experiences that make up the foundation of our learning. These are the rich experiences that our
senses bring from which we construct the ideas, the concepts, the generalizations that give meaning and
order to our lives. (Dale, 1969). They are sensory experiences.
These direct activities may be preparing meals, making a piece of furniture, doing PowerPoint
presentation, performing a laboratory experiment, delivering a speech, or taking a trip.

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 In contrast, indirect experiences are experiences of other... people that we observe, read or hear
about. They are not our own self- experiences but still experiences in the sense that we see, read and
hear about them. They are not firsthand but rather vicarious or indirect experiences.
Climbing a mountain is first hand, direct experience. Seeing it done in films or reading about it
is a vicarious, substitute experience. It is clear, therefore, that we can approach the world of reality
directly through the senses and indirectly with reduced sensory experience. For example, we can bake
black forest cake or see it done in the tv or read about it.
Why are these direct experiences described to be purposeful? Purposeful because the
experiences are not purely mechanical. They are not a matter of going through the motion. These are not
"mere sensory excitation". They are experiences that are internalized in the sense that these experiences
involve the asking of questions that have significance in the life of the person undergoing the direct
experience.
They are also described as purposeful because these experiences are undergone in relation to a
purpose, i.e. learning. Why do we want our students to have a direct experience in conducting an
experiment in the laboratory? It is done in relation to a certain learning objective.
Where should these direct, purposeful experiences lead us to? The title of this Lesson "Direct,
Purposeful Experiences and Beyond" implies that these direct experiences must not be the period or the
dead end. We must be brought to a higher plane. The higher plane referred to here is the level of
generalization and abstraction.
That is why we speak of "hands-on, minds-on, and hearts-on approach. Out of the direct
experience, thoughts or meanings following reflection must flow or run the risk of a lesson consisting of
activity after another activity enjoyed by the learners who cannot make connection with the activities
themselves.
The Grade IV pupil's zoo experience of the elephant and giraffe as given in the ACTIVITY
phase of the lesson enables him/ her to understand clearly and visualize correctly an elephant and a
giraffe upon reading or hearing the words "elephant" and "giraffe". The Cone of Experience implies that
we move from the concrete to the abstract (and from the abstract to the concrete as well.) Direct
experiences serve as the foundation of concept formation, generalization and abstraction. John Dewey
(1916) has made this fundamental point succinctly:
An ounce of experience is better than a tón of theory because it is only in experience that any
theory has vital and verifiable significance. An experience, a very humble experience, is capable of
generating and carrying any amount of theory (or intellectual content), but a theory apart from an
experience cannot be definitely grasped as a theory. It tends to become a mere verbal formula, a set of
catchwords used to render thinking, or genuine theorizing unnecessary and impossible.

If direct, purposeful experiences or first-hand sensory experiences make us learn concepts

and skills effectively, what does this imply to the teaching learning process?
First, let us give our students opportunities to harm by doing Let us immerse our students in the
world of experience.
Second, let us make use of real things as instructional materials for as long as we can.
Third, let us help the students develop the five senses to the full to heighten their sensitivity to
the world.
Fourth, let us guide our students so that they can draw meaning from their first hand
experiences and elevate their level of thinking
Teaching with Contrived Experiences
The model of the atom, the globe, the planetarium, the simulated election process and the
preserved specimen fall under contrived experiences, the second band of experiences in Dale's Cone of
Experience.
What are contrived experiences? These are "edited" copies of reality and are used as
substitutes for real things when it is not practical or not possible to bring or do the real thing in the
classroom. These contrived experiences are designed to simulate to real-life situations.
The atom, the planetarium are classified as models. A model is a "reproduction of a real thing
in a small scale, or large scale, or exact size-but made of synthetic materials. It is a substitute for a real
thing which may or may not be operational" (Brown, et al,1969).
The planetarium may also be considered a mock up. A mock up is "an arrangement of a real
device or associated devices, displayed in such a way that representation of reality is created. The mock
up may be simplified in order to emphasize certain features. It may be an economical reproduction of a
complicated or costly device, to be observed for learning purposes. Usually, it is a prepared substitute
for a real thing; sometimes
it is a giant enlargement" (Brown, 1969). The planetarium is an example of a mock up, in the sense that
the order or the arrangement of the planets is shown and the real processes of the planets' rotation on
their axis and the revolution of the planets around the sun are displayed. A mock up is a special model
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where the parts of a model are singled out, heightened and magnified in order to focus on that part or
process under study. The planetarium involves a model of each of the planet and the sun but it focuses
on the processes of the planets' rotation and revolution and so is also considered a mock up.
The preserved specimens fall under specimens and objects. A specimen is any individual or
item considered typical of a group, class or whole. Objects may also include artifacts displayed in a
museum or objects displayed in exhibits or preserved insect specimens in science.
The school election process described above is a form of simulation. Simulation is a
"representation of a manageable real event in which the learner is an active participant engaged in
learning a behavior or in applying previously acquired skills or knowledge" (Orlich, et al, 1994). In
addition to the election of class and school officers given above, other examples of these are fire and
earthquake drills which schools usually conduct, Organizers of earthquake and fire drills create a
situation highly similar to the real situation when a building is on fire or when an earthquake happens.
Another instructional material included in contrived experiences is game. Is there a difference
between a game and a simulation? Games are played to win while simulations need not have a winner.
Simulations seem to be more easily applied to the study of issues rather than to processes.
Why do we make use of contrived experiences? We use models, mock ups, specimens and objects to:
1) overcome limitations of space and time,
2) to "edit" reality for us to be able to focus on parts or a process of a system that we intend to
study,
3) to overcome difficulties of size,
4) to understand the inaccessible, and
5) help the learners understand abstractions.
We use simulations and games to make our classes interactive and to develop the decision-
making skills and knowledge construction skills of our students. Orlich, et al (1994) enumerates ten (10)
general purposes of simulations and games in education:
1. to develop changes in attitudes
2. to change specific behaviors
3. to prepare participants for assuming new roles in the future
4. to help individuals understand their current roles
5. to increase the students' ability to apply principles
6. to reduce complex problems or situations to manageable elements
7. to illustrate roles that may affect one's life but that one may never assume
8. to motivate learners
9. to develop analytical processes
10. to sensitize individuals to another person's life role
V. Take Action

1. Apply the concept of direct experiences to the college courses you have taken. Why do
you have Field Study Courses and Practice teaching? If yes, what are they?
2. Present contrived experiences and their various forms by means of a graphic organizer.
3. Compare a model and a mock up by the use of Venn diagram
4. Illustrate with examples the five (5) reasons why we make use of models, mock ups,
specimens and objects given above.

VI. Self-check

Go over the K to 12 Curriculum Guide. Find out which competencies can be

best taught through (1) direct experiences; (2) Identify objectives and topics which can
be taught with contrived experiences- models, mock ups, specimens, and objects,
simulations and games.

VII. Self-reflect

1. Any principle you learned from the Principles of Teaching that connects to learning
by direct experiences?
2. Our students are avid users of computer games. Find out how you can use these
computer games in your lessons.

Note: Use separate sheet of papers for your answers.

VIII. References

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 Corpuz, Brenda B. & Lucido Paz I. (2015). Educational Technology I. Quezon City:
Lorimar Publishing Inc.

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