Lesson 7: Direct Purposeful Experiences and Beyond

"From the rich experiences that our senses bring, we can construct ideas, the concepts, the generalization that give meaning and order to our lives."

DIRECT PURPOSEFUL EXPERIENCES AND BEYOND

These are our concrete and first hand experiences that make up the foundation of our learning.

DIRECT PURPOSEFUL EXPERIENCES AND BEYOND

•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) 

DIRECT PURPOSEFUL EXPERIENCES AND BEYOND

•They are the sensory experiences.

Example of Direct Purposeful Activities

•Preparing meals or snacks.

•Making a piece of furniture.

•Performing a laboratory experiment.

•Delivering a speech.

•Taking a trip.

In contrast, indirect experiences are experience of other… people that we observe, read or hear about. They are not our experiences but still experiences in the sense that we see, read and hear about them. They are not first hand but rather vicarious.

WHY ARE THESE DIRECT EXPERIENCES DESCRIBED TO BE PURPOSEFUL?

•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.

WHY ARE THESE DIRECT EXPERIENCES DESCRIBED TO BE PURPOSEFUL?

•These experiences are undergone in relation to a purpose, i.e. learning

•It is done in relation to a certain learning objective.

John Dewey has made his fundamental point succinctly: “An ounce of experience is better than a ton of theory because it is only in experience that a theory has vital and verifiable significance. An experience, a very humble experience, is capable of generating and carrying an amount of theory (or intellectual content), but a theory apart from experience cannot be definitely grasped as a theory. It tends to render thinking, or genuine theorizing unnecessary and impossible”

WHAT DOES DIRECT, PURPOSEFUL EXPERIENCE IMPLY TO THE TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS?

1. Let us give our students opportunities to learn by doing. Let us immerse our students in the world of experience.

2. Let us make use of real things as instructional materials for as long as we can.

3. Let us help our students develop the five senses to the full to heighten their sensitivity to the world.

4. Let us guide our students so that they can draw meaning from their first hand experiences and elevate their level of thinking.