Lesson 7. Direct, Purposeful Experiences and Beyond

" Direct Purposeful Experiences and Beyond" implies that these direct experiences must not be the period or the end. We must be brought to a higher plane. The higher plane referred to here is the level of generalization and abstraction. Direct experiences are firsthand experiences that make up the foundation of our learning. There 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. They are sensory experiences. These direct experiences described to be purposeful because the experiences are not purely mechanical. They are not a matter of going through the motion. 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 experiences. Direct purposeful experiences or firsthand sensory experiences make us learn concepts and skills effectively, and it implies to the teaching-learning process by: First, let us give our students opportunities to learn by doing and 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, help the students develop the five senses to the full to heighten their sensitivity to the world. Fourth,guide our students so that they can draw meaning from their firsthand experiences and elevate their level if thinking. Indirect experiences are experiences of other people that we observe, read or hear about. They are vicarious experiences.

Lesson 6. using and Evaluating Instructional Materials

Field trip is one of the instructional material used to attain instructional objective. For an effective use of instructional materials such as field trip, there are guidelines that ought to be observed, first of all in their selection and second, in their use. To ensure effective use of instructional material Hayden Smith and Thomas Nagel book authors advise to use abide the acronym PPPF. P- Prepare yourself - You know your lesson objective and what you expect from the class P - Prepare your student - Set class expectations and learning goals, motivate them and keep them interested and engaged. P - Present the Material - Using media and materials and requires rehearsal and carefully planned performance. F - Follow-up - there is the attainment of a learning objective so there is a need to follow up to find out if objective was attained or not. Any instructional material can be the best provided it help[s the teacher accomplish her intended learning objective.

Lesson 5. The Cone of Experience

     The cone of Experience is a visual model, a pictorial device that presents bands of experience arrange according to degree od abstraction and not degree of difficulty. The different kinds of sensory aid often overlap and sometimes blend into one another. In our our teching we do not always begin with direct experience at the base of the cone, rather we begin with the kind of experience that is most appropriate to the needs and abilities of particular learner in a particular learning situation. The cone of experience remind us to make use of a combination of a many lerning resources as we can and to proceed to the abstract only after e have presented the cobcrete.