LESSON 11. MAKING THE MOST OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND FIELDTRIPSS

In fieldtrips there must be a planning, they must follow the following steps: 1) preliminary planning by the teacher; 2) preplanning with others going on the trip; 3) taking the field trip itself; and 4) post field trip follow up activities. Field trips are expensive. They require much time for preparation and planning. However, considering the intensity and the extent of concrete experiences that come through field trips, we are encouraged to use them only, if there is no other less expensive but equally effective instructional tool. Preparation and planning for the field trip includes discussions and decisions on what to do before the field trip, during the field trip and after the field trip. Community resources like historical and scenic spots, museums, zoos, botanical gardens, places of exhibits can be destinations for field trips. Other community resources can be people themselves such as parents, senior citizens and other member of the community.

Lesson 10. Demonstrations in Teaching

Demonstration was the fourth stage of the Dale's Cone.

"Good demonstration is good communication." A good demonstration is an audio-visual presentation. It is not enough that the teacher talks. To be effective his/her demonstration must be accompanied by some visuals. to plan and prepare adequetly for a demonstration, we first determine our goals, the materials we need, our steps, and rehearse. In the actual conduct of the demonstration itself we see to it that we: 1) get and sustain the interest or our audience; 2) keep our demonstration simple, focused and clear; 3) do not hurry nor drag out the demonstration; 4) check for understanding in the process of demonstration; 5) conclude with a summary and 6) hand out written materials at the end of the demonstration.

Lesson 9. Teaching with Dramatized Experiences

Dramatized Experiences was the third stage of Dale's Cone of experience.

Puppets one of the forms of dramatic experiences Dramatic experiences requires us to be dramatic in our entrance into the classroom and in our lesson presentation so that it can catches and holds attention to our students.Some forms of dramatic experiences are play, pageant, pantomime, tableau, puppets and role playing. The last four are the most commonly used in the classroom due to their simplicity and practically. These dramatic experiences cannot be implemented by individuals alone, you've got to have a team to come up with a play. Role playing is highly effective for lessons in the affective domain. If we want results, we cannot afford to ignore the guiding principles given by experts on the use of puppets and role-playing.

LESSON 8. TEACHING WITH CONTRIVED EXPERIENCES

Contrived experiences was the second stage of Dale's Cone.

example of a specimen.. Contrived experiences are substitutes of real things when it is not feasible to bring the real thing to the class. These include models, mock-ups, specimens, objects, simulation and games. The most important things to remember when we make use of models and mock-ups are to make them as close as we could to the real things the represent. If for one reason or another they could not replicate the real things in size and in color and we should at least cautions the user or the reader by giving the scale.

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.