DIRECT, PURPOSEFUL EXPERIENCES AND BEYOND

The most real in Dale’s Cone of Experiences

Prepared by: Antonio Delgado, BSEd II

HOW DO WE LEARNSPECIAL SKILLS?

COOKING

DANCING

SINGING

PLAYING BASKETBALL

“LEARNING BY DOING.”

“EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER.”

“JUST DO IT.”

INDIRECT EXPERIENCES Experiences of

other people that we observe, read or hear about.

DIRECT,PURPOSEFUL EXPERIENCES

Concrete and firsthand experiences that make up our foundation of learning.

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)

IN OTHER WORDS…

Direct, purposeful experiences are firsthand, sensory experiences that serve as the foundation of learning.

EXAMPLES

PREPARING MEALS

MAKING A PIECE OF FURNITURE

DOING A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

PERFORMING AN EXPERIMENT

DELIVERING A SPEECH

TAKING A TRIP

WHY ARE THESE DIRECT EXPERIENCES DESCRIBED TO BE PURPOSEFUL?

They are not purely mechanical. They involve the asking of significant questions.

They are undergone in relation to a purpose.

“An ounce of experience is better than a ton of theories.”

-John Dewey

IMPLICATIONS TO THE

TEACHING PROCESS

1. GIVE STUDENTS OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN BY DOING.

2. MAKE USE OF REAL THINGS AS INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR AS LONG AS WE CAN.

3. HELP THE STUDENTS DEVELOP THE FIVE SENSES TO THE FULL TO HEIGHTEN THEIR SENSITIVITY TO THE WORLD.

4. GUIDE STUDENTS SO THAT THEY CAN DRAW MEANING FROM THEIR FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCES.

APPLICATION