Direct, Purposeful

Experiences
Jean Jean M. Orogo
Salvador Fabroa
BTVTED 3A
“ From the rich experiences
that our senses bring, we
construct the ideas, the
concepts, the generalizations
that give meaning and order to
our lives.”
 Read the following
testimonies:
Narrator 1: they were not always around to help me with
my reports, lectures notes, etc. to redeem my
helplessness, I forced myself to learn, first of all
encoding, then sending e-mail and surfing the internet.
What encourage me was my five-year old grand daughter
could do what I was not capable of doing. Now I feel
liberated. I can encode and print my lectures, send mails,
surf the internet and do PowerPoint lecture presentation,
even when no one is around to help only after I had to do
these things myself.
 Read the following
testimonies:
• Narrator 2: 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 OHP.
• Narrator 3: it was only when I went to manila zoo that I
learned that a giraffe is that tall and an elephant is
that big.
ABSTRACTION

• Whatever skills or concepts we have did

not come out of the blue. We spent
hours of doing the activity by doing the
activity by ourselves in order to acquire
the skill.
• The same thing as the three(3) narrators
mentioned. They learned the skills by
doing
What are referred to as direct,
purposeful experiences?
• Direct experiences are firsthand
experiences that serve as the foundation
of learning

• Direct experiences lead us to concept

formation and abstraction. We go beyond
concrete by reaching the level of abstract
concepts.

• They are sensory experiences.

Example of Direct purposeful
Activities:

performing an experiment
Example of Direct purposeful
Activities:

Teaching in front of
planting
students
Indirect Experiences or
Vicarious Experiences
Vicarious – experienced in the imagination
through the feelings or actions of another people

• They are not our self-experiences but still

experiences in the sense that we see, read
and hear about them. They are not
firsthand but rather vicarious experiences
• Example of vicarious experiences are those
that we hear, read and observe
Purpose of Direct, Purposeful
Experiences
• It serves as the foundation of concept
formation, generalization and abstraction
• It leads us to concept formation and and
abstraction
• Its aim is to develop higher thinking skill
Why are these direct experiences
describe 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
experiences
• 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 certain activity?.)
• It is done in relation to a certain learning
objective
 Implications to the teaching-
learning process
If direct, purposeful experiences make us learn concepts and
skills, what does this imply to the teaching-learning process?

• It gives students opportunities to learn by doing

• It makes use of real things as instructional materials
for as long as possible
• It helps the students develop the five senses to the
full to heighten their sensitivity to the world
• It guides the students so that they can draw meaning
from the firsthand experiences and develop their
level of thinking
John Dewey

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