Direct, purposeful experiences refer to concrete, firsthand experiences through our senses that form the foundation of our learning by allowing us to construct ideas, concepts and generalizations. These experiences should lead learners to higher levels of thinking by drawing meaning and abstraction. Effective instruction utilizes direct experiences but also guides learners to generalize and think beyond the concrete experience for deeper understanding.

2. “From the rich experiences that
our senses bring, we construct
the ideas, the concepts, the
generalizations that give
meaning and order to our
lives.”

3.  What do direct, purposeful
experiences refer to?
 For meaningful learning, where
should these direct and
purposeful experiences lead the
learners to?

4. After seeing instructional
materials as a whole, let us single
out direct, purposeful experiences
as instructional materials. The most
real in Dale’s Cone of Experience.
Let’s learn how they can be
effectively used for instruction.

5. Testemonies:
Grade VI teacher
Graduate School Professor
Secretary to the Dean
Grade 4
pupil

6.  Do you have a similar experience?
Share.
 Think of a skill you have. How did you
acquire it?
 Think of a concept. How did you learn it?

7.  How did the four narrators learn their
respective skills/concept? Analyze.

8.  These are our concrete and firsthand
experiences that make up the
foundation of our learning. 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). They are sensory
experiences

9.  Preparing meals
 Making a piece of furniture
 Doing powerpoint presentation
 Performing a laboratory experiment
 Delivering a speech
 Taking a trip

10.  Are experiences of other people that
we observe, read or hear about. They
are not firsthand but rather vicarious
experiences.
 People that we observe, read / hear
about.
 They are not our own self-experiences
but still experiences in the sense that we
see, read and hear about them.

11.  Climbing a mountain is firsthand, direct
experience. Seeing it done in films or
reading about it is a vicarious, substitute
experience. It is a clear, therefore , that
we can approach the world of reality
directly through the senses and indirectly
with reduced sensory experience.
 Example: We can make bake black
forest cake see it done in tv or read
about it.

12.  Purposeful because the experiences are
not purely mechanical. They are not a
matter of going through the motion.
These are not “mere sensory excitation”.
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.

13. ►Why do we want our students to have a
direct experience in conducting an
experiment in the laboratory?
It is done in relation to a certain learning
objective.
►Where should these direct, purposeful
experiences lead us to?
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.

14.  Let us give our students opportunities to
learn by doing. Let us immerse our
students in the world of experience.
 Let us make use of real things as
instructional materials for as long as we
can.

15.  Let us help the students develop the five
senses to the full to heighten their sensitivity
to the world.
 Let us guide our students so that they can
draw meaning from their firsthand
experiences and elevate their level of
thinking.
 Let us not be tempted to get stuck to the
concrete and fail to bring up our students
to the higher level of thinking process.

16.  Apply the concept of direct experiences
to the college courses you have taken.
Were there missed opportunities for
direct experiences? If yes, what are
they?
 Go over the Re-structured Basic
Education Curriculum (RBEC). Find out
which competencies can be best
taught through direct experience.

17. 80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
SIGHT HEARING TOUCH TASTE SMELL

18. 1. Connect this graph to sensory
experience for maximum learning.
2. Any principle you learned from the
principles of teaching that connects
to learning by direct experiences?
3. Our lack of understanding is often
due to our lack of attention.
4. How can we arrive at a more
accurate interpretation of what we
experience?

19.  You have the skill to lead the students in
drawing generalization or abstraction
about the direct experience for
meaning.
 Firsthand sensory experience alone does
not ensure adequate learning.
 For instance, teachers do a lot of
preparation before they bring their
children to get in direct contact with the
City Council in session to realize their
objectives.