Lesson 8: Contrived Experiences

• Contrived experiences are the edited copies of reality and are used as substitutes for real things when it is not practical or possible to bring or do the real thing in the classroom.
• They are designed to stimulate real life situations.

Model

• A reproduction of a real thing in a small scale, or a large scale or exact size- but made of synthetic materials.
• It is a substitute for a real thing which may or may not operational –Brown, et. al, 1969

Mock Up

• An arrangement of a real device or associated devices, displayed in such way that representation of reality is created
• A special model where the parts of a model are singled out, heightened and magnified in order to focus on that part or process under study.

Specimen

• Any individual or item considered typically of a group, class, or whole.

Object

• May also include artifacts displayed in a museum or objective displayed in exhibits or preserved insect specimens in science.

Simulation

• A representation of a manageable real event in which the learner is an active participant engage in learning a behavior or in applying previously acquired skills or knowledge  -Orlich et. al, 1994

Games

Games are used in any of these purposes:

• To practice and/or to refine knowledge/skills already acquired
• To identify gaps and weaknesses in knowledge or skills
• To serve as a summation or review
• To develop new relationships among concepts and principles

Why do we make use of contrived experiences?

• Overcome limitations of space and time
• To edit reality for us to be able to focus on parts or process of a system that we intend to study.
• To overcome difficulties of size
• To understand the inaccessible
• Help the learners understand abstraction

Ten general purposes of simulations and games

1. to develop changes in attitudes
2. to change specific behaviors
3. to prepare participants for assuming new roles in the future
4. to help individuals understand their current roles
5. to increase the students’ ability to apply principles
6. to reduce complex problems or situations to manageable elements
7. to illustrate roles that may affect one’s life but that one may never assume
8. to motivate learners
9. to develop analytical processes
10. to sensitize individuals to another person’s life role

Lesson 7: Direct, Purposeful Experience and Beyond

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

• Direct-purposeful experiences are our concrete and first hand 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 the sensory experiences.

Example of Direct Purpose Activities:

• Preparing meals or snacks

• Making a piece of furniture

• Performing a laboratory experiment

• Delivering a speech

• Taking a trip

In contrast, Indirect Experiences are experience of other people that we observe, read or hear about. They are not our experiences but still experiences in the sense that we see, read, and hear about them. They are not firsthand but rather vicarious.

Why are these Direct Experiences described to be purposeful

• They are experiences that are internalized in the sense that these experiences involve the asking of questions that have significant in the life of the person undergoing the direct experience.
• These experiences are undergone in relation to a purpose, i.e. learning.
• It is done in relation to a certain learning objective.

What does Direct, Purposeful Experience imply to the Teaching and Learning Process?

• 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.
• Let us help our 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.

Lesson 6: Using and Evaluating Instructional Materials

• ·        One of the instructional materials used to attain instructional objectives is field trip
•         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

Selection of Materials

•       * Does the material give a true picture of the ideas they present? To avoid misconceptions, it is always good to ask when the material was produced.
•       * Does the material contribute meaningful content to the topic under study? Does the material help you achieve the instructional objectives?
•       * Is the material aligned to the curriculum standards and competencies.
•       * Is the material culture – and grades – sensitive?
•       * Does the material have culture bias?
•       * Is the material appropriate for the age, intelligence, and experience of the learners.
•       * Is the physical condition of the material satisfactory? An example, it is photograph properly mounted?
•       * Is there a teacher’s guide to provide a briefing for effective use? The chance that the instructional material will be used to the maximum and to the optimum is increased with a teacher’s guide.
•       * Can the material in question help to make students better thinkers and develop their critical faculties? With exposure to mass media, it is highly important that we maintain and strengthen are rational powers.
•       * Does the use of material make learners collaborate with one another?
•       * Does the material promote self-study?
•       * Is the material worth the time, expenses and effort involved? A field trip, for instance, requires much time, effort, and money. It is more effective than any other lees expensive and less demanding instructional material that can take its place? Or is there a better substitute?

The Proper Use of Materials

      To ensure effective use of instructional material, Hayden Smith and Thomas Nigel, (1972) book authors on Instructional Media, advise us to abide the acronym PPPF

Prepare Yourself

      You know your lesson objective and what you expect from class after the session and why you have selected such particular instructional material. You have a plan on how you will proceed, what question to ask, how you will evaluate learning and how you will the loose ends before the bell rings.

Prepare your Students

      Set reasonably high class expectations and learning goals. It is sound practice to give them guide question for them to be able to answer during the discussion. Motivate them and keep them interested and engaged.

Present the Material

      Under the best possible conditions. Many teachers are guilty of the R.O.G Syndrome. This is means “running out of gas” which usually results from the poor planning. (Smith, 1972) Using media and materials, especially if they are mechanical in nature, often requires rehearsal and a carefully planned performance.

Follow Up

      Remember that you use instructional materials to achieve objectives, not to kill time nor to give yourself a break, neither to merely maintain the class. Your use of the instructional material is not the end itself. It is a mean to an end, the attainment of a learning objectives. So, there is need to follow up to find out if objective was attained to use.

Robert Gagne’s nine (9) instructional material in the subject facilitating learning. These are:

·        1. Gain attention

·        2. Inform learner of objectives

·        3. Stimulate recall of prior learning

·        4. Present stimulus material

·        5. Provide learner guidance

·        6. Elicit performance

·        7. Provide feedback

·        8. Assess performance

·        9. Enhance retention transfer

There is no such thing as best instructional material

·       ^ Any instructional material can be the best provided it helps the teacher accomplish his/her intended learning objective.

·       ^ No instructional material, no matter how superior, can take the place of an affective teacher

·       ^ Instructional materials may be perceived to the labor saving devise for the teachers. On the contrary, the teacher even works harder when she makes good use of instructional material.

·       ^ “You should have a good idea of your destination, both in the over-all purposes of education and in the everyday work of your teaching. If you do not know where you are going, you cannot properly choose a way to get there.”

Lesson 5: The Cone of Experience

What is Dale’s cone of experience?

         - The cone of experience is a pictorial device use to explain the interrelationships of the various types of audio-visual media, as well as their individual “positions” in the learning process.

            - The cone's utility in selecting instructional resources and activities is as practical today as when Dale created it.

Principles on the cone of Experience:

               - The cone is based on the relationships of various   educational experiences to reality (real life), and   the bottom level of the cone, "direct purposeful   experiences," represents reality or the closest   things to real, everyday life.

              - The opportunity for a learner to use a variety or several senses (sight, smell, hearing, touching, movement) is considered in the cone.

                - Direct experience allows us to use all senses.

                - Verbal symbols involve only hearing.

          - The more sensory channels possible in interacting with a resource, the better the chance that many students can learn from it.

              - Each level of the cone above its base moves a learner a step further away from real- life experiences, so experiences focusing only on  the use of verbal symbols are the furthest removed from real life.
          - Motion pictures (also television) is where it is on the cone because it is an observational experience with little or no opportunity to participate or use senses other than seeing and hearing.

     - Contrived experiences are ones that are highly participatory and simulate real life situations or activities.

       - Dramatized experiences are defined as experiences in which the learner acts out a role or activity.

Verbal Symbols

• Principal medium of communication

• Bear no physical resemblance to the objects or ideas for which they stand

• May be a word for concretion, idea, scientific principle, formula or philosophic aphorism

• Disadvantage: highly abstract

Visual Symbols

• Chalkboard/whiteboard, flat maps, diagrams, charts

• Fits the tempo of presentation of idea, topic or situation

• Very easy to procure and prepare

• Limitations: lack of ability to use the media size of visuals simplification of visual materials  leads to misconceptions

Recordings, Radio, Still Pictures

• Attention – getting, particularly projected views

• Concretize verbal abstraction

• Limitations: size of pictures or illustrations expensiveness of projected materials and equipment timing difficulties between radio shows and classroom lessons 

Television and Motion Pictures

• A solution to time and space constraints

• Provides “windows to the world”

• Effective for presenting movement, continuity of ideas or events

• Substitute for dangerous direct learning experiences

•Limitations:

      - Expensive

      - viewing problems 

      - timing with classroom lessons

      - misconceptions about time, size, and ideas

Exhibits

• Present objects or processes otherwise impossible inside the classroom

• Exposure to new ideas, discoveries, inventions

• Problems  that may be encountered:

                               -too little space

                               - time – consuming

                               - maintenance

Demonstrations
• Visualized explanation of an important fact or idea or process

• May require nothing more than observation or students may be asked to do what has just been shown how to do

• Disadvantages: ideas or processes might not be interpreted or conceived very well visibility to all learners

Field Trips

• Undertaken primarily for the purpose of experiencing something that cannot be encountered within the classroom

• A rich experience in learning about objects, systems, and situations

• Disadvantages: time-consuming  expensive high exposure to danger /accidents inadequacy of the community’s resources

Dramatized Experiences

• Help get closer to certain realities that are no longer available at first hand

• Stirring and attention getting

• Participant learns to understand intimately the character he portrays

• Teaches cooperative work

• Disadvantages: time consuming without  commensurate results participation is limited to few individuals

Contrived Experiences

• An “editing” of reality

• Substitutes for confusing or unmanageable first – hand experiences

• Easier to handle, manipulate or operate

• Disadvantage: simplification leads to misconceptions, distorted views, and incomplete pictures of reality no freedom to handle expensive or fragile models, mock – ups, specimens, etc.

Direct, Purposeful Experiences

• Unabridged version of life itself

• Direct participation with responsibility for the outcome

• The basis for the most effective and lasting learning

• Disadvantage: not all things can be learned through direct, first hand experiencing

Lesson 4: Systematic Approach to Teaching

Systematic – Organize relating to or consisting of a system. Methodical in procedure or plan (systematic approach). Logical, presented or formulated as a coherent body or ideas or principle (systematic thought). Efficient, effective in class that is marked by thoroughness and regularity (systematic efforts).

Systematic approach to Teaching – it is a network elements or parts different from each other but each one is special in the sense that each performs a unique function for the life and effectiveness of the instructional system. The systems approach views the entire educational program as system of closely interrelated parts. It is an orchestrated learning pattern with all parts harmoniously integrated into the whole: the school, the teacher, the students, the objectives, the media, the materials, and assessment tools and procedures. Such an approach integrates the older, more familiar methods and tools of instruction with the new ones such as the computer.

Purpose of a System Instructional Design – to ensure orderly relationships and interaction of human, technical and environmental resources to fulfill the goals which have been establish for instruction.

                -  The focus of systematic instructional planning is the student.

                -  It tells about the systematic approach to teaching in which the focus in the teaching is the students.

Systemized Instruction

Define Objectives – Instructional begins with the definition of instructional objectives that consider the student’s needs, interest and readiness.

Choose appropriate methods – On the basis of these objectives the teacher selects the appropriate teaching methods to be used.

Choose appropriate experiences – Based on the teaching method selected, the appropriate learning experiences an appropriate material, equipment and facilities will also be selected.

Select materials, equipment and facilities – The use of learning materials, equipment and facilities necessitates assigning the personnel to assist the teacher.

Assign personnel roles – Defining the role of any personnel involved in the preparation, setting and returning of this learning resources would also help in the learning process.

Implement the instruction – With the instructional objectives in mind, the teacher implements planned instructions with the use of the selective teaching method, learning activities, and learning materials with the help of other personnel whose role has been defined by the teacher.

Evaluate outcomes – After instructions, teacher evaluates the outcome of instruction. From the evaluation results, teacher comes to know if the instructional objective was attained.

Refine the process – If the instructional objective was attained, teacher proceeds to the next lesson going through the same cycle once more.

EXAMPLE OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES

1.      Reading

2.      Writing

3.      Interviewing

4.      Reporting or doing Presentation

5.      Discussing

6.      Thinking

7.      Reflecting

8.      Dramatizing

9.      Visualizing

10.  Creating Judging

11.  evaluating