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.