Direct, Purposeful Experiences 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.” -Edgar Dale-

DIRECT- effected by the action of the people or the electorate and not by representatives. PURPOSEFUL- an object or result aim at or to propose as an aim to oneself. EXPERIENCE- observation or practice resulting in or tending toward knowledge. BEYOND- on or to the farther side of.

What are referred to as direct, purposeful experiences? These 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)

Preparing meals

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 first hand but rather vicarious. Climbing a mountain is first hand, direct experience. Seeing it done in films or reading about it is vicarious, substitute experiment. It is clear therefore, that we can approach the world of reality through the senses and indirectly with reduced sensory experience.

Why are these direct experiences described to be purposeful? The experiences are not 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 involved the asking of question that have significance in the life of the person undergoing the direct experience. These experiences are undergone in relation to a purpose, i.e. learning.

John Dewey (1916) has made this fundamental point succinctly: “An ounce of experience is better than a ton of theory because it is only in experience that a theory has vital and verifiable significance. An experience, a very humble experience, is capable of generating and carrying an amount of theory (or intellectual content), but a theory apart from experience cannot be definitely grasped as a theory. It tends to render thinking, or genuine theorizing unnecessary and impossible”

John Dewey (1916) (; FAA October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. is one of the primary figures associated with philosophy of pragmatism and is considered one of the founders of functional psychology. A well-known public intellectual. he was also a major voice of progressive education and liberalism. is known best for his publications about education, he also wrote about many other topics, including epistemology, metaphysics, aesthetics, art, logic, social theory, and ethics.

If direct, purposeful experiences or firsthand sensory experiences make us learn concepts and skills

Let us give our students opportunities to learn by doing 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 first hand experiences and elevate their level of thinking.

Summing Up Direct experiences are first hand experiences that serve as the foundation of learning. The opposite of direct experiences are indirect or vicarious experiences. Direct experiences lead us to concept formation and abstraction. We should not end our lessons knowing only the concrete. We go beyond the concrete by reaching the level of abstract concepts.

Any principle you learned from the Principle of Teaching that connects to learning by direct experience? Our lack of understanding is often due to our lack of attention. Our lack of attention is usually due to a failure in the use of our senses. Connect this to firsthand or sensory experience.

Emerson wrote: Seven men went through a field, one after another Emerson wrote: Seven men went through a field, one after another. One was a farmer, he saw only the grass; the next was an astronomer, he saw the horizon and the stars; the physician noticed the standing water and suspected miasma; he was followed by a soldier, who glanced over the ground, found it easy to hold, and saw in a moment how the troops could be disposed; then came the geologist, who noticed the boulders and the sandy loam; after him came the real- estate broker, who bethought him how the line of the houses lots should run, where would be the driveway, and the stables. The poet admired the shadows cast by some trees, and still more the music of some thrushes and the meadow lark. What does this paragraph imply about people’s interpretation of the concrete? How can we arrive at a more accurate interpretation of what we experience?