The document presents experiences from several narrators that demonstrate how direct, hands-on experiences provided meaningful learning opportunities. These include a teacher learning about test item analysis through direct experience, a professor gaining computer skills from needing to do tasks herself, and a secretary becoming skilled at using an overhead projector after repeated practice. The experiences highlight how directly doing tasks and using one's senses can build understanding and abilities in a way that passive learning cannot.

1. DIRECT, PURPOSEFUL
EXPERIENCES AND BEYOND

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. “The meanings of
negative discrimination
index and positive
discrimination index
became crystal clear to
me when we did an item
analysis of our test
items” – Grade IV
teacher

4. “My husband and
children used to do
computer job for me
which made me totally
dependent on them. The
problem was they were
not always around to
help me with my reports,
lecture notes, etc.

5. To redeem myself from
my helplessness, I forced
to learn, first of all
encoding, then sending
e-mail and surfing the
internet. What
encourage me was my
seven year old grand
daughter could do

6. what I was not capable
of doing. Now I feel
liberated. I can encode
and print my lectures,
send emails, surf the
Internet, do PowerPoint
lecture presentations,
even when no one is
around to help

7. only after I had to do
these things myself.” –
Graduate School
Professor

8. “My boss assigned me to
put the transparencies
on the plate of overhead
projector while he
delivered his lecture on
stage. It turned out that
the first transparency
was not positioned
upright for the audience.

9. I repositioned the
transparencies but still it
was inverted. I felt
nervous and the woman
in the audience who was
seated nearby came to
rescue. I have never
forgotten that
experience,

10. but having been assigned
the task repeatedly, I
can say I am now expert
at that OHP.” – Secretary
to the Dean

11. “It was only when I went
to Manila zoo that I
learned that a giraffe is
that tall and an elephant
is that big.” – Grade IV
pupil

12.  Narrator 1
 Narrator 2
 Narrator 3
 Narrator 4

14. MAKING THE CONNECTION

15.  Any principle you
learned from the
Principles of Teaching
that connects to
learning by direct
experiences? Explain?
Why it is connected?

16.  Our lack of
understanding is often
due to our lack of
attention. Our lack of
attention is due to a
failure in the use of our
senses. Connect this to
the firsthand or sensory
experiences.

17.  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 stars;
the physician noticed the
standing water and
suspected miasma;

18. he was followed by a
soldier, who glanced over
the ground, found it is easy
to hold, and saw in the
moment how the troops
could be disposed; then
came the geologist, who
noticed the boulders and
sandy loam; after him came
the real state broker,

19. who bethought him how
the line of the house lots
should run, where would be
the driveway, and the
stables. The poet admired
the shadows cast by some
tress, and still more the
music of some thrushes and
meadow lark.

20. Corpuz, Brenda B. and Lucido, Paz L. (2008). Educational
technology 1. Cubao Quezon City, Philippines:
Lorimar Publishing, Inc.