Lesson VIII

              TEACHING WITH CONTRIVED EXPERIENCES

     The model of the atom, the globe, the planetarium, the simulated election process and the preserved specimen fall under contrived experiences, the second band of experiences in Dale’s Cone of Experiences.

  What are contrived experiences? These are “edited” copies of reality and are used as substitute for real things when it is not practical or not possible to bring or do the real thing in the classroom. These contrived experiences are designed to stimulate to real – life situation.

     The atom, the planetarium are classified as models. A model is a “reproduction of a real – thing in a small scale, or large scale, or exact size, - but made of synthetic materials. It is a substitute for a real thing which may or may not be operational” (Brown, et al, 1969).

     The planetarium may also be considered a mock – up. A mock – up is “an arrangement of a real device or associated devises, displayed in such a way that representation of reality is created. The mock – up may be simplified in order to emphasize certain features. It may be an economical reproduction of a complicated or costly device, to be observed for learning process. Usually, it is prepared substitute for a real thing; sometimes it is a giant arrangement” (Brown 1969). The planetarium is an example of a mock – up, in the sense that the order or the arrangement of the planet is shown and the real processes of  the planet’s rotation on their axis and the revolution of the planets around the sun are displayed. A mock – up is a special model where the parts  of the model are singled  out , heightened and magnified in order to focus on that part of the process  under study. The planetarium involves of model of each of the planet and the sun but it focuses on the processes of the planet’s rotation and revolution and so is also considered a mock – up.

     The preserved specimen fall under  specimens and objects. A specimen is any individual or item considered typical of a group, class or whole. Objects may also include artifacts displayed in a museum  or objects displayed in exhibits or preserved insects specimen in science.

     The school election process describe above is a form of simulation. Simulation is a “representation of  manageable real event in which the learner is an active participant engaged  in a learning behavior or in applying  previously acquired  skills or knowledge” (Orlich, etv al, 1994). In addition to the election of class and  school officers given above,  other examples of these are fire and earthquake drills  which schools usually conduct. Organizers of earthquake and fire drills create a situation highly similar to the real situation when an earthquake happens.

     Another instructional material included in contrived experiences is game. Is there a difference between a game and a simulation? Games are played to win while simulation need not have a winner. Simulation seems to be more easily applied to the study of issues rather than to processes.

     Why do we make use of contrived experiences? We use models, mock – ups, specimen,  and objects to: 

 1. Overcome limitations of space and time.

 2. To “edit” reality for us to be able to focus on parts or a process of a system that we intend to study,  3. To overcome difficulty of size. 

 4. To understand the inaccessible , and 

 5. Help the learners understand abstractions.

     We use simulations and games to make our class interactive and to develop the decision – making skills and knowledge construction skills of our students. Orlich, et al (1994) enumerates ten (10) general purposes of simulations and games in education:

1. To develop changes in attitudes

2. To change specific behavior

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 affects one’s life but that one may never assume

8. To motivate learners

9.  To develop analytical processes

10.    To sensitive individuals to another person’s life role.

In addition to the election processes describe above, what are additional examples of simulation? A famous example is a “bomb shelter” simulation.  “you are under attack. The bomb shelter can accommodate only five (5) persons. There are eight (8) of you in the group. Decide who must get in. other famous example of simulation In school are play stores. One Grade II teacher used play store to teach subtraction of numbers involving amount of money . Another  example is an awareness – raising experience about common disabilities  for secondary  students. Mark  J, Hallenbeck and Darlene McMaster (1991) had this experience: students without disabilities simulated the experiences of visual and hearing – impaired people and those with physical disabilities on “simulation day”. They claimed that students gained a new perspectives of the needs and feelings of student with disability.

     In the English subject, David Sudol (1983) found that literary concepts could be successfully taught by involving the students by having them develop characters  and then develop a plot. Sudol also suggested  that similarly, you could select some classic quote, for example, the opening paragraph from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, “it was the worst of times” and ask the students to stimulate a plot, a story line,  character and location. Use the current year. How closely do you think the students might parallel dickens? After the simulation, “A Tale of Two Cities” could be read both for knowledge and for comparison to the students outline.

               Games are use for any of these purposes: 1. To practice and or to refine knowledge/skills already acquired. 2. To identify gaps or weaknesses in knowledge or skills. 3. To serve as a summation or review, and 4. To develop new relationships among concepts and principles.

If you want a class that is fully alive, think of how you can integrate  native games in your lesson. Refer to Science and Mathematics of Toys , a sourcebook for teachers, published and printed by the Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development of the University of the Philippines.

     Here is the game that you can play at the beginning of the year, the Human Intelligence Hunt. Armstrong (1994) suggests that you use this when you are introducing Multiple Intelligences theory at the beginning of the year. How is it played?

Each student receives a list of tasks like those below.  On your signal, students take the task sheet along with a pen or pencil and find other students in the room who can do the tasks listed. There are three basic rules:

1. Students must actually perform the tasks listed, not simply say they can do them.

2. Once a student performs a task  to the hunter’s satisfaction, he or she should initial the blank space next to the appropriate task on the hunter tasks sheet.

3. “Hunters”  can ask a  person to perform only one task; therefore, to complete a hunt, a student must have nine (9) different sets of initials.