Page |0

Technology for Teaching and

Learning 1
Mc Allied 2 SF/
ProfEd 08HE

John Lloyd C. Acojedo, LPT

OSMEÑA COLLEGES College of Teacher Education

Aspire…Achieve…Advance!
 Page |1

Teaching with Contrived Experiences

Module 8

OVERVIEW
“We teach through a re-arrangement of the raw reality: a specimen, a manageable sample of a
whole…when the direct experience cannot be used properly in its natural setting”.
-Edgar Dale
LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Explain the meaning of contrived experiences
 Use examples of contrived experiences

LEARNING EXPERIENCES & SELF-ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES (SAA)

ACTIVITY
– Read the following and try to imagine it in an actual process, no need to answer the questions given.

1. An atom is invisible to the naked eye and so your Science teacher in the grades made use of a model which showed
the neutrons, the protons and the electrons. Visualize the model of an atom that he/she used. Or do you remember
it to be the project you submitted in science? Help each other describe the model.

2. When you studied the rotation of the earth on its axis and its revolution around the sun, with which was the planet
earth represented? Was there no better representation of the earth?

3. Recall the instructional material that your teacher used to demonstrate the revolution of the planets around the sun.
Describe the materials. Name it.

4. A school wanted its students to learn the electoral process in action. So they did election of the class officers and
officers of the Supreme Student Council in a way similar to the way local and national elections are conducted in
the Philippines. Rules on qualifications of candidates, manner of campaign, duration of campaign period,
canvassing of votes were laid down by a “COMELEC”. There were also printed elections ballots. Do you like it?
Why?

5. A teacher once said: “How can you claim Biology is the study of living things, when all you study are specimens
preserved in formalin? Do you agree with the teacher?

ANALYSIS
Note: Write your answer in Self-Assessment Activity Sheet (SAA)

1. Did the materials (model of an atom, planetarium, and the globe) help you visualize an atom? Understand better the
rotation of the planets on their axis and their revolution around the sun? With a clearer picture of the earth?

OSMEÑA COLLEGES College of Teacher Education

Aspire…Achieve…Advance!
 Page |2

2. Do you think the school election would give the students a feeling of what it means to conduct or participate in an
election process?

3. Why is the atom depicted by a model? Is it not better if you see the real atom itself?

4. Can you think of a better way of seeing planet earth other than the globe? Why?

5. Is there a more interesting way of showing the rotation of the planets on their axis and their revolution around the
sun? Why?

6. What good do students get when they are made to participate in an election process very similar to what takes place
in a democratic country like ours? Wasn’t making the students observe the conduct of local and national election
process enough for them to learn about election? Why or why not?

7. Biology is real science of life if what you study are alive. Justify the use of preserved specimens in Biology.

ABSTRACTION

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 Experience.

What are contrived experiences? These are “edited” copies of reality and are used as substitutes 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 situations.

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 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
devices, 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 foe
learning purposes. Usually, it is prepared substitute for a real thing; sometimes it is a giant enlargement” (Brown, 1969).
The planetarium is an example of a mock up, in the sense that the order or the arrangement of the planets is shown and the
real processes of the planets’ 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 a model are singled out, heightened and magnified in order to focus on that part or
process under study. The planetarium involves a model of each of the planets’ rotation and revolution and so is also
considered a mock up.

The preserved specimens 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 insect specimens in science.

The school election process described above is a form of simulation. Simulation is a “representation of a
manageable real event in which the learner is an active participant engaged in learning a behavior or in applying previously
acquired skills or knowledge” (Orlich, et al, 1994). In addition to the election of class and school officers given above, other
OSMEÑA COLLEGES College of Teacher Education
Aspire…Achieve…Advance!
 Page |3

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 a building is on fire or 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 simulations need not have a winner. Simulations seem to be more easily applied to
the study of issues rather than processes.

Why do we make use of contrived experiences?

We use models, mock ups, specimens 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 difficulties of size
4) To understand the inaccessible and
5) Help the learners understand abstractions.

We use simulations and games to make our classes 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 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

In addition to the election process described above, what are additional examples of simulations? A famous example
is the “bomb shelter” simulation. “above, what are additional examples of simulations? A famous example is the “bomb
shelter” simulation. “You are under attack. The bomb shelter can accommodate only five (5) persons. There eight (8) of
you in the group. Decide who must get in. other famous examples of simulation in schools are play stores. One Grade 2
teacher used play store to teach subtraction of numbers involving amounts 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 perspective of the needs and feelings
of students with disability.

In the English subjects, 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 best of
times, it was the worst of times” and ask the students to stimulates a plot, a story line, characters, 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 student outlines.
OSMEÑA COLLEGES College of Teacher Education
Aspire…Achieve…Advance!
 Page |4

Games

Games are used 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 relationship
among concepts and principles.

If you want a class that is fully alive, think of how you can integrate native games in your lessons. 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 a 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 Intelligence 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 students perform a task to the hunter’s satisfaction, he or she should initial the blank space next to the
appropriate task on the hunter’s task 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.

APPLICATION
1. Present contrived experiences and their various forms by means of a graphic organizer.

2. Illustrate with examples the five (5) reasons why we make use of models, mock ups,

Note: Write your answer in Self-Assessment Activity Sheet (SAA)

OSMEÑA COLLEGES College of Teacher Education

Aspire…Achieve…Advance!
 Page |5

SELF-ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES (SAA) SHEET

ACTIVITY
ANALYSIS

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

APPLICATION
1.

2.

OSMEÑA COLLEGES College of Teacher Education

Aspire…Achieve…Advance!
 Page |6

KEY POINTS
 Contrived experiences- These are “edited” copies of reality and are used as substitutes 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 situations

END OF MODULE ASSESSMENT

Now that you have finished the review of the various concepts outlined above, it is now time for an
assessment to see how far you have improved. On every module’s “End of Module Assessment” (this part),
write your answers on the sheet/s provided. (See End of Module Assessment Answer Sheets for the
questions.)

LOOKING AHEAD

Congratulations for making it till the end of this module! If you aced the assessments, I am happy for you. If
you have not reached your desired level of competence, just keep going! Remember that an expert was once a
beginner.
The next topic will deal on Teaching with Dramatized Experiences

OSMEÑA COLLEGES College of Teacher Education

Aspire…Achieve…Advance!
 Page |7

SELF AND MODULE EVALUATION

Explain the meaning of contrived experiences

Useexamples
Use examples of contrived
of contrived experiences
experiences

REFERENCES
Paz I. LUCIDO, Ph.D., Brenda B. Corpuz, Ph.D., Educational Technology 1

OSMEÑA COLLEGES College of Teacher Education

Aspire…Achieve…Advance!
 Page |8

END OF MODULE ASSESSMENT (Answer Sheet)

(Please do not forget to provide information on this part)

Name: _____________________________________________ Course& Year:_____________

Module Number and Title: ______________________________________________________
Contact number & email (if any):_______________________________
Date accomplished: ________________________

Now that you have finished the review of the various concepts outlined above, it is now time for an assessment to see how
far you have improved. Write your answers on the blank space provided for each question.

Note: Answer the following questions but you don’t need to submit a photo of your answer to me (it will serve as a
reviewer for our EMA). The end of module assessment (EMA) will be delivered using Google Forms please visit our
Facebook Group for the link.

I. Enumerate
We use models, mock ups, specimens and objects to?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

(10) General purposes of simulations and games in education

1.
2
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10

II. Identify the following

1. Contrived experiences
2. Model
3. Mock up
4. Specimen
5. Simulation
6. Games

OSMEÑA COLLEGES College of Teacher Education

Aspire…Achieve…Advance!