This summer, teachers participating in MySci training had multiple opportunities to experience science up close and personal.
Whether a teacher chose to learn about glaciers using “goop” to simulate a glacier’s flow or to learn about seed dispersal through collecting seed pods at Missouri Botanical Gardens, each participant wore the hat of a learner.
After each session, there was an opportunity to process and discuss the value of a real experience, and why it is important to learning. Here are some of the responses the teachers came up with during the discussion sessions:
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It provides sensory integration, promotes cooperative learning and uses multiple intelligences.
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It builds vocabulary, is multisensory, levels the playing field and is age appropriate.
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It cements the learning.
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It is memorable, interactive and connects to prior knowledge.
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It is hands-on and tactile. It is your personal experience, thus making it easier to remember.
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Real experiences stimulate prior and background knowledge.
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It is valuable because it allows the learner to manipulate concepts on his or her own terms.
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A real experience allows you to make close observations.
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It allows you to use information you know and then build upon it by making a new discovery about the topic.
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A real experience allows you to connect an abstract idea to a real-life experience.
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The learner gains a personal connection.
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It helps students build life long connections to the world around them.
Why do you think real experience is important to learning?