PRINCIPLES OF UTILISING PAST EXPERIENCES

Ananya Madhukalya, Ayan Kalita, Mou Das ,Nilashmit

Introduction: Past experiences can be regarded as a base or foundation on which the structure of a new knowledge can be safely built. This principle leverages and utilises previous lessons learned in various situations of life to ensure current decision-making and improve future outcomes. In the field of education, it is important for a teacher to be properly linked with the already acquired knowledge and experiences to facilitate the teaching act more efficiently. For example, it should be considered what a child already knows or experienced in order to build on top of that information to teach him what he does not know or ought to know. Some key aspects of this principle are: 1. Activating Prior Knowledge: Students learn better when new information connects to what they already know or have experienced. For example, in Mathematics, formulas are taught at the very initial stages of learning before engaging with complex problem solving. Thus, a teacher reviews previously learned concepts and relates them to the new topic. Therefore, using familiar concepts learned previously as starting point of knowledge, one could build new concepts on top of that knowledge. 2. Avoiding Mistakes and Adaptability: By utilising past experiences, the teacher can recognise previousstrategies/teaching methods that failed, thereby avoiding such mistakes in current or future situations. Similarly,they can also apply the successful strategies or approaches from past experiences to new or evolving challenges. Additionally, by using previous feedback received from past experiences, teachers can also refine the processes and enhance their own performance thereby achieving a continuous improvement in their abilities as an educator. 3. Relating Through Personal Narratives: Past experiences can be utilised in the teaching process by encouraging students to share personal stories or the teacher sharing their own personal story related to the learning topic. This ensures that the subject matter becomes more relatable and engaging for the students. For example: A teacher may share their personal experience of witnessing effects of climate change in their community. They might describe how they have been impacted by extreme weather events like floods or droughts thereby connecting students to the topic of “Climate Change” through relating them to a real, personal experience. A personal story can spark their interest more in the topic as well as develop empathy and understanding of the consequences of climate change. 4. Experiential Learning Activity: Let us assume a hypothetical situation where students are tasked upon to build a model for the ecosystem in a terrarium with materials such as soil, plants, rocks and even small fauna. In this situation, teachers may help students draw on their past experiences with gardening or animal care; utilise the observational skills developed in the past; apply problem-solving skills that they have developed in other contexts and utilise critical thinking skills to evaluate their own success and identify areas of improvement. By incorporating students’ past experiences into this learning activity, teachers can help them connect new knowledge to their existing understanding, thereby deepening their learning and further develop valuable skills. 5. Reflection: Teachers can encourage students to reflect on their past experiences and how they have influenced their learning. This can be achieved through activities such as discussions or peer feedback. By reflecting, students become more aware of their strengths, weaknesses and learning style. They can now use this new understanding to identify and overcome challenges in their learning. They can also apply skills they have learned in other areas of life, such as problem-solving or decision-making. By reflecting on past experiences, students can develop a growth mindset and stay motivated to learn more. For example, in the above mentioned learning topic of ‘Climate Change’, teachers can ask students to summarise their learning. The students in response have to think and evaluate how the new information that they have learned about climate change connect to their prior knowledge. By reflecting, they can identify gaps in their understanding and consider their own personal implications because of climate change. Lastly, through reflection they can evaluate their own learning and consider interesting or surprising points about the topic of climate change. By reflecting on their learning, students can gain a deeper understanding of climate change and its implications. Conclusion: Past experiences are very important in the process of teaching and learning. In the very idea of utilising past experiences, our primary to higher education is built upon. Only by building on the basics of any concepts taught at the primary stage, complex critical ideas can be taught later on in higher education. Even the very alphabets and grammatical rules taught at the primary levels of education is knowledge that later gets built upon by other knowledge, eventually forming words to sentences to paragraphs to complex theories of concepts that gets learned by students. By effectively utilizing past experiences, teachers can create a more engaging, meaningful, and effective learning environment for their students. They can foster reflection, provide opportunities for experiential learning and therefore, help students connect new knowledge to their existing understanding and develop valuable skills.

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