CONE OF EXPERIENCES

By: Edgar Dale

The cone is a visual technology and like all

analogies, it does not bear an exact and detailed

relationship to the complex elements it represented.

Who is Edgar Dale ?

Edgar Dale(April 27, 1900 in Benson, Minnesota,-March 8, 1985 in Columbus, Ohio) was an American Educator who developed the cone of experience. He made several contributions to audio and visual instruction, including a methodology for analysing the content of motion pictures. He was a professor of education at Ohio State University.

What is Cone of Experience Cone of experience is a pictorial device use to explain

the interrelationships of the various types of audio-visual media, as well as their individual “position” in the learning process.

Cone’s utility in selecting instructional resources and activities is as practical today as when Dale created it.

Cone of Experiences is a visual model, a pictorial device that present’s bands of experience arranged according to degree of difficulty.

In the cone of experiences the further you go from the bottom of the cone, the more abstract the experience become.

Essentially, the cone shows the progression of

experiences from the most concrete(at the

bottom of the cone) to the most abstract(at the

top of the cone).

Cone of Experiences

Read

Hear

View image

Watch video

Attend Exhibit/Sites

Watch a Demonstration

Participate in Hands-On Workshop

Design Collaborative lessons

Simulate or Model a Real Experience

Design/perform a presentation-Do the real thing

10% of what they Read

20% of what they Hear

30% of what they see

50% of what they

hear and see

70% of what they

say and write

90% of what

they do

People Generally Remember:

Principles on the cone of experiences:The cone is based on the relationship of

various educational experiences to reality(real life),andthe bottom level of the cone, “direct purposefulexperiences,” represents reality or the closest things to real, everyday life.

The opportunity for a learner to use a variety or several senses ( sight, smell, hearing, touching,movement) is considered in the cone.

Direct experience allows us to use all senses.

Verbal symbols involve only hearing.

The more sensory channels possible in interacting with a resource, the better the

chance that many students can learn from it.

Each level of the cone above its base moves a earner a step further away from real-life experiences, so experiences focusing only on the use of verbal symbols are the furthest removed from real life.

Motion pictures ( also television) is where it is on the cone because it is on observational experiencewith little or no opportunity to participate or usesenses other than seeing and hearing.

Contrived experiences are ones that are highly participatory and simulate real life situation oractivities.

Dramatized experiences are defined as experiences in which the learner acts out a role or activity

Direct purposeful experiences-it is the first hand experiences which serve as the

foundation of our learning. It is learning by doing. We build up our reservoir of meaningful information and ideas through seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling.

Contrived experiences-we make use of a representative models or mock ups

of reality for practical reasons and so that we can make the real-life accessible to the students perception and understanding. Dramatized experience

-we can participate in a reconstructed experience, even though the original event is far removed from us in time.

Demonstrations-it is a visualized explanation of an important fact,

idea or process by the use of photographs, drawings,films, displays, or guided motions.

Study trips-these are excursions, educational trips, and

Visits conducted to observe an event that is unavailableWithin the classroom. Exhibits

-there are displays to be seen by spectators. They may consist of working models arranged meaningfully or photographs with models, charts and posters.

Television and motion pictures-television and motion pictures can reconstruct

the reality of the past so effectively that we are made to feel we are there.

Still Pictures, Recordings, Radio-these are visual and auditory devices

which may be used by an individual or a group.

Visual symbol-these are no longer realistic

Reproduction of physical things for these are highly abstract representations.

Verbal symbol-they are not like the objects or ideas

for which they stand. They usually do not contain visual clues to their meaning.

According to Dale’s research, the least effect method at the top, involves learning from Information presented through verbal symbols.

The most effective methods at the bottom, involves direct, purposeful learning experiences, such as hands-on or field experiences.

How can instructors use the cone of experience?

The cone charts the average retention rate for various methods of teaching. The further you progress down the cone, the greater the learning the more information is likely to be retained.

It also suggests that when choosing an instructional method it is important to remember that involving students in the process strengthens knowledge retention.

People learn best when they use perceptual learning styles.

Perceptual learning styles are sensory based. The more sensory channels possible in interacting witha resource, the better chance that many studentscan learn from it.

According to Dale, instructors should design instructional activities that build upon more real-lifeexperiences.

Thank you By:Xyrel mae B. Espinosa

Analyn L. Letada