Dales Cone of Experience

The Cone of Experience is a visual model meant to summarise Dales classification system for the varied types of mediated learning experiences. Please read carefully as all is not as it first seems!

The original labels for Dales ten categories in the Cone of Experience were: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Direct, Purposeful Experiences Contrived Experiences Dramatic Participation Demonstrations Field Trips Exhibits Motion Pictures Radio, Recordings, Still Pictures Visual Symbols and

10. Verbal Symbols When Dale researched learning and teaching methods he found that much of what we found to be true of direct and indirect (and of concrete and abstract) experience could be summarised in a pyramid or pictorial device Dales called the Cone of Experience. In his book Audio visual methods in teaching 1957, he stated that the cone was not offered as a perfect or mechanically flawless picture to be taken absolutely literally. It was merely designed as a visual aid to help explain the interrelationships of the various types of audio-visual materials, as well as their individual positions in the learning process. Dale points out that it would be a dangerous mistake to regard the bands on the cone as rigid, inflexible divisions. He said The cone device is a visual metaphor of learning experiences, in which the various types of audio-visual materials are arranged in the order of increasing abstractness as one proceeds from direct experiences

People Remember
It is said that people remember:

10% of what they read 20% of what they hear 30% of what they see 50% of what they see and hear 70% of what they write and say 90% of what they say as they do

The percentages > 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 or write 90% of what they say as they do a thing are not from Dale. The bogus percentages appear to have been first published by an employee of Mobil Oil Company in 1967, writing in the magazine Film and Audio-Visual Communications. These percentages have since been discredited. THEY ARE FICTION! This is one of the great training/ people development myths. Old Chinese proverb What I hear, I forget; What I see, I remember; What I do, I understand. Stands true but only again as a saying, and NOT as statistical fact. Note While Dales work is valuable as a metaphor (as he had originally designed it) the way a concept or model has been turned into fact is disturbing. How many of us and our learning believe these magic percentages to be fact?

Dales Cone of Experience a fraud?

No not as he originally write it but yes when adapted by individuals without due consideration or backup research.

The Learning Pyramid

In a similar vein to Dales Cone of experience is the Learning Pyramid from National Training Laboratories in Bethel Maine, where retention rates are shown as percentage rates against delivery techniques. There is a lot of similarity between the two models the difference is that this appears to be a complete hoax.

90%-75%-50%-30%-10%-5%
Quite where these numbers come from is a mystery to many, and indeed it is difficult to understand what 90% retention actually means 90% of what for how long? As a model it looks and on first thought appears to be credible, however as many of us will know some people have almost 100% retention for a considerable period of time if they read something, others teach others from a structure or procedure which they themselves do not understand!

** NOTE the NTL National Training Laboratories has no record of any such research, and is widely attributed to them. This is also fiction! unless you know otherwise!

Remember
The NUMBERS on the many quoted Dales Cone of Experience models and articles and the learning pyramid are models without any demonstrable research and should not be used as fact. Indeed dale never had any figures on his work it was purely illustrative.

ale's Cone of Experience

As a quick glance at the B-SLIM model will indicate, there is a great variety of activities and learning experiences the teacher uses in the language classroom. Each of these activities or experiences is a chance for the students to learn new information and/or practice what they already know. Each activity and experience has merit and therefore should be incorporated into any second language program. In the following section we will look at Dales Cone of Experience and see how the information contained within this model can be used to structure a second language program so that all types of learning experiences are used to maximize student progress.

What is Dales Cone of Experience?

The Cone was originally developed by Edgar Dale in 1946 and was intended as a way to describe various learning experiences. The diagram presented to the right (Raymond S. Pastore, Ph.D) is a modification of Dales original Cone; the percentages given relate to how much people remember and is a recent modification. 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). It is important to note that Dale never intended the Cone to depict a value judgment of experiences; in other words, his argument was not that more concrete experiences were better than more abstract ones. Dale believed that

any and all of the approaches could and should be used, depending on the needs of the

learner.

How should the Cone be interpreted?

The figure above shows what students will be able to do at each level of the Cone (the learning outcomes they will be able to achieve) relative to the type of activity they are doing (reading, hearing, viewing images, etc.). The numerical figures on the left side of the image, what people will generally remember, indicate that practical, hands-on experience in a real-life context will allow students to remember best what they do. Again, it is important to remember that this doesnt mean reading and listening are not valuable learning experiences, simply that doing the real thing can lead to the retention of the largest amount of information. This is in part because those experiences near the bottom of the Cone, closer to and including real-world experiences, make use of more of our senses; it is believed that the more senses that are used, the greater our ability to learn from and remember an event or experience.

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How can Dales Cone be used to enhance SL learning?

As stated above, the Cone should not be interpreted as indicating that teachers shouldnt make use of reading, listening, viewing experiences and the like. These are all valuable and important parts of learning a second language and all have a place in the B-SLIM model. What should be taken from reviewing Dales Cone of Experience is that experiences at ALL of the levels described should be used in the second language classroom. Just as

Gardner describes the Multiple Intelligences and appealing to them all, Dales Cone emphasizes learning experiences that appeal to the different senses and the different ways in which we learn. Direct parallels can be drawn between the different levels of experience depicted in the Cone and the stages of the B-SLIM model. When looking at Figure 2 (fromAlabama Professional Development Modules) to the right, the first 6 types of experience (from the top of the cone downward) are all part of the Getting It and Using It stages of B-SLIM. The real-world experiences at the bottom of the Cone relate directly to the Proving It stage; it is at this stage of the model that students are encouraged to use what they have learned in new, real-life contexts.

Wednesday, 13 July 2011 12:43 Dr. Maria Theresa P. Pelones

4.1.The cone of experience

The cone is a visual analogy and like all analogies, It does not bear and exact and detailed relationship to the complex elements it represents Edgar Dale
The Cone of Experience is a visual model a pictorial device that presents bands of experience arranged according to degree of abstraction and not a degree of difficulty. The farther you go from the bottom of the cone, the more abstract the experience becomes. Deadline of submission of Portfolio 5: July 21 & 22, 2011 The original labels for Dales ten categories are: Direct, Purposeful Experiences; Contrived Experiences; Dramatic Participation;Demonstrations; Field Trips; Exhibits; Motion Pictures; Radio; Recordings; Still Pictures; Visual Symbols; and Verbal Symbols When Dale researched learning and teaching methods he found that much of what we found to be true of direct and indirect (and of concrete and abstract) experience could be summarised in a pyramid or pictorial device Dales called the Cone of Experience. In his book Audio visual methods in teaching 1957, he stated that the cone was not offered as a perfect or mechanically flawless picture to be taken absolutely literally. It was merely designed as a visual aid to help explain the interrelationships of the various types of audio-visual materials, as well as their individual positions in the learning process.

Dale points out that it would be a dangerous mistake to regard the bands on the cone as rigid, inflexible divisions. He said The cone device is a visual metaphor of learning experiences, in which the various types of audio-visual materials are arranged in the order of increasing abstractness as one proceeds from direct experiences

People Remember It is said that people remember: 10% of what they read 20% of what they hear 30% of what they see 50% of what they see and hear 70% of what they write and say 90% of what they say as they do The percentages > 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 or write 90% of what they say as they do a thing The bogus percentages appear to have been first published by an employee of Mobil Oil Company in 1967, writing in the magazine Film and Audio-Visual Communications. One kind of sensory experience is not necessarily more educationally useful than another. Sensory experience are mixed and interrelated. When students listens as you give lectures most of them do not only have auditory experience but visuals as well.

4.2.Band of Experience in Dales Cone

Direct

Purposeful- these are first hand experiences which serves as the foundation of our learning. This is taken from meaning information and ideas through seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling. It is considered as learning by doing, Contrived Experiences- Makes use of representative models or mock ups of reality for practical reasons and make a real-life experiences that are accessible to students perceptions and understanding. Dramatized Experiences- By dramatization, students can participate in a constructed experience. Demonstrations A visualized explanation of an important fact, idea or process by the use of photographs, drawings, films, displays or guided motion. It is showing how things are done. Study Trips- These are excursions and visits conducted to observe an event that is unavailable within the classrooms Exhibits These are displays to be seen by spectators. They consists of working models arranged meaningfully or photographs with models, charts and posters. It is sometimes called for your eyes only. Television and Motion pictures- This are reconstruction of reality of the past so effectively that we are made to feel we are there. The value of the messages communicated by the films lies in the

feeling of realism, emphasis on persons personality, their organized presentations and their ability to select, dramatize, highlight and clarify Still pictures, recordings and radio- these are visual and auditory devices used by an individual or a group. Still pictures lack the sound and motion of a sound film. The radio broadcast of an actual event may often be likened to a televised broadcast minus its visual dimensions Visual Symbols- They are no longer realistic reproduction of physical things for these are highly abstract representations. Examples are charts, graphs, maps and diagrams. Verbal Symbols They are not like the objects or ideas for which they stand. They usually do not contain visual clues to their meaning. Written words fall under this category. It may be a word for a concrete object
(book), an idea (freedom of speech), scientific principle or a formula.

4.3. Three-tiered model of learning ( Jerome S. Bruner)

He points out that every area of knowledge can be presented and learned in three distinct steps.It is highly
recommended that a learner proceed from ENACTIVE to ICONIC and only after to SYMBOLIC. The mind is often shocked into immediate abstraction at the highest level without the benefit of a gradual unfolding.

4.4. Pitfalls teachers should avoid on the use of Cone of Experience

1. Using

one medium in isolation to abstract without adequate foundation of concrete experience 3. Getting stuck in the concrete without moving to the abstract hampers the development of students from engaging in Higher order thinking skills.
2. Moving PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT 5: ( Deadline of Submission July 21 & 22,2011)
NAme: ___________________________________ Score: ________________ Year & Section: ____________________________ Date: _________________

1. What

is the Cone of Experience?( 5 points) ___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. What are the sensory aids in the Cone of Experience ( 5 points) ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. How are the experiences of reality arranged in the Cone of Experience? ( 5 points)

______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. Does the Cone of Experience device mean that all teaching and learning must move systematically from base to pinnacle? ( 5points) ___________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 5. Are the implications of Cone of Experience in the teaching-learning process the same things that are recommended by Bruners three-tiered model of learning? ( 5 points) ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 6. Which learning aids in Edgar Dales Cone of Experience corresponds to each tier or level in Bruners model? Write your answers on the space provided below.( 15 points)
SYMBOLIC: _______________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ ICONIC___________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ ENACTIVE________________________________________ ________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ MAKING CONNECTIONS: 1. After

the lesson on the Cone of Experience, can you now explain why our teachers in Literature discourage us from reading only comics or illustrated version of novels which can be read in pocketbooks? ( 5 points) 2. How does the dictum in philosophy There is nothing in mind that was not first in the senses relate to what you learned from the Cone of Experience? ( 5 points)

3. When

Dale formulated the Cone of Experience, Computers were not yet a part of educational and home settings so they are not part of the original cone. The computer technology actively engages the learner who uses seeing, hearing and physical activity at the keyboard as well as range of mental skills, where will the computer be on the Cone? ( 5 points)