Learning Experiences: Gateway to a Productive Learning Process

Immanuel Kant once quoted, ‘All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the
understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.’"

Indeed, learning should start first in using our senses efficiently and by doing such, we should always be
guided that those understanding that being restored in our minds can be useful at the end of the day.
That's why I'm proud to present my understanding and sincere reflection of Edgar Dale's Cone of
Experience.

Edgar Dale's "Cone of Experience" explicitly delineate the phase or elements that are interconnected to
one another. If one element of instruction actually fails, the outcome which is learning is considered
drastically affected. The conquest of the learning objective is dependent upon the elements and all
factors involved in the process.

It is a visual model, a pictorial device that exposes band of experiences that are rrange according to
degree of abstraction and not degree of difficulty. The farther you go from the bottom of the cone, the
more abstract of experience becomes.

After contemplating and understanding the "Cone of Experience", I now fully understand that my
learning experiences can be strengthen when they are involved in learning process. On the justification
of these pretentions, teachers should select the appropriate teaching method to be used and, in turn,
base on the teaching method selected.

Teachers must also choose the appropriate learning experiences, and appropriate materials,
equipment and facilities needed in the time and space of learning. The effective use of learning
resources is dependent on the expertise of the teacher as the inspirator, the motivation level or
responsiveness, and the participation of the learners in the learning process.The system is theoritically
simple but it need more in-depth and passionate practice.

Base from my experiences, I really think that Edgar Dale’s Cone of Experience is very significant to us,
learners because we do remember or retain information if we ourselves do it and the cone also contains
strategies that can cater the needs of the learn. This cone of experience is also very imperative in my
studies especially that I'm an English major and we really do need some concrete information that is
why our dynamic and supportive English instructors and professors allows us to discover and
demonstrate the information that we acquired. Dealing with this understanding is a salient part of
learning process because it retains in our minds longer.

As future educator, I should consider Edgar Dale’s Cone of Experience in delivering our lesson to the
students because I could deny the mere fact that not all students have the same learning strategy and I
am pretty sure that not all of the students are fun of verbal symbols all the time.Thats why in order to
retain the student's learning capacity longer, I must deliver the lessons using Edgar Dale’s Cone of
Experience because it can aid all the learning strategies of the students. With these strategies, I can
catch their attention easily, they will participate in my discussion and most of all they will retain the
lessons longer.

Furthermore, I have learned that as a future educator it is also very important to know the different
cones because in this way I will be able to decipher the guidelines and strategies of the different cones.
The Cone of Experiences is also a great key for teachers who have diverse learners because it enables
them to use a wide range of tools from auditory to visual and many others. From the Cone of Experience
it also helps the learners to enhance their knowledge, skills and abilities and it facilitates the learners to
learn efficiently with a heart.

Communicating the lesson to students as well as capturing their attention perhaps are the most
challenging task as an aspiring teacher just like me. All of the teacher’s effort in preparing the lesson will
go to rubbish when he/she fails to relay the message and get through to students. As a learner, my
attention span is short and my concentration fades when I am bored of the topic.

In the advent of Media Era, with the use of different instructional materials, and thorough
understanding I do firmly believe that I will play an invaluable role in the communication and in the
learning process of the students in general. Through employing different kinds of media in teaching, I
will create a dynamic interaction and learning experience between future students and among those
who are willing to learn. Also, with technology it unleashes the way for both teachers and students to
access information, instructional materials and resource materials from different places which is not
possible in the traditional classroom setting.

In addition, with the advancement of technology student's interest are captured thus they are more
participative in their learning. The learning experience become a learner-centered rather than the
traditional teacher-centered learning.

Furthermore, the use of media and technology must be organized and structured in order to optimize
the technology as well as the learning experience. According to Dale, students must see, hear, taste,
touch and try to have a fruitful experiences. Students must optimize themselves using their senses,
todiscover and experience things that they can integrate in their lives. Needs, experience, incorporation
and using the experience makes up the quality education that is highly needed nowadays. Aspiring
teachers just like me can assist student identify their needs and set goals pertaining to their needs.
Experiences that are apt to students are meaningful which they can easily integrate and use such
experience in real life.

Therefore, I, with the use of appropriate instructional media must have an equilibrium integration of
instruction from concrete to abstract experience to fully maximize and hone learning.