THE CONE OF EXPERIENCE

Educational Technology I
The Cone of Experience
• Developed by Edgar Dale

• Visual model;
• Pictorial device
that presents bands of experience
arranged according to degree of
abstraction and not degree of
difficulty.
The Cone of Experience

• First introduced in Dale’s 1946 book,

Audio-Visual Methods in Teaching

• Designed to “show the progression of

learning experiences” (Dale (1969) p. 108) from
the concrete to the abstract
The Cone of Experience
 The Authentic
Cone
• 1946, 1st Edition of
Audiovisual Methods in
Teaching
• 1954, 2nd Edition of
Audiovisual Methods in
Teaching
• 1969, 3rd Edition of
Audiovisual Methods in
Teaching
 Concrete vs. Abstract Learning
Concrete Learning Abstract Learning
• Difficulty when not
• First-hand experiences enough previous
• Learner has some experience or exposure
control over the to a concept
outcome • Every level of the Cone
• Incorporates the use of uses abstract thinking in
all five senses some way
Edgar Dale further explains…
• Individual bands of the Cone of
Experience stand for experiences that are
fluid, extensive and continually interact”.

• Different kinds of sensory aid often

overlap and sometimes blend into one
another.
Misconceptions of the Cone
• All teaching/learning must move from
the bottom to the top of the Cone.

• One kind of experience on the Cone is

more useful than another
Misconceptions of the Cone
• More emphasis should be put on the
bottom levels of the Cone
• The upper level of the Cone is for older
students while the lower levels are for
younger students
• It overemphasizes the use of
instructional media
The Bands of Experience
DIRECT PURPOSEFUL EXPERIENCES

• Concrete, first hand experiences

• Have direct participation in the
outcome
• Use of all our senses
DIRECT PURPOSEFUL EXPERIENCES
Examples:

• preparing meals
• making a piece of furniture
• doing presentation
• performing laboratory experiment
• delivering speech
• taking a trip
PURPOSEFUL because….

• Experiences are not purely mechanical

• Undergone in relation to a purpose, i.e.

learning
CONTRIVED EXPERIENCES

• “Edited” copies of reality

• Used as substitute for real things
CONTRIVED EXPERIENCES
Examples:
• Model
• Mock-ups
• Specimen
• Simulation and
• Games
PURPOSES
• Overcome limitations of space and
time
• To “edit” reality
• Overcome difficulties of size
• Understand the inaccessible
• Help learners understand
abstractions.
CONTRIVED EXPERIENCES cont’d…
• MODELS
– Reproduction of a real thing in:
 small scale
 large scale or
 exact size
 but made of synthetic materials

Examples: planetarium, atom

MODEL

Planetarium
MODEL
MODEL
MODEL

3D atom model

globe Plant cell model

CONTRIVED EXPERIENCES cont’d…
• MOCK UP
– a special model where the parts of a
model are singled out, heightened and
magnified in order to focus on a part or
process under study.

– Substitute for a real thing which may

be or not be operational. (Brown, et.al,
1969)
MOCK UP

Example:
–Planetarium
–mock up of an auto plant to
show the auto making process
MOCK UP

Planetarium
MOCK UP
CONTRIVED EXPERIENCES cont’d…

• SPECIMEN
– any individual or item considered typical of
a group, class or a whole.

• OBJECTS
– may also includes artifacts displayed in a
museum or objects displayed in museum.
CONTRIVED EXPERIENCES cont’d…
• SIMULATION
– Representation of a manageable real event in
event in which the learner is an active participant
engaged in learning a behavior or in applying
previously acquired skills or knowledge.

Examples:
– Fire and earthquake drill
SIMULATIONS
SIMULATIONS
CONTRIVED EXPERIENCES cont’d…

• GAMES
– Are used to practice and/or refine
knowledge /skills already acquired
– Identify gaps or weaknesses in knowledge
or skills
– Serve as a summation or review
– Develop new relationships among concepts
and principles
 Games and Simulation

Games Simulations
Contrived
to need not a
are played Experience
win winner
TEACHING WITH DRAMATIZED EXPERIENCES

• Reconstructed experiences
• Can be used to simplify an event or idea to its
most important parts

Divided into two categories:

• Acting – actual participation (more concrete)
• Observing – watching a dramatization take place
(more abstract)
TEACHING WITH DRAMATIZED EXPERIENCES

Examples:
• Formal • Less Formal
–plays –tableau
–pageants –pantomime
–Puppets
–Role-playing
DRAMATIZED EXPERIENCES cont’d…

• Plays
– Depicts life, character, or culture or a
combination of all three

• Pageants
– Are community dramas that are based on local
history, presented by local actors.
Example: a historical pageant that traces the
growth of a school
DRAMATIZED EXPERIENCES cont’d…

• Pantomime
– The art of conveying a story through bodily
movements only

• Tableau (French word meaning picture)

– A picture-like scene composed of people
against a background
Often used to celebrate Independence Day,
Christmas Day and United Nations Day
DRAMATIZED EXPERIENCES cont’d…

• Puppets
– Can present ideas with extreme simplicity

• Types of Puppet
– Shadow puppets
– Rod puppets
– Hand puppets
– Gove-and-finger puppets
– Marionettes
DEMONSTRATION IN TEACHING

• Visualized explanation of an important fact, idea, or

process
• Shows how certain things are done

Examples:
• How to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• How to play the piano
• How to lift a fingerprint
Demonstrations

www.ttr.com/model1.html

Flame Salt Test Demonstration- You Tube (right click to open link)
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFqq1rL8PjQ
 Study Trips
Watch people do things
in real situations
Observe an event that is
unavailable in the
classroom
Examples:
 Civil War Re-enactment
 Old World Wisconsin
 Class trip to Washington
D.C.
 Exhibits
 Something seen by a
spectator
 Two types
Ready made
○ Museum
○ Career fair
Home-made
○ Classroom project
○ National History Day
competition
 Educational Television and
Motion Pictures
Television Motion Pictures
Bring immediate interaction Can omit unnecessary or
with events from around the unimportant material
world Used to slow down a fast
Edit an event to create process
clearer understanding than if Viewing, seeing and hearing
experienced actual event experience
first hand Can re-create events with
Example: simplistic drama that even
 TV coverage of 9/11 slower students can grasp
Recordings, Radio, and Still Pictures
 Can often be understood
by those who cannot read
 Helpful to students who
cannot deal with the
motion or pace of a real
event or television
 Examples:
 Time Life Magazine
 Listening to old radio
broadcasts
 Listening to period music
copyservices.tamu.edu/clipart/clip09/index.html
 Symbolic Experiences
 Very little immediate physical action
 Difficult only if one doesn’t have enough
direct experience to support the symbol
 Used at all levels of the Cone in varying
importance
 Involves:
– Visual symbols
– Verbal symbols
 Visual Symbols
 No longer involves reproducing
real situations
 Chalkboard and overhead
projector the most widely used
media
http://pro.corbis.com

 Help students see an idea,

event, or process
 Examples:
 Chalkboard
 Flat maps
 Diagrams
 charts http://419.bittenus.com/6/6ballgameslottery/geography.gif
 Verbal Symbols
• Two types
– Written words – more
abstract
– Spoken words – less
abstract
• Examples:
– Discussion
– Explanation/lecture
Concrete or Abstract Learning?
How could Dale’s Cone of Experience have changed this lesson for Calvin?
What instructional media could his teacher have used to have helped
Calvin find meaning in this lesson?
 What does the Cone mean for instruction?

Dale (1938) taught teachers

that they should help their
students learn how the media
effects us, and to critically
evaluate it.
Teachers must evaluate the
benefit of the learning vs. the
amount of time required in the
lesson
How to effectively use
instructional media to helping
students move from concrete http://elzeeyed.com/ydome/wpcontent/uploads/2007/08/teacher_cartoon.gif

to abstract thought
 Other Instructional Technology Learning
Theories
Anchored Instruction
◦ Developed by John Bransford at Vanderbilt University
◦ Principles:
 1. Learning and teaching activities should be anchored around a
case-study or problem
 2. Curriculum materials should allow students to explore a lesson
through instructional media
Elaboration Theory
◦ Charles Reigeluth (Indiana University) and his colleagues in the late 1970s
◦ Elaboration theory is an instructional design theory that emphasizes the
creation of a learning sequence from simple to more complex content in
order to create deeper understanding.
 Questions to Ponder:
• How do you use technology in your instruction?
• Does the use of technology enhance learning?
• Do today’s technology savvy students require greater
usage of technology than in the past?
• How can you use technology to create learning
experiences?
 Conclusion:
•The Cone of Experience is a
visual device to aid teachers in
the selection of instructional
media
•The Cone is based on the
movement from concrete
experiences to abstract
experiences
•The literal interpretation of the
Cone has resulted in
misconceptions of its use
•The Cone has practical
applications in classroom
instruction
 References
Cisco Systems, Incorporated. (2008). Multimodal learning through media: What the research
says. Fadel, C., & Lemke, C. Retrieved from
http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/education/Multimodal-Learning-Through-Media.pdf
on February 10, 2009.
Dale, E. (1969). Audiovisual methods in teaching. New York: Dryden Press
Dooley, K. (2005). Advanced methods in distance education: Applications and practices for
educators, administrators and learners. Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing.
Heinich, R., Molenda, M., & Russell, J. D. (1989). Instructional media and the new technologies
of instruction. New York: Macmillan.
Molenda, M. (2003). Cone of Experience. In Kovalchick, A., & Dawson, K. (Eds.). Education and
technology: An encyclopedia (p. 161-164). Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO.
Seels, B. (1997). The relationship of media and ISD theory: The unrealized promise of Dale’s cone
of experience. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Educational
Communications and Technology. Albuquerque, New Mexico. (ERIC Document Reproducation
Service No. ED409869)
Turner, G. (2000). Teaching young adults: A handbook for teachers in further education.
Florence, KY: Routledge.
Elaboration Theory - http://www.learning-theories.com/elaboration-theory-reigeluth.html
Anchored Instruction - http://tip.psychology.org/anchor.html
References:
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• www.balancedandbarefoot.com
• www.semesteratsea.org
• www.123rf.com
• en.wikipedia.org
• www.mos.org
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• www.123rf.com
• www.ratiomodels.com
• www.hamleys.com
• www.realdinosaur.com
• www.doncapone.org