Edgar Dale's

Cone of Experience
 Edgar Dale
 Edgar Dale (1900-1985) served on The Ohio
State University faculty from 1929 until 1970.
He was an internationally renowned pioneer in
the utilization of audio-visual materials in
instruction.
Professor Dale's most famous concept was
called the "cone of experience," a graphic
depiction of the relationship between how
information is presented in instruction and
the outcomes for learners.
 What is 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.
 Concrete vs. Abstract Learning
CONCRETE LEARNING ABSTRACT LEARNING
 First-hand experiences  Difficulty when not
 Learner has some enough previous
control over the outcome experience or exposure to
 Incorporates the use of a concept
all five senses
 Every level of the Cone
uses abstract thinking in
come way
 Influences on the
Cone of Experience
 Hoban, Hoban & Zisman’s Visual Media Graph
Value of educational technology is based on their degree of realism
 Jerome Bruner’s Theory of Instruction
Three levels in the learning process
Enactive – direct experience
Iconic – representation of experience
Symbolic – words or visual symbols
The process of learning must begin in concrete experiences and move
toward the abstract if mastery is to be obtained.
Intentions of the Cone of Experience
Dale (1969) wrote that
 May lead to a more useful way of
thinking about audio visual materials
and their application in the classroom
 The levels of the Cone are interactive

 As one moves up the Cone there is not

necessarily an increase in difficulty but
rather an increase in abstract thought
 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
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
 LEVELS OF THE
CONE OF EXPERIENCE
 Enactive – direct experiences
 Direct, Purposeful
 Contrived
 Dramatized

 Iconic – pictorial experiences

 Demonstrations
 Study trips
 Exhibits
 Educational television
 Motion pictures
 Recordings, radio, still pictures

 Symbolic – highly abstract experiences

 Visual symbols
 Verbal symbols
ENACTIVE
 Direct and Purposeful Experiences

 Direct, first hand experiences

 Have direct participation in
the outcome
 Use of all our senses
 Examples:
 Working in a homeless shelter
 Tutoring younger children
 Contrived Experiences
 Models and mock-ups
 “Editing of reality”
 Necessary when real
experience cannot be
used or are too
complicated
 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)

Monticello Students engaged in a mock trial

ICONIC
 ICONIC EXPERIENCES ON THE CONE
 Progressively moving toward greater use of imagination
 Successful use in a classroom depends on how much
imaginative involvement the method can illicit from
students
 Involves:
 Demonstrations
 Study trips
 Exhibits
 Motion pictures
 Educational television
 Radio, recordings, and still pictures
• Visualized explanation of an Demonstrations
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

Flame Salt Test Demonstration-

You Tube
DNA Crude Extraction
 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
Television
 Bring immediate interaction
with events from around the
world
 Edit an event to create clearer
understanding than if
experienced actual event first
hand
 Example:
 TV coverage of 9/11
Motion Pictures
Motion Pictures
 Can omit unnecessary or
unimportant material
 Used to slow down a fast
process
 Viewing, seeing and hearing
experience
 Can re-create events with
simplistic drama that even
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
 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
 Help students see an idea, event,
or process
 Examples:
 Chalkboard
 Flat maps

http://419.bittenus.com/6/6ballgameslottery/geography.gif
 Verbal Symbols
Two types
 Written words – more
abstract
 Spoken words – less
abstract
Examples:
 Discussion
 Explanation/lecture
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 to abstract thought

http://elzeeyed.com/ydome/wpcontent/uploads/2007/08/teacher_cartoon.gif
 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