2. Questions to be Addressed:
Who is Edgar Dale?
What is the Cone of Experience?
Is the Cone of Experienced based
on previous theories?
What are mis-conceptions of the
Cone of Experience?
How can the Cone help
instruction?
3. 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. He also
made major research contributions in the teaching of
vocabulary and testing readability of texts. Jeanne S.
Chall, an OSU Ph.D. graduate who went on to
become a leading innovator in reading research.
Perhaps 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.
- Take from the Ohio State University Website
http://ehe.osu.edu/edtl/about/tradition.cfm#dale
4. 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
5. CONCRETE LEARNING ABSTRACT LEARNING
First-hand
experiences
Learner has some
control over the
outcome
Incorporates the use
of all five senses
Difficulty when not
enough previous
experience or
exposure to a concept
Every level of the
Cone uses abstract
thinking in come way
6. 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.
7. 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
8. Mis-Conceptions 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
It overemphasizes the use of instructional media
9. Misrepresentations of the Cone
www.biij.org/2008/1/e16/fig4.gif
www.compstrategies.com/.../img002.gif
www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/sae/ppt1/img012.GIF
web20guru.wikispaces.com/file/view/dalescone.gif
11. 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
12. Models and mock-ups
“editing of reality”
Necessary when real
experience cannot be
used or are too
complicated
Examples
Use of a pilot simulator
Mock up of an auto plant
to show the auto making
process
13. 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
14. 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
15. Demonstrations
• 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
www.ttr.com/model1.html
Flame Salt Test Demonstration- You
Tube (right click to open link)
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
YFqq1rL8PjQ
16. 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.
17. Exhibits
Something seen by
a spectator
Two types
Ready made
○ Museum
○ Career fair
Home-made
○ Classroom project
○ National History Day
competition
18. Educational Television and
Motion Pictures
Television Motion Pictures
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
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
19. 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
20. 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
21. 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
Diagrams
charts
http://pro.corbis.com
http://419.bittenus.com/6/6ballgameslottery/geography.gif
22. Two types
› Written words – more
abstract
› Spoken words – less
abstract
Examples:
› Discussion
› Explanation/lecture
23. 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?
24. 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
25. 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.
26. 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?
27. 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
28. 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
Editor's Notes
As the use of technology becomes more important in our daily lives, it has also become important as a classroom learning tool. It can be used to enhance learning experiences or even create new experiences. Think back to an academic learning experience you had in school. If technology was involved, how did it influence your experience? If it wasn’t involved, how could technology be applied today to enrich that experience for your students?[Take a few examples from the group to stimulate conversations and interest]
In today’s presentation I will address the following questions about Dale’s Cone of Experience.[read out loud]
Edgar Dale was an instructor at Ohio State University who specialized in the classroom use of audio-visual technologies. Dale’s Cone of Experience is considered to be the pioneer example of the marriage between learning and AV use.
Dale’s Cone first appeared in his 1946 textbook titled “ Audio-Visual Methods in Teaching. This text is the grail for any educator wanting to successfully integrate AV materials into instruction. Dale intentions were not for the Cone to represent all ways of learning but instead to create a visual with which to categorize the progression of AV material usage, from the concrete to abstract experience.
Concrete and Abstract learning are key concepts in the visual layout of the Cone. (Read slide aloud) Although Dale points out that every level of the Cone contains some form of abstractedness, such as words, he emphasizes that the lower levels of the Cone rely more on concrete experiences as foundations for later abstract exploration.
Two previous theorists greatly influenced Dale while he was creating the Cone. (Read first bullet) Dale writes of his Bruner’s influence in his Audio Visual textbook. Dale writes that he based the division of the Cone on Bruner’s Theory of Instruction. Bruner’s theory involves (Read slide aloud)
Dale outlined his intentions for the use of the Cone of Experience in the 1969 version of his Audio Visual Textbook. (read slide out loud)
Dale’s Cone of Experience is often mis-interpreted and more recently mis-represented. In Dale’s 1969 version of his Audio Visual text, he dedicates an entire section to refuting these mis-conceptions, which include (read slide aloud).
Probably the most widely accepted, yet totally incorrect representation of Dale’s Cone are the examples you see here. Dale’s original Cone does not include the retention percentages nor had Dale ever mentioned them in his writings. These percentages have been attributed to a government report in the 1950’s and has since been refuted. There is no evidence as to who first attached these percentages to Dale’s Cone, but they have unfortunately stuck.
Now lets look at the real Cone and its contributions to education. Using Bruner’s three learning process levels, Dale grouped the Cone’s categories into Enactive, Iconic, and Symbolic experiences. (Read the slide out loud) Let’s start with the bottom of the Cone and explore the categories Dale considered the most concrete or enactive.
At the very bottom of the Cone we find the most concrete uses of experience. Direct and Purposeful Experiences are (read slide aloud).
Next in the Enactive category are contrived experiences which are (read slide aloud)
Finally to round out the enactive experiences, Dale has created the category of dramatized experiences which are (read slide out loud).
The next and largest set of categories on the Cone fall into the realm of iconic experiences. Iconic experiences encompasses (read the slide aloud).
Demonstrations are a great mixture of concrete hands-on application and more abstract verbal explanation. Demonstrations can (read slide out loud). If you don’t have the room or materials to perform certain demonstrations, the Internet provides many options for demonstration viewing. (watch hyperlink). Although this creates a greater abstraction to the demonstration, I use this video in my own classroom during our forensic science unit because my room is not equipped to handle open flames. Even though this is not “hands on” the students love to watch this colorful demonstration.
Study trips are another great way to mix concrete and abstract concepts of learning. Study trips allow students to (read slide aloud). This photograph is of my students on our bi-annual trip to Washington, D.C.. This year will be our fifth trip to D.C since 2001 and I have found that students have gained a much deeper content knowledge through this experience. They are able to take seemingly abstract textbook concepts and view them at work in real life. It gives them a chance to view and touch the knowledge previously presented to them.
The next category on the Cone are exhibits. At first most people think of museum when they hear the work exhibits but Dale envisioned the use of exhibits as much more. Exhibits are (read the slide out loud).
This category is probably one of the most used in traditional education, today. With the advent of “live” television, students can become more intimately involved in real events as they are happening. Motion pictures can also take epic events and condense them into usable packages for lesson planning. Both however are nearing the top of the Cone as students are limited in their physical involvement. Television can (read slide aloud). Motion pictures can (read slide out loud).
Finally, the most abstract of the iconic category Dale places recordings, radio and still pictures. This category (read slide out loud).
The final two categories on the Cone involve symbolic experiences. Although considered the most abstract by Dale, symbolic experiences are the most used in traditional education, today. Symbolic experiences encompass (read slide out loud).
We all are inundated with visual symbols every day and most of the time we pay little attention to them. On the Cone, Dale describes visual symbols as (read slide aloud).
Finally, at the top of the Cone of Experience are verbal symbols. This category represents the most abstract band of the Cone in which concepts don’t look like the things they represent. If I said the word “K-i-t-e” the letters look nothing like a kite yet we have learned to understand what those letters together mean. Visual symbols offer (read slide aloud). Now that we have a better understanding of each category in the Cone of Experience, lets explore how to apply this knowledge to the classroom.
Here we have Calvin, a typical adolescent student, who struggles to find meaning in his test question.(Read slide aloud) (Have the group brainstorm ideas on how to help Calvin’s teacher. Write some of the suggestions on a whiteboard). Now think about your subject area. Choose a typical unit of study in your field and design a curriculum outline for AV use in that unit. What AV technologies could you use to enhance learning for students? Are your choices more concrete or abstract? (Give the group time to devise their plans and talk with group members. Share a few examples with the whole group).
(Read the slide aloud)
Although Dale’s Cone remains the central starting point for research on instructional technology, I have chosen two other theories that relate well to the Cone. (Read the slide aloud).
As we conclude our session together, let me leave you with a few questions to ponder. (read slide out loud).
Whew, that was a lot of information to remember! Let’s recap the most important aspects of this presentation. (read the slide aloud) Are there any questions? (take a few moments to answer any question the group may have). Thank you all for joining me today and have a great rest of the school year!
