Edgar Dale's Cone of Experience

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?

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

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 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

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

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

Misrepresentations of the Conewww.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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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 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

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

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

Diagrams

charts

http://pro.corbis.com

http://419.bittenus.com/6/6ballgameslottery/geography.gif

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 to abstract thought

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

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.

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

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