EDGAR DALE’S

CONE OF
EXPERIENCE
 EDGAR DALE
(April 27, 1900- March 8, 1985)

“Father of Modern Media in

Education”

 Internationally renowned
pioneer in the utilization of
audio-visual materials in
instruction.
 Made major research
contributions in the
teaching of vocabulary and
testing readability of texts,
While learning by doing may be better than
learning through abstraction, explain why
Dale (1969) felt that “Too much reliance on
concrete experience may actually obstruct
the process of meaningful generalization.”
What is the Cone of Experience?
 First introduced in Dale’s 1946
book, Audio-Visual Methods in
Teaching
 A graphic depiction of the
relationship between how
information is presented in
instruction and the outcomes for
learners
 Designed to “show the progression
of learning experiences” from the
concrete to the abstract
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
1. Enactive- direct experience
2. Iconic- representation of experience
3. 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
LEVELS of the Cone of Experience
 Enactive- direct experiences
1. Direct, Purposeful Experiences
2. Contrived
3. Dramatized
 Iconic– pictorial experiences
1. Demonstrations
2. Study trips
3. Exhibits
4. Educational television
5. Motion pictures
6. Recordings, radio, still pictures
 Symbolic- highly abstract
experiences
1. Visual symbols
2. Verbal symbols
DIRECT AND PURPOSEFUL EXPERIENCES

 Direct, first-hand
experience
 Have a direct
participation in the
outcome
 Use of all our senses
 CONTRIVED EXPERIENCES

 Making use of a
representative models
and mock-ups of
reality
 “edited copies of
reality”
 Necessary when real
experience cannot be
used or are too
complicated
 DRAMATIZED EXPERIENCES

 “reconstructed
experiences”
 Used to simplify an
event or idea to its
most important parts
 Divided into two
categories: acting
(role playing) and
observing
 DEMONSTRATIONS

 Visualized
explanation of an
important fact, idea,
or process
 Shows how certain
things are done
 STUDY TRIPS

 Watch people do
things in real
situations
 Observe an event that
is unavailable in the
classroom
EXHIBITS

 Something seen by a
spectator
 Two types:
1. Ready-made:
museum, career-
fair
2. Home-made:
classroom project
 VISUAL SYMBOLS

 No longer involves
reproducing real
situations
 Chalkboard and
overhead projector
are the most widely
used media
 Help students see an
idea, event, or
process
 VERBAL SYMBOLS

 Two types:
1. Written words-
more abstract
2. Spoken words-
less abstract
 Examples:
discussion,
explanation/lecture
 Concrete thinking refers to the
thinking on the surface whereas
abstract thinking is related to
thinking in depth.
MISconceptions of the Cone
 All teaching or 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.
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.
“The Cone is a visual analogy and
like all analogies, it does not bear
an exact and detailed relationship
to the complex elements it
represents.”
-Edgar Dale