Dale's cone of Experience

Dale’s Cone of Experience

Background

Years ago an educator named Edgar Dale, often cited as the father of modern media in education,

Developed from his experience in teaching and his observations of learners the "cone of experience”. In his book 'Audio visual methods in teaching' - 1957,

The cone's utility in selecting instructional resources and activities is as practical today as when Dale created it.

Class room teaching dale shown in pinnacle form and called ‘cone of experience’

Interpreting the Cone

• The cone is based on the relationships of various educational experiences to reality (real life).

• The bottom level of the cone, "direct purposeful experiences," represents reality or the closest things to real, everyday life.

• The opportunity for a learner to use a variety or several senses (sight, smell, hearing, touching, movement) is considered in the cone.

• Direct experience allows us to use all senses.

• As you move up the cone, fewer senses are involved at each level.

Sensory channels possible in interacting with a resource, the better the chance that many students can learn from it.

The original labels for Dale's ten categories are: Direct, Purposeful Experiences; Contrived Experiences; Dramatic Participation; Demonstrations; Field Trips; Exhibits; Motion Pictures; Radio; Recordings; Still Pictures; Visual Symbols; and Verbal Symbols.

The experiences included in the cone are

1. Direct, purposeful experiences: An ounce of experience is better than a ton of theory
2. Contrived (plan, invent) experience: Real thing cannot be perceived directly, its simplification becomes necessary. Working model which is an editing of reality, imitation is preferred for better and easier understanding.
3. Dramatic participation: certain real events presented through play.(puppets)