1. Cone of Experience Edgar Dale
PEOPLE GENERALLY REMEMBER:
Cone of Experience Edgar Dale
10% of what they read
Read
20% of what they hear
Hear Words
PASSIVE
Watch still pictures
30% of what they see
Watch moving pictures
View exhibit
50% of what they
hear and see
Watch demonstration
70% of what they say and write
Give a talk
Adapted from Edgar Dale (1960), Audiovisual Methods in Teaching. 1969, NY: Dryden Press. Dale is often cited as the “father of modern media” in education.
This model incorporates several theories related to instructional design and learning processes. During the 1960s, Dale theorized that learners retain more information by what they “do” as opposed to what is “heard,” “read” or “observed.” His research led to the development of the Cone of Experience. Today this “learning by doing” has become known as experiential learning.
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 closet thing to real, everyday life. Each level above moves the learner a step farther away from a real-life experience.
Also, the opportunity for the learner to use a variety of senses is considered in the cone. Direct experience allows us to use all senses. As you move up the cone, fewer senses are involved. The more sensory channels possible in interacting with a resource, the better chance that many students can learn from it.
Participate in a discussion
ACTIVE
90% of what they say and do as they
perform a task
Role play a situation
Simulate a real experience
Do the real thing