Lesson 4=Cone of Experience

By Edgar Dale
Background

Years ago an educator named Edgar

Dale (Educational Media, 1960), 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”. The
cone's utility in selecting instructional
resources and activities is as practical
today as when Dale created it.
THE CONE
PEOPLE GENERALLY REMEMBER …

•10% of what they read

• 20% of what they hear
• 30% of what they see
• 50% of what they hear and see - video
• 70% of what they say or write
• 90% of what they say as they do
something
Pie Graph on Senses
and Perception
1.5%
3.5%

1%
11 % Sight
Sound
Smell
Touch
83% Taste
 Retention Rate Levels
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
 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.
 More Interpretation

 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.
 The more sensory channels possible in
interacting with a resource, the better the
chance that many students can learn from it.

 Each level of the cone above its base moves a

learner a step further away from real- life
experiences, so experiences focusing only on
the use of verbal symbols are the furthest
removed from real life.
 Motion pictures (also television) is
where it is on the cone because it is an
observational experience with little or
no opportunity to participate or use
senses other than seeing and hearing.
 The experiences below this one provide
opportunity for the learner to enter into
the experience in more ways, using
more senses.
 Contrived experiences are ones that are highly participatory
and simulate real life situations or activities.
 Dramatized experiences are defined as experiences in which
the learner acts out a role or activity.
 NOTE THAT:

 When Dale formulated the cone of experience,

computers were not a part of educational or home
settings, so they aren't part of the original cone.
Dale’s Cone & Teaching
The importance of Dale's cone of experience
is the tool it provides to help a teacher make
decisions about resources or activities.
Using your knowledge of the cone, you can
ask yourself several questions about the
potential value of a resource to student
learning.