For the Record:

The Misinterpretation of
Edgar Dale’s
Cone of Experience

Tony Betrus
Al Januszewski
SUNY Potsdam
 The Authentic
Cone
• 1946, 1st Edition of
Audiovisual Methods in
Teaching
• 1954, 2nd Edition of
Audiovisual Methods in
Teaching
• 1969, 3rd Edition of
Audiovisual Methods in
Teaching
 Possible Misconceptions about the Cone1

Perhaps the Cone of Experience has already helped

to remind you of some important ideas about
communication, learning, and concept development.
But like all reminders, the Cone carries the dangers of
oversimplification... [do] not mistake the Cone device
for an exact rank-order of learning processes. You will
understand that the Cone classifies instructional
messages only in terms of greater or lesser
concreteness and abstractness.

1From Dale, 1969, p. 128

 Possible Misconceptions about the Cone2
Q Does the Cone device mean that all teaching and
learning must move systematically from base to
pinnacle?
A Emphatically no. As we have noted, young children
use many simple abstractions-verbal symbols. Before
entering school they have mastered the meanings of
at least 2500 words, or verbal symbols, each one of
which is an abstraction. The fact that something is an
abstraction does not necessarily make it difficult to
understand. Actually, there are wide variations in
degree of difficulty.

2From Dale, 1969, p. 128

 Possible Misconceptions about the Cone3
Q Can we overemphasize the amount of direct
experience that is required to learn a new concept?
A Yes, this is a danger. Perhaps the new abstraction
can be mastered with less firsthand experience than
you might think necessary. Indeed, too much reliance
on concrete experience may actually obstruct the
process of meaningful generalization. Certainly a
mathematician could not develop a system of higher
mathematics by counting on his fingers.

3From Dale, 1969, p. 130

 Possible Misconceptions about the Cone4
Q Are the upper levels of the Cone for the older student
and the lower ones for the child?
A It is true that the older a person is, the more abstract
his concepts are likely to be. We can explain this
developmental change by a greater physical
maturation, greater opportunity for vivid experiences,
and (in certain circumstances) greater motivation for
learning. But an older student does not live
exclusively in the world of his abstract concepts, just
as a child does not live only through the impressions
his senses give him. The shuttling process, in fact,
continues not only through the learning of a particular
concept, but throughout all life. And this interaction is
an indication of the nature and complexity of concepts
themselves. (continued on next slide)
4From Dale, 1969, p. 130
 Possible Misconceptions about the Cone5

Q Are the upper levels of the Cone for the older student
and the lower ones for the child?
A (Continued from previous slide) Instructional materials
at all levels of the Cone can help us to extend the web
of relationships that our concepts involve. Even the
most advanced student, therefore, can deepen his
understanding of concepts and his enjoyment of life by
participating in experiences all along our Cone. … the
Cone of Experience stands for activities that are
available, in varying degrees, to learners in all age
groups.

5From Dale, 1969, p. 132

 Possible Misconceptions about the Cone6
Q Does the Cone of Experience overemphasize instructional
devices (the media of communication) at the expense of subject
matter (the message to be communicated)?
A Actually, use of the Cone may lead to an enhancement of our
subject matter presentations. Indeed, the Cone may help us to
choose the instructional materials that are most appropriate for
the particular topic we wish to teach. The Cone can help us to
understand these relationships between media and the
messages they convey. It suggests, in fact, that various
instructional materials differ in the degree of sensory
experience they are able to provide. Our selection of
instructional materials, therefore, will depend on the amount of
sensory experience we wish to provide for a particular topic of
our lesson. And the Cone can help us "place" a teaching
method; it can help us select the way of communicating most
suited to the experience we wish to convey.
6From Dale, 1969, p. 132
 Possible Misconceptions about the Cone7
Conclusions
Our understanding of the Cone of Experience, moreover, will
remind us of a fundamental principle for our teaching: We do
not use any one medium of communication in isolation. Rather,
we use many instructional materials to help the student
conceptualize his experience so that he can deal with it
effectively. The Cone suggests that concept development can
proceed from experiences with any specific instructional
material. It often follows, then, that the more numerous and
varied the media we employ, the richer and more secure will be
the concepts we develop. Well-chosen instructional materials
of various kinds can provide a variety of experiences that
enhance the learning of a given subject for any student at any
given point in his continuing development.

7From Dale, 1969, p. 133

 Possible Misconceptions about the Cone8
Conclusions

We conclude, then, that the Cone of Experience is

visual model, a pictorial device that may help you to
think critically about the ways in which concepts are
developed. Indeed, you may now be able to apply
your ideas about the relationships of interesting,
meaningful experiences and abstract, highly symbolic
representations.

8From Dale, 1969, p. 134

 So What’s The Problem?
• Students brought to our classes handouts of
“alternative” Cones of Learning with different
names for levels in the Cone.
• Internet Searches revealed “Interesting”
percentages applied to the Cone.
• They all looked “kind of the same.”
• Did they know something we (and Dale) didn’t???
• The following slides show examples of various
Cones we have encountered:
#1. Computer Strategies, LLC
http://www.compstrategies.com/staffdevelopment/4cueadlearn/sld002.htm

10/25/1999
San Leandro, California
Reference: Wiman and Meirhenry, 1960.
#2. http://www.hishelpinschool.com/learning/Bloom.html

• At the next level, we find that we are reaching the

place where activity and application make our use of
information "real" to us. Bruce Nyland in the 1950’s
studied what kinds of information people remember
the most and for the longest period of time. He
concluded that when students "do the real thing,"
"simulate" the real thing, or teach others what they
have learned, the retention rate is about 90% of what
was taught.
• Note: Bruce Nyland died in 1998 at the age of 62. He
was 14 years old in 1950 and 23 in 1959.
• #3. Crystal Kuykendall,
Ed.D, J.D.
• The Mid-Atlantic Equity Center, School of
Education, The American University

• Improving Black
Student Achievement
By Enhancing
Student's Self Image

• http://www.nwrel.org/cnors
e/booklets/achieve/table6.h
tml
 #4. Office for Distributed & Distance Learning, FSU
http://www.fsu.edu/~ids/fac2002/Edgar%20Dale.htm
• Lower levels of the cone involve the student as a participant and encourage active learning.
• Lower levels include more stimuli and are richer with regard to natural feedback - the consequences of an action.
• Higher levels compress information and provide more data faster for those able to process it.
• Pictures are remembered (recalled) better than verbal propositions.
• Pictures aid in recalling information that has been associated with them
• Upper levels of the cone need more instructional support than lower levels.
#5 Wallace Library Online / Distance Learning Services,
RIT Marianne Bhueler 2000
http://wally.rit.edu/information/CUNY2000/sld008.htm

No Reference Given
#6. Oakland Unified School District Technology
Learning Center
http://tlc.ousd.k12.ca.us/tlc/sitetech/agendas/documents_81202/Dale's%20Cone.pdf
 #7. Pal V. Rao, Ph.D., CDP
Dean of Library Services
Central Missouri State University
Presented at AECT99
Presentation Title: “How Can Media Managers Influence
Faculty to Use More IT? “
http://library.cmsu.edu/dean/aect99/sld006.htm
#8. Dr. Mary C. Rainey, University of Akron
Course: 603 Family: Middle and Later Years
http://gozips.uakron.edu/~mrainey/603les~1.htm
DALE'S CONE OF EXPERIENCE

People Generally Remember ?**

10% of what they read. Read Verbal Receiving

20% of what they hear. Hear Words

30% of what they see. Watch still picture

Watch moving picture Visual
Watch exhibit Receiving
50% of what they
hear and see. Watch demonstration

70% of what Do a site visit.

they say or Do a dramatic presentation. Hearing,
write. Saying,
Seeing &
90% of what Simulate a real experience. Doing
they say Do the real thing.
as they
do a
thing.
?** ?**
Wiman and Meirhenry. (1969) contains reference to Edgar Dales's "Cone of Experience."
**Question marks refer to the unknown.
#9.

• http://ohioline.osu.edu/4h-fact/0018.html
• The Edgar Dale Cone of Experience summarizes how
learners retain information. A person remembers 10% of
what they read, 20% of what they heard, 30% of what they
seen and 50% of what is seen and heard.
• This is the first only “cone” reference when searching the
OSU site for “Edgar Dale.”
• Ohio State is the Home of the Edgar Dale Media Center.
 #10. Why Choose Talk Tools? It Works
http://www.talktools.com/whychoose/works.html
Studies have shown that how information is presented determines the
retention level of the information. The Cone of Learning Theory, explains the
likelihood of retaining information, based on the method of delivery.

When simply spoken to in a presentation we retain 30% of what is said. If

this information is also presented in a visual format, our retention level of this
information increases to 50%. When we also actively receive and participate
in the presentation, retention increases to 70%. Finally, retention is
maximized to 90% when we practice what we've learned.
Source: Dale and Nyland, 1985.
#11. Online, Inc., a Division of Information
Today Inc. Wilton, Connecticut
• http://www.econtentmag.net/r19/2002/delancie8_02.html
A similar endorsement is voiced by Matthew Gale, who handles strategic
product marketing for Web and interactive solutions at Discreet, the San
Francisco maker of content creation solutions for video, animation, and 3D. He
describes streaming media as "another way to communicate experiences,
knowledge, ideas, messages, and stories. This medium allows companies to
deliver compelling multimedia information across vast distances—in real time or
near real time—to implementers, influencers, and decision-makers. Companies
can richly communicate custom messages to all the key stakeholders while
improving workforce knowledge and productivity."

As evidence of streamed multimedia's efficiency, Gale cites "classic

research" published by Wiman and Mierhenry in 1969. "The study found
that people remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30%
of what they see, and 50% of what they hear and see."
 #12. Dr. James M. Marshall
• http://www.ciconline.org/uploads/CIC_REPORT.pdf

From pp. 15-16

Researchers posit that explanations in words and pictures, as opposed to
words or pictures, make for increased comprehension (Mayer, 2001) for
the learner. Dale’s “Cone of Experience” (1946, 1996) provides
evidence of these phenomena. Dale’s research suggested that increasing
the modalities by which content was presented could increase retention
rates. Wiman and Mierhenry (1969) extended Dale’s concept to
conclude that people will generally remember
•10 percent of what they read
•20 percent of what they hear
•30 percent of what they see
•50 percent of what they hear and see
#13. Why Use Active Learning?
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm

• Brought to you by the Active Learning

Online team at
• the ACU Adams Center for Teaching
Excellence
• ACU Box 29201 Abilene, TX 79699-9201
 #14. The Initiative: Experiential
Learning Resources, Workshops, Ideas, Articles
• Spring/Summer 2002
• 10% of what we hear.
• 15% of what we see.
• 20% of what we both see and hear.
• 40% of what we discuss
• 80% of what we experience directly or practice doing.
• 90% of what we attempt to teach others
• Source: Brady (1989)
• We Remember: 14 Sources:(and counting)
• 5% Lecture
• 10% What we read
• 15% What we see
Wiman and Mierhenry, 1969
• 20% Audio-Visual
• 20% What we see and hear
Wiman and Mierhenry, 1960
• 20% What we hear
• 26% What we hear Glasser, 1990
• 30% What we see
• 30% Passive Verbal Standard Oil of NY
•
•
•
30% Demonstration
40% What we discuss
50% Visual Receiving
Let’s Socony-Vacuum Oil Company
•
•
•
50% See and hear
50% Discussion Group
70% Discuss with others
Sum it Dale and Nyland, 1985
Bruce Nyland, 2000
•
•
•
70% Active Receiving and Participating
70% Say
70% Say and Write
Up Bruce Nyland, 1950’s
• 70% Say or Write Nyland/Dole, 1972
• 70% Say as they talk
• 75% Practice by Doing Dale Edgar
• 80% Experience Personally
• 80% What we experience directly or practice doing
NTL Institute
• 90% Say as they do a thing
• 90% Say and perform a task
• 90% Teach to others/Immediate Use
James Stice, 1984 Seminar
• 90% What we attempt to teach others
• 95% of what we teach someone else
Gustafson, 1985
Brady, 1989
 Contact Information:
Tony Betrus - betrusak@potsdam.edu
Al Januszewski - janusza@potsdam.edu
State University of New York at Potsdam
Department of Information and Communication Technology
Download the presentation, after November 18th, at:
http://www2.potsdam.edu/educ/betrusak/aect2002/dalescone.html