The document discusses Dale's Cone of Experience, which was an early attempt to classify audio-visual aids based on their effectiveness in communicating ideas. It proposes that all learning comes from direct experiences, vicarious experiences like pictures, or symbolic experiences like words. Dale depicted these on an inverted cone or pyramid, with more abstract experiences like symbols at the top and direct experiences like objects at the bottom. The cone included experiences from direct interaction to visual/verbal symbols but should not be seen as a strict hierarchy, as some experiences like field trips can provide very direct learning.

1. DALE’S CONE OF EXPERIENCE
The ‘Cone of Experience’ proposed by Edgar Dale in
his ‘Audio- Visual methods in teaching’, was the
earliest attempt to classify audio-visual aids
according to their effectiveness in communicating
idea. Edgar Dale observes:”The Cone of Experience
is merely a visual aid in explaining the inter
relationships of the various types of audio-visual
materials, as well as their individual positions in the
learning process”.
All our experiences are derived mainly from three
sources, namely Direct, Vicarious and symbolic.
Direct sensory contact involves doing, vicarious
experiences (models, pictures, etc.)involve
observing and oral or written materials involve
symbolizing. Edgar Dale depicts all these learning
experiences in a ‘ pinnacle form’, which he calls the
‘Cone of Experience’. If we travel up the pinnacle,
from it base, everything can be seen well arranged
in the order of increasing abstractness.

2. The experiences included in the Cone are: 1. Direct,
purposeful experiences (real objects). 2. Contrived
experiences (models). 3. Dramatic participation
(plays, puppet, shows, pageants, pantomimes,
tableaux etc.). 4. Demonstration experiments. 5.
Field trips. 6. Exhibitions. 7. Television. 8.Motion
pictures. 9. Still pictures, slides, film strips etc. 10.
Visual symbols (maps, charts, diagrams, cartoons,
graphs etc.). 11. Verbal symbols (a theorem,
formula or a proverb).The Cone device should not
be constructed as an accurate, systematic and
hierarchical arrangement of learning experiences.
For example field trip provides rich and first-hand
experiences to children and as such, it ought to find
its right place along with ‘Direct ,purposeful
experience’ instead of its fifth place in the Cone of
experience, Simil arly, projected aids in the Cone
occupy a place high up in the ladder, as if they
provide comparatively abstract experiences in
relation to ’direct experience’.