Dale's Cone of Experience
Dale's Cone of Experience is a visual classification system for different types of mediated learning experiences. It is organized from bottom to top to show a progressions from the most concrete to the most abstract experiences. The categories are flexible and are best used in different combinations, providing a range of experiences to enrich learning (Molenda, 2004). The Cone of Experience is very valuable for me as a teachers, as it reminds me to not be one-dimensional in my teaching. A combination of abstract and concrete experiences can be used to elevate language learning.
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| Dale's Cone of Experience as described by Molenda (2004) - slightly adapted |
This Cone of Experience is pretty cool. I can see the value in its use in trying to build lessons that stimulate a wide variety of senses to increase learning. What are some combinations of experiences that you have been able to successfully implement in your lessons?
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, I wouldn't say that the project described below has been successful. I get a variety of outcomes. But it's something I'm working on making better.
DeleteAs part of a unit on "Growth", I do some lessons on seeds and germination for my ELL class. We read about seeds and germination. To promote effective learning, I try to have students engage in a combination of concrete and abstract experiences. Students have to do individual projects to create a presentation of a photo story showing the process of germination. Students must grow a plant from a seed. They decide which seed to grow. They need to research the best method for getting that seed to sprout. Materials for this project is another thing they need to decide on after doing their research. All material must be brought to class and set up there. They need to decide where in the classroom to place their project. For example, by a sunny window, in the shade, out on the window balcony, etc. They also need to make sure their seed or plant doesn't die during the weekend when no one is there. They take daily photos for their photo story and create a PowerPoint presentation of their photos with captions that demonstrate their understanding of the process and related vocabulary. Even though it's a homework assignment, there's some time trade off in class. At the beginning of each class, students are given time to monitor their seeds’ progress, make adjustments as necessary, and take photos. So every class period for a few weeks is shortened. They are given enough time to account for the possibility of their seeds failing to sprout and trying again. I think the time trade-off is worth it since students can have different types of experiences ranging from concrete to abstract.