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Part 1 of Module: Part
2 of Module: |
D. Creating, Evaluating, and Selecting Instructional Resources
The Cone of Experience
Years ago an educator named Edgar Dale, 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" (see Figure 1). The cone's utility in selecting instructional resources and activities is as practical today as when Dale created it.
 Figure 1. Dale's Cone of Experience |
For our purposes at this time, we don't need to examine the cone and its several levels in depth; but as you review it, be aware of several principles and definitions:
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The cone is based on the relationships of various educational experiences to reality (real life), and the bottom level of the cone, "direct purposeful experiences," represents reality or the closest things to real, everyday life. (Think about somebody's experiences in an apprenticeship or internship.) |
| 2. | 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. Verbal symbols involve only hearing. As you move up the cone, fewer senses are involved at each level. Perceptual learning styles are sensory based. The more sensory channels possible in interacting with a resource, the better the chance that many students can learn from it. |
| 3. | 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. (Think about a student reading material without any pictures or other visuals or a student listening to a lecture that is nothing but words.) |
| 4. | 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. |
| 5. | Contrived experiences are ones that are highly participatory and simulate real life situations or activities. |
| 6. | Dramatized experiences are defined as experiences in which the learner acts out a role or activity. |
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. Given the fact that computer technology actively engages the learner, who uses seeing, hearing, and physical activity at the keyboard as well as a range of mental skills, computer-based instruction (if something more than reading script on the screen or rote practice) probably becomes level 4 or 5 from the bottom of the cone. However, we don't know where Dale would have placed it.
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:
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Where will the student's experience with this resource fit on the cone? How far removed from real life experience is it? |
| * | What kind of learning experience do I want to provide students through the resources I bring to them? What will this resource add to developing students' ability to apply knowledge and skills in daily life? |
| * | How does this resource augment the verbal and visual (maybe) symbols supplied in the textbook? |
| * | What and how many senses can learners use when interacting with this resources? |
We know that the purposes of selecting resources beyond a textbook is to help students learn more or learn something better and to enable them to apply basic knowledge to life and work. How will you make those selections? The principles embodied in Dale's cone of experience can help.
Evaluating Instructional Resources
In evaluating instructional resources, several questions you should ask yourself are important, regardless of the type of resource you are considering:
| 1. |
Does the content match the curriculum? |
| 2. | Is the content accurate, up to date, and appropriate for the students?. |
| 3. | Do the materials teach and/or reinforce learning effectively? |
| 4. | Will these materials be motivating to the students? |
| 5. | Do these resources enhance instruction? |
| 6. | Is the resource easy for the teacher and students to use? |
| 7. | Are the materials of high quality technically? |
| 8. | Is the use of this resource practical for my teaching setting (cost, needed equipment, etc.)? |
Creating/Selecting Visuals
When selecting or creating visuals (overhead transparencies, slides, PowerPoint presentations) for use in instruction, some guidelines should be considered:
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Text should be easy to understand and follow. |
| * | Large, bold type is easier to read than smaller type. Italic, script and condensed fonts are more difficult to read than plain text (san serif, such as Arial and Geneva (for MACs) or Verdana for PCs). Font size should be 24 or larger, as are the examples below, and should be readable from the most distant seat in the room. Using combined upper and lower case is preferable to all upper case. |
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As a general rule, each visual should contain no more than three levels of information. |
| * | Information listed with numbers, "bullets" or other graphics need not be complete sentences. |
| * | Limit the number of lines per screen/slide/transparency and words per line. Six words per line and six lines per transparency is about the maximum that is desirable. |
| * | Yellow background with black lettering is thought to be the most readable. Three colors should be the maximum in text visuals. Red and green sometimes cause difficulties for students who are color blind. |
| * | The consistent use of colors and format is less confusing for the students. Simple dark-colored backgrounds are best (if a colored background is desired). Most presentation software allows for transitional slides, but their use should be limited so that they will emphasize distinctions rather than distract the students. |
| * | Graphs and diagrams are easier to comprehend than tables. |
| * | Presentation software allows for rearranging the sequence of slides and easy copying of a slide. If a slide needs to be shown more than once during a presentation, it is best to use copies rather than moving the projection sequence backwards through several slides. |
Evaluating and Selecting Instructional Resources From Internet Sources
While the Internet makes available a tremendous number of resources to teachers, all resources found on the Web are not equally valuable. ANYONE can put something up on the Internet. There is no review process or standards to ensure quality, so care must be taken by the teacher in selecting them.
A variety of types of resources are available on the Web:
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tools, slideshows, and handouts, |
Whether you are seeking supplementary information, lesson plans, tutorials, games, virtual tours, or some other type of resource for either your use or for your students to access directly, it is important to evaluate the Web materials before you use them. There is no single model for evaluating Web materials, but there are many commonalities among those that do exist.
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Author: Who developed this work? Is the author named? What are his/her credentials? Does the author seem qualified to present this work? If you find a lesson plan, was it developed (and used) by a teacher? |
| * | Sponsor: What, if any, organization sponsors the site? What type of site is it? (The three-letter code in the URL indicates whether it is a commercial - .com, educational - .edu, government - .gov, or other type of site.) Commercial sites frequently provide educational materials that are high quality. Several state educational agencies support Web lesson plan libraries that are accessible by the public. |
| * | Currency: Can you easily determine the date the page was created or last revised? Does the material seem to be up-to-date? This is particularly important in social studies and science, where developments can occur practically overnight. If links to other sites are provided, are they functional? If not, is enough information provided that you can "search" for the site using a search engine or going to the home site of the particular source? |
| * | Coverage: Does the comprehensiveness of the information suit your purpose? (If you plan to have students access the site, does it fit their needs and comprehension level?) With the amount of information available it probably isn't even possible to provide "complete" information, but it is possible to provide enough information for your needs. Does the material seem free of bias in its presentation? If you are looking for lesson plans, do they specify the grade level of the students for whom they were developed? Are they aligned with appropriate national (and/or state) standards or curriculum frameworks? |
| * | Accuracy: Is the material consistent with what you might find in print or at other Internet sites? Are sources of factual material listed so that you can verify the facts? |
| * | Relevance: How does the material relate to your curriculum? How does it relate to the appropriate standards and/or frameworks at the national, state, and/or school system? How does it relate to your objectives? |
Some web sites offer consumer reviews of educational materials. One such searchable database is available through the library at the University of Buffalo and contains reviews (written primarily by librarians and faculty from institutions across the U.S. and Canada) of videos, DVDs and CD-ROMs from major educational and documentary distributors. Another searchable web site containing reviews of instructional materials is provided by the Southern Regional Education Board with the support of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
Determining Who Will Use the Resource
When you select instructional resources, keep in mind who the primary user(s) will be: you or the students. Remember two questions you are asked by your evaluator during a pre-observation conference and select resources with those questions in mind:
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What will students be doing during this lesson? |
| * | What will you (teacher) be doing during this lesson? |
Keeping it Legal!
As you collect and use instructional resources, you should be aware of the copyright law. Publishers of educational materials are willing to sue those who violate copyright laws. If publishers and educational materials distributors fail to make a profit from sales of their products, the materials available will be fewer in number and of lower quality. Almost all materials which might be used by educators are protected by the copyright law unless it is specifically stated in the work itself that it may be copied and used without permission.
Educators have some special allowances under the concept of "fair use" in copyright law. Following is a list of criteria that specify when educational use of copyrighted work meets the fair use guidelines:
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The educator uses only a brief excerpt from the work. |
| * | The use is spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment. |
| * | The use is not cumulative; that is, it only occurs a single time and does not take the place of purchase. |
THIS CONCLUDES PART 2 OF THE INFORMATION ON TYPES AND SOURCES OF INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES.
GO TO THE NEXT SECTION TO CHECK YOUR KNOWLEDGE (COVERING SECTION D OF THIS MODULE).
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© 2001-2003 Alabama Department of Education
All Rights Reserved. |