Studying is easy. Retaining everything you’ve learned is the problem most students have! So what’s the best way to retain what you study? Edgar Dale’s Pyramid of Learning answers this question succinctly and effectively. Previous articles have revealed some of the rich parts contained in the secret sauce of academic success. In this article, we reveal even more powerful learning methods that have been proven over the years to be the most effective for memorization. I invite you to discover Edgar Dale’s Learning Pyramid, one of the most popular tools among learning methods, used by many learning institutions around the world to create educational content. If you want to get better results in school, the learning pyramid will help you, because it shows you how to learn better. Read to the end to get all the details.
Edgar Dale’s Learning Pyramid
The learning pyramid is an interesting classification of known learning methods, and this classification is made according to their effectiveness in helping us retain information. This pyramid states that people retain more of what they see and do, than what they hear or read.
At the bottom of the pyramid, you will find the learning methods that help us retain more of what we study (ranked in percentages). At the top are the learning methods that help us retain much less of what we learn.
Somewhere in the middle of the pyramid are learning activities that trigger only average retention (memorization).
By learning methods, we mean lectures, reading, group discussions, demonstrations, practice, and teaching others. These are the most common learning techniques we use today.
A little story behind this fascinating pyramid and its learning methods
Before we dive into the different learning methods laid out on the pyramid, here’s a little history lesson.
Where does this famous learning pyramid come from, and why is it so popular in today’s educational systems?
The learning pyramid is said to have first appeared on page 43 of the book Audiovisual Methods in Teaching, published by Edgar Dale, an American educator, around 1946.
In this book, Edgar Dale called his classification of different forms of learning the “cone of experience.” He used a cone to give a visual representation of his idea, with numbers in percentages.
The term “learning pyramid” was coined by the National Training Laboratories (NTL) after some studies in the early 1960s. The concept has since been widely used in educational design to improve learning outcomes.
Speech (5% retention)
So that everyone can understand what follows, I will define what is called a lecture. A lecture is basically when you are sitting in class and the professor is in front of you presenting his course.
You sit, you listen to him, and he presents the content of the course to you. Like someone giving you a lecture.
According to the learning pyramid, lectures (and lecturing) are the most passive form of learning. And I couldn’t agree more. You don’t do anything, you just sit there, listening to Mrs. Anne sing a chemistry lullaby.
Although a lecture is the most effective way to quickly communicate a large amount of information to students, we are only able to retain about 5% of that information.
In other words, you will only retain about 5% of what you learned in a lecture. That’s why relying strictly on lectures is a big risk.
Reading (10% retention)
Did you know that when you read, you only retain about 10% of everything you read? That’s according to the learning pyramid. So maybe you should reread your geography lesson!
Reading is also one of the passive forms of learning because you are not involved in much activity. In other words, you are not engaging much with the learning material.
All some students often do is sit at a table and stare at pages for hours. Which is not a good way to go about it.
Audio-visual (20% retention)
Nowadays, in most schools, teachers use audiovisual aids in their classes to make learning fun. Slideshows, videos, pictures, charts, and course materials are all audiovisual aids.
According to the learning pyramid, audiovisual media are still passive forms of learning, but they already allow you to retain up to 20% of the material you study. Much better than lectures and reading, right?
Demonstration (30% retention)
Instead of describing the process of baking a cake in a food science lesson, it’s better to go into the kitchen and show students how to bake an actual cake. Here’s a demonstration!
According to the pyramid, demonstrations are active forms of learning. And you can retain up to about 30% of the information you learn from a demonstration. Some lessons are simply better taught through demonstrations.
What is a science lesson you wish your teacher had taught you through a demonstration, instead of a traditional lecture? Post your answer in the comments.
Discussion (50% retention)
In high school, our physics teacher divided the class into small groups for practical lessons.
Each group was given instructions for an experiment, followed by a series of questions to answer. We were allowed to discuss and brainstorm solutions as a team.
It was very enjoyable. It allowed us to learn from each other, but also to build our understanding of the subject. This is the power of discussions, an active learning method ranked 5th on Edgar Dale’s learning pyramid.
It is estimated that you can retain up to 50% of the material you construct, from a discussion.
Practice (75% retention)
They say that practice makes perfect, and the learning pyramid confirms this. Practice is considered one of the most effective methods of learning because it involves applying one’s knowledge to problem-solving.
You can retain up to 75% of what you learn through practice. This means that if you practice computer programming, you should expect to retain at least 75% of the programming concepts you learned through practice.
Teaching others (90% retention)
According to the learning pyramid, teaching others is the most effective way to learn.
To teach others you must have a solid understanding of the subject.
But wanting to teach others helps you (and even pushes you) to revisit the material until you can answer even really difficult questions, which wires your brain more powerfully by building stronger neurons in it.
As a result, you can retain up to 90% of what you teach others. In other words, make an effort to want to teach the content of your course to others, and you will increase the chance of retaining it by up to 90%.
As Albert Einstein said, “You haven’t fully understood a concept until you can teach it to a grandmother.”
How to apply the learning pyramid to study more effectively?
You’ve learned all about the learning pyramid. Now what?
So here’s how to study smart and effectively using your knowledge of the learning pyramid learning methods:
Focus on active learning.
If you had to choose between active and passive learning methods, which would you choose? That’s right, active learning!
The pyramid reveals that active learning methods are the most effective for studying because they promote retention. It’s simple, you will retain many more things if you practice active learning.
What are the active learning methods you will find on the pyramid? Discussions, practice, and teaching others.
Teach your friends
Do you know any friends at school who are doing well but are super selfish with what they know? If that’s you, trust me, you’ll do much better if you start teaching others what you’ve learned.
You don’t have to be an expert or know a lot. Just find people who are willing to learn, and teach what little you have learned from your course. This will help you gain remarkable mastery and change your grades in even more miraculous ways.
Create your discussion groups
Not all teachers use discussion groups, even when they are required to. So find some friends to create a group with where you can discuss and brainstorm solutions to problems or exercises.
Conclusion
Without hard work, nothing can guarantee success, not even a learning pyramid or an Egyptian tomb. However, it is always better to study smart, and not necessarily hard.