The learning pyramid is an arrangement of instructional strategies according to the average retention rate. It consists of the following: lecture (5%), reading (10%), audio-visual (20%), demonstration (30%), discussion group (50%), practice by doing (75%), and immediate use of learning/teaching others (90%). This diagram was created by Edgar Dale from the National Training Laboratories (NTL) for Applied Behavioral Science in Bethel, Maine in 1946.
In 1954, a similar pyramid — but one with different numbers — were mentioned in the book “Audio-Visual Methods in Teaching.” This was called “cone of experience” and had the following figures: reading (10%), hearing words (20%), looking at images/pictures (30%), seeing and hearing (50%), discussing or giving a talk (70%), saying and doing something such as simulating experiences, performing, and giving a dramatic presentation (90%). The structure progresses from most concrete/active at the bottom to most abstract/passive at the peak. Since then, numerous versions of the pyramid have appeared in various sources.