Bloom's Taxonomy
The Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, known as Bloom's Taxonomy
(Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, & Krathwohl, 1956) is one of the most recognized
learning theories in the field of education. Educators often use Bloom's
Taxonomy to create learning outcomes that target not only subject matter
but also the depth of learning they want students to achieve, and to then
create assessments that accurately report on students’ progress towards
these outcomes (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001).
An introduction to Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom's Taxonomy comprises thoree learning domains: the cognitive,
affective, and psychomotor, and assigns to each of these domains a
hierarchy that corresponds to different levels of learning.
It's important to note that the different levels of thinking defined within
each domain of the Taxonomy are hierarchical. In other words, each level
subsumes the levels that come before it. So, if we look at the cognitive
domain for example (which is represented in Figure 1), we can infer
that before a student can conduct an analysis, they first might need
to know the methods of analysis, understand the different elements to
review, and consider which method to apply. It is only then that they will be
ready to conduct the analysis itself.
Cognitive domain
The cognitive domain is focused on intellectual skills such as critical
thinking, problem solving, and creating a knowledge base. It was the first
domain created by the original group of Bloom’s researchers. The cognitive
hierarchy extends from simple memorization designed to build the
knowledge of learners, to creating something new based on previously-
learned information. In this domain, learners are expected to progress in a
linear manner, beginning at "remember" and ending at "create."
When writing your own learning outcomes, we encourage you to choose
verbs that best describe what is expected (e.g., for remember, you might
consider define, identify, list, recall, recognize, match, etc.). To this end,
you might consult a list of Bloom's verbs.
Cognitive hierarchy
Remember
o Sample learning outcome: Remember the names and
relationships of a cast of characters in a play.
o Sample assessment/activity: A multiple-choice test designed
to test the memory of learners.
o Rationale: A multiple-choice test will allow educators to see
whether students have effectively memorized the given
material.
Understand
o Sample learning outcome: Understand and explain the main
ideas of a play or piece of literature.
o Sample assessment/activity: Write a short (1 page) paper
summarizing the plot and most important events in the play.
o Rationale: Writing a summary encourages learners to think
about what the most important parts of a piece of literature are,
and to decide which aspects of the plot to disregard in favor of a
concise summary. It allows educators to evaluate whether or not
they have understood the main idea of the play.
Apply
o Sample learning outcome: Apply the main ideas/themes
in the play to another context.
o Sample assessment/activity: Write an advice column
responding to one of the characters.
o Rationale: In doing this assignment, learners will consider the
implications of a character’s actions outside of the
consequences shown in the play.
Analyze
o Sample learning outcome: Be able to analyze the relative
roles of each character in the play and their relationships to
each other.
o Sample assessment/activity: Write an analytical paper
comparing the antagonists and protagonists of the play.
o Rationale: Through this assignment, as learners consider what
makes each character an antagonist or a protagonist, they need
to use both their knowledge of the play and critical thinking
skills.
Evaluate
o Sample learning outcome: Evaluate the decisions of
characters in the play, and support your evaluation with textual
evidence.
o Sample assessment/activity: Write a response to one of the
events in the play, either supporting or rejecting their actions on
the basis of evidence from the play as well as personal opinion
and projected/actual consequences of action.
o Rationale: Through this assignment, learners will consider the
rationale and consequences for actions in the play, leading them
to understand and make judgements about the validity of a
character’s decision making.
Create
o Sample learning outcome: Create a new and unique piece of
writing using similar plot devices.
o Sample assessment/activity: Create a short story using
similar plot devices in a new time or setting.
o Rationale: Through this activity, learners must integrate the
plot devices and writing techniques into a new setting, allowing
them to practice their creative writing skills and showing their
full understanding of the writer's techniques.
Resources
CTE teaching tips
Writing Intended Learning Outcomes
Alignment Outcomes, Assessments, and Instruction
Course Design: Questions to Consider
Other resources
Armstrong, P. (n.d.). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Center for Teaching,
Vanderbilt University.
Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of Bloom's taxonomy: An
overview. Theory into practice, 41(4), 212-218.
The Cognitive Domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy
The “Cognitive” domain is what is focused on when helping children learn
how to read and think and this is what teachers put a lot of emphasis on in
schools.
It is also the focus of this article and, if people would like to know more, I
might follow up with the other domains in separate articles (so please do let
me know in the comments).
Bloom’s Cognitive domain focuses on the knowledge, comprehension and
critical thinking that a child uses or displays during reading time.
Bloom created six different levels of cognitive learning and suggested that
each level must be mastered before the child can move onto the next level.
In the 1990’s, a former student of Bloom’s revised the Taxonomy which
brought it into the 21st century and it was again updated in 2001.
The only thing altered in the revision is the names of the levels which now
look like this:
Every child’s critical and cognitive thinking starts with the lowest level and
gradually works up to the highest level
There are definite signs that a child shows when they have mastered each
level and there are specific questions that you can ask of your kids which will
encourage the mental stimulation needed to obtain the next level.
Here is a quick guide for each level that shows the signs a child might exhibit
when they have mastered it and example questions that can be asked to
encourage mental growth.
By noticing the child’s reactions and answers you will be able to tell when
the child has reached a new level in learning and reward accordingly.
To give us a children’s story base line, I am using Little Red Riding Hood as
the example book we’re reading. It is important to note that this applies
throughout childhood and adolescence and arguably, we never stop
developing these levels, so if you have a 4yr old, a 10yr old or even a
stroppy teenager, you can and should still apply all of these idea.
