Bloom’s Taxonomy Erica Abangan EDU 560

What is Bloom’s Taxonomy? It is a list of learning objectives that help teachers take a more holistic approach to teaching Bloom, along with a group of educational psychologists identified three domains which aid in helping students learn Cognitive Domain (mental skills) Affective Domain (growth in feelings or emotions) Psychomotor Domain (manual or physical skills) In 1956 Dr. Benjamin Bloom, a professor at the University of Chicago, shared his now famous Taxonomy of Educational Objectives In 1956, Dr. Benjamin Bloom of the University of Chicago headed a group of educational psychologists who developed a classification of levels of intellectual behavior important for learning. Bloom’s taxonomy divides educational objectives into 3 domains: Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor. Within each domain, learning at the higher levels is dependent on having attained previous knowledge and skills at lower levels. The goal of Bloom’s taxonomy is to motivate educators to focus on all three domains to create a more holistic form of education Hierarchy – a system of ranking Holistic – refers to psychologic system postulating that the human mind is studied as a unit rather than a sum of its individual parts

COGNITIVE DOMAIN Involves knowledge and the development of intellectual skills Includes the recall of specific facts, procedural patterns and concepts that help students develop their intellectual skills and abilities There are 6 major categories within this domain. Bloom's Wheel Involves knowledge and the development of intellectual skills Bloom and his team identified six levels within the cognitive domain to stimulate instruction and develop students’ higher-order thinking skills Bloom identified six levels within the cognitive domain, from the simple recall or recognition of facts, as the lowest level, through increasingly more complex and abstract mental levels, to the highest order which is classified as evaluation. Knowledge Comprehension Analysis Synthesis Evaluation Bloom’s wheel: The Bloom's Wheel, according to the Bloom's verbs and matching assessment types. The verbs are intended to be feasible and measurable.

EDUCATIONAL USEFULNESS Where do we use Bloom’s Taxonomy in the classroom? Using Bloom’s Taxonomy gives classroom teachers a list of action verbs to help teachers establish objectives of lessons Differentiated Instruction Bloom’s taxonomy helps teachers create objectives when teaching lessons. Objectives are important not only in lesson planning but for both the teacher and the students For the students it tells the students what will be accomplished and for the teacher it tells us what is to be taught when creating a lesson. Also they are measureable which is important in making sure that grading in the classroom is fair This taxonomy can be thought of as categories or goals of the learning process. That is after a lecture or lesson, what skills do should the learner have acquired? What knowledge do we expect our students have? How has the student’s attitude changed based off of the lesson? It starts with the simplest behavior to the most complex. It allows for flexibility within the same lesson. It allows teachers to challenge your higher level students, but also gives students who aren’t as strong in the ability to complete the same lesson.

EDUCATIONAL USEFULNESS Where do we use Bloom’s Taxonomy in the classroom? Bloom divided useful verbs into 6 categories. All the verbs in a group invoke a specific kind of thinking skill needed to complete an assignment. The level of thinking you want from a student in an assignment is based on the level from which you select the verb to use.

Knowledge Use these verbs to ask a student to recall information This thinking skill tells you that a student can recall or recognize information, concepts, and ideas in the approximate form in which they were learned. ACTION VERBS Define, fill in the blank, identify, label, list, locate, match, memorize, name, recall, spell, state, tell, underline Rote memory skills (facts, terms, procedures, classification systems) Example: Who was the first person to reach the South Pole? What happened after...? How many...? Who was it that...? Can you name the...? Describe what happened at...? Who spoke to...? Can you tell why...? Find the meaning of...? What is...? Which is true or false...?

Comprehension Use these verbs to ask a student to show understanding This thinking skill tells you that a student can grasp and interpret prior learning. ACTION VERBS Convert, describe, explain, interpret, paraphrase, put in order, restate, retell in your own words, rewrite, summarize, trace, translate The ability to translate, paraphrase, interpret, or extrapolate material EXAMPLE: Describe the difference between the Arctic and Antarctic regions Can you write in your own words...? Can you write a brief outline...? What do you think could of happened next...? Who do you think...? What was the main idea...? Who was the key character...? Can you distinguish between...? What differences exist between...? Can you provide an example of what you mean...? Can you provide a definition for...?

Application Use these verbs to ask a student to use learning in a new situation This thinking skill tells you that a student can transfer selected information to a life problem or a new task with a minimum of direction ACTION VERBS Apply, compute, conclude, construct, demonstrate, determine, draw, find out, give an example, illustrate, make, operate, show, solve, state a rule or principle, use The capacity to transfer knowledge from one setting to another EXAMPLE: Give an example of one piece of modern technology that, had it been available to the explorers, would have made a difference in their trip Do you know another instance where...? Could this have happened in...? Can you group by characteristics such as...? What factors would you change if...? Can you apply the method used to some experience of your own...? What questions would you ask of...? From the information given, can you develop a set of instructions about...? Would this information be useful if you had a ...?

Analysis Use these verbs to ask a student to show that he or she can see parts and relationships This thinking skill tells you that a student can examine, take apart, classify, predict and draw conclusions. ACTION VERBS Analyze, categorize, classify, compare, contrast, debate, deduct, determine the factors, diagnose, diagram, differentiate, dissect, distinguish, examine, infer, specify The ability to discover and differentiate the component parts of a larger whole EXAMPLE: Compare the weather at the south pole on December 1 and June 1 in any given year Which events could have happened...? I ... happened, what might the ending have been? How was this similar to...? What was the underlying theme of...? What do you see as other possible outcomes? Why did ... changes occur? Can you compare your ... with that presented in...? Can you explain what must have happened when...? How is ... similar to ...? What are some of the problems of...? Can you distinguish between...? What were some of the motives behind...? What was the turning point in the game? What was the problem with...?

Synthesis Use these verbs to ask a student to take parts of information to create an original whole This thinking skill tells you that student can originate, combine, and integrate parts of prior knowledge into a product, plan, or proposal that is new ACTION VERBS Change, combine, compose, construct, create design, find an unusual way, formulate, generate, invent, originate, plan, predict, pretend, produce, rearrange, reconstruct, reorganize, revise, suggest, suppose, visualize, write The ability to weave component parts into a coherent whole Example: pretend that you made the journey. Write an entry in your diary describing your emotions on the day you reached the south pole Can you design a ... to ...? Why not compose a song about...? Can you see a possible solution to...? If you had access to all resources how would you deal with...? Why don't you devise your own way to deal with...? What would happen if...? How many ways can you...? Can you create new and unusual uses for...? Can you write a new recipe for a tasty dish? can you develop a proposal which would...

Evaluation Use these verbs to ask a student to make a judgment based on criteria This thinking skill tells you that a student can appraise, assess, or criticize on the basis of specific standards and criteria ACTION VERBS Appraise, choose, compare, conclude, decide, defend, evaluate, give your opinion, judge, justify, prioritize, rank, rate, select, support, value The ability to judge the value or use of information using a set a standards Example: Should Antarctica remain a continent free of development and left with its natural habitat? Justify your position Is there a better solution to... Judge the value of... Can you defend your position about...? Do you think ... is a good or a bad thing? How would you have handled...? What changes to ... would you recommend? Do you believe? Are you a ... person? How would you feel if...? How effective are...? What do you think about...?

Resources http://www.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom's_Taxonomy http://web.uct.ac.za/projects/cbe/mcqman/mcqappc.html The New Teacher’s Complete Sourcebook by Paula Naegle The First Days of School by Harry Wong