Bringing “Buds into Bloom’s” Creating a garden of higher level thinking Presented By Linda Romano Newburgh Enlarged City School District

“While questions which elicit lower level thinking are an important part of teaching, they are useless unless they build toward questions which help kids develop higher order thinking skills.” Benjamin Bloom

Why???? As teachers we must ensure our students are developing an understanding of what we are teaching….but why?

Why do we ask questions?  To guide students toward understanding when we introduce material  To push students to do a greater share of the thinking in the classroom  To remediate an error  To stretch students  To check for understanding

That is all fine and dandy but……. 

The honest truth is….  On Average, a teacher asks 400 questions a day (one third of their time)  Most of the questions are answered in less than one second (Hastings, 2003)  60% recall facts and 20% are procedural (Hattie, 2012)  Most answers are right or wrong  Teachers take up to two-thirds of the classroom talk time. Students are “talk-deprived ” (Alvermann et al., 1996)  Student discussion increases retention as much as 50%. (Sousa, 2001)  Factual questions answer the who, what, when, where and why. “who’s the character in the story; Where did the story take place?; what year did the titanic sink?”  Procedural questions answer the way things are done in a classroom. “What will be on exams?; Can we get the answers to the practice exams?; Are comments as well as questions accepted online?

As teachers we searched for ways to improve questions..

We searched for ways to create …..critical thinkers!

Bloom’s original Six Levels  Knowledge  Comprehension  Application  Analysis  Synthesis  Evaluation

Bloom’s worked …however….

With the concept of Multiple Pathway’s and Integrated Academics…. CTE courses….Health Science Education needs to step up our game in the classroom….creating Higher Level Thinking…..

Bloom’s Taxonomy: Old vs. New

Bloom’s levels & questions

What was old is new? ch?v=0LZhid-STbo ch?v=0LZhid-STbo

Knowledge/Remembering  Name  List  Recognize  Choose  Label Relate Tell Recall Match Define Level 1 – Recall Remembering previously learned material, recalling facts, terms, basic concepts from stated text

Comprehension/Understanding  Compare  Describe  Outline  Organize  Classify Explain Rephrase Show Relate Identify Level 2 – Understand Demonstrating understanding of the stated meaning of facts and ideas

Inference  Speculate  Interpret  Infer  Generalize  Conclude Level 2 1/2 – Infer Demonstrating understanding of the unstated meaning of facts and ideas

Application/Applying  Apply  Construct  Model  Use  Practice Dramatize Restructure Simulate Translate Experiment Level 3 – Put to Use Solving problems by applying acquired knowledge, facts, and techniques in a different situation

Analysis/Analyzing  Analyze  Diagram  Classify  Contrast  Sequence Simplify Summarize Relate to Categorize Differentiate Level 4 – Break down Examining and breaking down information into parts

Synthesis/Evaluating  Compose  Design  Develop  Propose  Adapt Elaborate Formulate Originate Solve Invent Level 5 – Put together Compiling information in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern

Evaluation/Creating  Judge  Rank  Rate  Evaluate  Recommend Defend Justify Prioritize Support Prove Level 6 – Judge Presenting and defending opinions by making judgments about information based on criteria

Application in your classroom….

 Project based learning  Portfolio  Scaffolding  Creativity  Planning  Essential Questions  Objectives  Essays and written assignments  Tests

Does it work????? From Thesis to Essay, to Presentation..

Plant those seeds Where to begin 1.Essential Question 2.Objectives 3.Terminology 4.Creative Lesson Plan

Plan ahead….think out of the box with your lessons. Allow students to digest information …wait, think, discuss time….. Use Rubrics…students see goal. Model Motivation and….reflect!

So go ahead….plant those seeds and watch those buds Bloom!