1. Scaling the Pyramid: The pursuit of higher order thinking skills Presented by Nathan Groff

2. What is learning? Maybe it sounds like too simple a question. But it is a question educators should also be returning to. –A permanent change in behavior. –Memorization of information. –Mastery of a practical skill. –Development of an understanding. –A social process / socialization. –Ability to empathize with a situation. –Awareness of a viewpoint.

3. Bloom’s Taxonomy Benjamin Bloom Directed a research team 1956 “Taxonomy of educational objectives: the classification of educational goals” It is a classification of learning objectives

4. 3 Domains

5. Leveled Domains

6. Cognitive Domain

7. 6 Levels of Cognitive Processes 1.Knowledge 2.Comprehension 3.Application 4.Analysis 5.Synthesis 6.Evaluation

8. 6 Levels of Cognitive Processes 1.Knowledge: Recall or locate information. Remember, recall, recognize. Multiple choice questions; recall questions

9. 1. Knowledge

10. 6 Levels of Cognitive Processes 2.Comprehension: Understand “learned” facts. Explain; define; illustrate; translate Explain in your own words; cloze; translate a sentence

11. 2. Comprehension Describe Bloom’s taxonomy. Explain the 6 levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.

12. 6 Levels of Cognitive Processes 3.Application: Apply what has been learned to new situations. Using; implementing Giving examples; make a conclusion; choosing an appropriate formula

13. 3. Application Use Bloom’s taxonomy to write learning objectives.

14. 6 Levels of Cognitive Processes 4.Analysis: “Take apart” information to examine different parts. Correct, relate, differentiate, arrange, categorize, detect, compare. Sentence diagramming; error correction; organizing or categorizing

15. 4. Analysis Use Bloom’s taxonomy to evaluate learning objectives. Compare Bloom’s taxonomy to different theories of learning. (i.e. Behaviorism, Operant conditions, etc.)

16. 6 Levels of Cognitive Processes 5.Synthesis: Create or invent something; bring together more than one idea. (higher level application) Produce, propose, design, plan, combine, formulate, compose, hypothesize, construct Mind mapping; designing; making a business plan; composing; formulate a theory (like an opinion essay, thesis paper, or dissertation

17. 5. Synthesis Combine Bloom’s taxonomy with another cognitive theory to create a more comprehensive theory of thinking processes.

18. 6 Levels of Cognitive Processes 6.Evaluation: Consider evidence used to support conclusion. (higher level analysis) Appraise, judge, criticize, decide. Judging (like in a music contest); defend (a thesis, etc.)

19. 6. Evaluation Evaluate Bloom’s taxonomy in light of recent research in cognitive development.

20. Lower Order Thinking Skills 1.Knowledge: You know/remember the information 2.Comprehension: You understand or can explain the information (surface) 3.Application: You can use or apply the information (simple or straight forward situations) 4.** Analysis ** There is debate about whether ‘analysis’ should be placed in the lower or higher order.

21. Higher Order Thinking Skills 4.Analysis: You can analyze, breakdown and organize information, concepts, etc. 5.Synthesis: You can synthesize many different concepts, pieces of information, etc. 6.Evaluation: You can judge or defend the validity of a concept, thesis, etc. *** Sometimes the highest level is labeled “creativity”.

22. Another version – Equality of H.O.T.S.

23. A revision of the domains

24. Conclusion Student learning is the goal. How can we enable student to learn better? How can we teach students to think at higher levels? Using learning objectives is a key method. Bloom’s taxonomy is an excellent tool for designing learning objectives … … and for helping both educators and students understand the process of higher order thinking.

25. Questions or Comments: