Bloom's Taxonomy Overview

Introduction

• Framework for learning that improves student learning and teacher teaching.
• Helps in understanding different levels of knowledge mastery.
• Useful for structuring studying and measuring competence.

Historical Background

• Created in the 1950s by Benjamin Samuel Bloom, American educational psychologist.
• Three versions of the taxonomy for different domains:
  1. Cognitive Domain: Acquisition of knowledge.
  2. Affective Domain: Feelings, emotions, and attitudes.
  3. Psychomotor Domain: Manual or physical skills.

Focus on Cognitive Domain

• This lesson will concentrate on the cognitive domain regarding knowledge acquisition.

Versions of Bloom's Taxonomy

• Original 1950s version (left) vs. Revised 2001 version (right) by Lauren Anderson (former student of Bloom).
• Both versions applicable to current discussion.

Six Levels of Bloom's Taxonomy

1. Remember: Recall relevant facts from long-term memory.
2. Understand: Comprehension and ability to draw conclusions.
3. Apply: Use facts and rules to solve problems in new situations.
4. Analyze: Break information into parts and understand relationships.
5. Evaluate: Judge or critique information based on criteria and standards.
6. Create: Combine elements in new ways to create something new.

Action Verbs Associated with Each Level

• Important for setting learning objectives.
• Learning objectives should state what students will be able to do after the lesson.

Example of Setting Learning Objectives

• Math Workshop on Prime Numbers:
  • 1. Define a prime number (Remember).
  • 2. Explain why 17 is a prime number (Understand).
  • 3. Calculate prime factors of any prime number under 1000 (Apply).

Example: Using Taxonomy for Training

• Scenario: Training team to add content to a website.
  1. End Goal: Create new web pages (Create).
  2. Current Skill Level: No knowledge of websites or HTML (Start from Remember).

Lessons Structured by Levels

1. Lesson 1 - Remember: Explain essential HTML elements.
2. Lesson 2 - Understand: Summarize HTML's purpose on web pages.
3. Lesson 3 - Apply: Implement basic web pages.
4. Lesson 4 - Analyze: Research elements for web page improvement.
5. Lesson 5 - Evaluate: Critique each other's web pages.
6. Lesson 6 - Create: Develop new web pages to meet objectives.

Flexibility in Learning

• Not necessary to start from the bottom; can move around levels based on appropriateness.

Advantages of Bloom's Taxonomy

• Establishes learning goals for teachers and students.
• Allows strategic thinking about types of learning.
• Facilitates consistency in lessons and evaluations.

Disadvantages of Bloom's Taxonomy

• False representation of learning as a non-linear process.
• May overlook integrated cognitive processes involved in learning.

Summary

• Bloom's Taxonomy helps in understanding mastery levels of knowledge.
• Aids learners in structuring their study and measuring competence.
• Assists teachers in planning lessons and measuring student competence.