Key Features of Bloom's Taxonomy
How Blooms Taxonomy works?
This theory is based around thinking. Students will be able to increase their level of thinking by progressing through stages that will allow them to develop and increase their own level of thinking ability, to find out information for knowledge about something, but to evaluate the information they find out.
Original and New Version
In 1956 Bloom’s and a group of colleges identified, that there were various types of learning and identified three that are important for learning;
Theory as a Tool
There was change to the way the theory was developed from a one dimension to a two-dimension matrix. This change allowed educators to use it a tool for planning, instructional delivery and assessment. The revised table matrix demonstrates a concise visual representation of the alignment between standards and educational goals, objectives, products and activities.
This system provides educators with one of the first systematic classifications of the processes of thinking and learning. Teachers must measure their student’s abilities accurately to classify levels of intellectual behavior that is important in learning. The Bloom’s provides the measurement tool for thinking.
Bloom's Taxonomy
Blooms is a hierarchy of learning in which the higher levels of knowledge/remembering are based on the thinking that the lower levels of learning have already happened. For the learner to progress they must work step by step through the process to achieve the desired result.
In addition to the three areas of learning that students can be operating in (cognitive, affective and psychomotor), there are also different levels of learning. These levels are based on the depth of learning the student is engaging in. The higher the level of learning the learner is engaged in, the more depth their learning will have (Forehand, 2005). Learners are not expected to go straight to level six in their thinking. Bloom's Taxonomy is meant to be a series of "stepping stones" in which the children move through as they develop their thinking progress.
In the 1990's Lorin Anderson, a former student of Benjamin Bloom, and a group of educators revised the taxonomy to update it. (Anderson, 2005). From the 1950's, Bloom's Taxonomy has been more extensively used than was expected and the changes reflected the needs of the wider range of users (Forehand, 2005).
The first major change made was to the terminology that uses the six levels of thinking. The titles were all changed to verbs as learning and thinking were now seen as active processes. Some of the levels also got new names to reflect current educational thinking. Knowledge became “Remembering” as knowledge implied thinking and the first category was not about thinking, it was based on memorizing information and remembering it. Comprehension became “Understanding”, as this language was more in keeping with the language used by teachers. Synthesis became “Creating” as creating was seen as the more important part of the synthesis category. (Anderson, 2005).
There were also changes to the order of thinking itself. The first three levels were considered to be lower order thinking and the three higher levels were considered to be higher order thinking. The top two levels were also changed around so evaluating comes before creating. This change was attributed to the fact that to create your own idea based on someone else's you must have already evaluated it. The idea behind the taxonomy was also changed. The original taxonomy believed that each level of thinking progressed in order. The revised taxonomy allowed for levels to be skipped and allowed students to start at a higher level than remembering (Anderson, 2005).
The cognitive process dimension represents a continuum of increasing cognitive complexity—from remember to create.
The knowledge dimension represents a range from concrete (factual) to abstract (metacognitive).
The justification for the revised taxonomy is: Before we can understand a concept we have to remember it Before we can apply the concept we must understand it Before we analyse it we must be able to apply it Before we can evaluate its impact we must have analysed it Before we can create we must have remembered, understood, applied, analysed, and evaluated. (VARK, 2011)
This theory is based around thinking. Students will be able to increase their level of thinking by progressing through stages that will allow them to develop and increase their own level of thinking ability, to find out information for knowledge about something, but to evaluate the information they find out.
Original and New Version
In 1956 Bloom’s and a group of colleges identified, that there were various types of learning and identified three that are important for learning;
- Cognitive - Mental Skills – Knowledge
- Affective - Growth in feelings or emotional areas - Attitude
- Psychomotor - Manual or physical skills – Skills
Theory as a Tool
There was change to the way the theory was developed from a one dimension to a two-dimension matrix. This change allowed educators to use it a tool for planning, instructional delivery and assessment. The revised table matrix demonstrates a concise visual representation of the alignment between standards and educational goals, objectives, products and activities.
This system provides educators with one of the first systematic classifications of the processes of thinking and learning. Teachers must measure their student’s abilities accurately to classify levels of intellectual behavior that is important in learning. The Bloom’s provides the measurement tool for thinking.
Bloom's Taxonomy
Blooms is a hierarchy of learning in which the higher levels of knowledge/remembering are based on the thinking that the lower levels of learning have already happened. For the learner to progress they must work step by step through the process to achieve the desired result.
In addition to the three areas of learning that students can be operating in (cognitive, affective and psychomotor), there are also different levels of learning. These levels are based on the depth of learning the student is engaging in. The higher the level of learning the learner is engaged in, the more depth their learning will have (Forehand, 2005). Learners are not expected to go straight to level six in their thinking. Bloom's Taxonomy is meant to be a series of "stepping stones" in which the children move through as they develop their thinking progress.
In the 1990's Lorin Anderson, a former student of Benjamin Bloom, and a group of educators revised the taxonomy to update it. (Anderson, 2005). From the 1950's, Bloom's Taxonomy has been more extensively used than was expected and the changes reflected the needs of the wider range of users (Forehand, 2005).
The first major change made was to the terminology that uses the six levels of thinking. The titles were all changed to verbs as learning and thinking were now seen as active processes. Some of the levels also got new names to reflect current educational thinking. Knowledge became “Remembering” as knowledge implied thinking and the first category was not about thinking, it was based on memorizing information and remembering it. Comprehension became “Understanding”, as this language was more in keeping with the language used by teachers. Synthesis became “Creating” as creating was seen as the more important part of the synthesis category. (Anderson, 2005).
There were also changes to the order of thinking itself. The first three levels were considered to be lower order thinking and the three higher levels were considered to be higher order thinking. The top two levels were also changed around so evaluating comes before creating. This change was attributed to the fact that to create your own idea based on someone else's you must have already evaluated it. The idea behind the taxonomy was also changed. The original taxonomy believed that each level of thinking progressed in order. The revised taxonomy allowed for levels to be skipped and allowed students to start at a higher level than remembering (Anderson, 2005).
The cognitive process dimension represents a continuum of increasing cognitive complexity—from remember to create.
The knowledge dimension represents a range from concrete (factual) to abstract (metacognitive).
The justification for the revised taxonomy is: Before we can understand a concept we have to remember it Before we can apply the concept we must understand it Before we analyse it we must be able to apply it Before we can evaluate its impact we must have analysed it Before we can create we must have remembered, understood, applied, analysed, and evaluated. (VARK, 2011)
The Revised Version
Bloom's Taxonomy is a taxonomy of activities and behaviours that show Higher Order Thinking Skills and Lower Order Thinking Skills . Bloom's allows use to adapt and use different classroom activities and plan the learning process.
Step Six – Remembering: Can the student recall or remember the information?
Define, Duplicate, List, Memorise, Recall, Repeat, Reproduce, State
Step Five – Understanding: Can the student explain the ideas or concept?
Classify, Describe, Discuss, Explain, Identify, Locate, Recognise, Repor, Select, Paraphase
Step Four – Applying: Can the student use the information in a new way?
Choose, Demonstrate, Dramatise, Employ, Illustrate, Intepret, Solve, Use, Write, Sketch
Step Three – Analysing: Can the students distinguish between the different parts?
Compare, Contrast, Critique, Differentiate, Distinguish, Examine, Experiment, Question, Test
Step Two – Evaluating: Can the student justify a decision?
Appraise, Argue, Judge, Select, Support, Value, Evaluate
Step One - Creating: Can the student create a new product or point of view?
Assemble, Construct, Create, Design, Develop, Formulate, Write.
Step Six – Remembering: Can the student recall or remember the information?
Define, Duplicate, List, Memorise, Recall, Repeat, Reproduce, State
Step Five – Understanding: Can the student explain the ideas or concept?
Classify, Describe, Discuss, Explain, Identify, Locate, Recognise, Repor, Select, Paraphase
Step Four – Applying: Can the student use the information in a new way?
Choose, Demonstrate, Dramatise, Employ, Illustrate, Intepret, Solve, Use, Write, Sketch
Step Three – Analysing: Can the students distinguish between the different parts?
Compare, Contrast, Critique, Differentiate, Distinguish, Examine, Experiment, Question, Test
Step Two – Evaluating: Can the student justify a decision?
Appraise, Argue, Judge, Select, Support, Value, Evaluate
Step One - Creating: Can the student create a new product or point of view?
Assemble, Construct, Create, Design, Develop, Formulate, Write.
There were also changes to the types of knowledge a person has. In the revised taxonomy the educators identified four different types of knowledge a person can have. The four domains are identified below:
Factual Knowledge: This type of knowledge is the most basic. It is knowledge of specific terminology or details that make learning in a specific topic possible (Krathwohl, 2002).
Conceptual Knowledge: This is the theoretical knowledge behind a subject (Krathwohl, 2002) such as a teacher having knowledge of Bloom's Taxonomy to enhance their teaching practice.
Procedural Knowledge: This is subject specific knowledge about the process for doing something (Krathwohl, 2002), such as the process of solving differential equations.
Metacognitive Knowledge: This is knowledge of ones own thinking. It requires reflection of the thinking process and the ability to know what your thinking process is (Krathwohl, 2002).
Factual Knowledge: This type of knowledge is the most basic. It is knowledge of specific terminology or details that make learning in a specific topic possible (Krathwohl, 2002).
Conceptual Knowledge: This is the theoretical knowledge behind a subject (Krathwohl, 2002) such as a teacher having knowledge of Bloom's Taxonomy to enhance their teaching practice.
Procedural Knowledge: This is subject specific knowledge about the process for doing something (Krathwohl, 2002), such as the process of solving differential equations.
Metacognitive Knowledge: This is knowledge of ones own thinking. It requires reflection of the thinking process and the ability to know what your thinking process is (Krathwohl, 2002).