Q: Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive domain
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Bloom’s Taxonomy is a framework that classifies educational learning objectives into a hierarchy of cognitive skills. Developed by Benjamin Bloom and his collaborators in 1956, it provides a structured approach for educators to create learning goals, assessments, and activities. The taxonomy focuses on the cognitive domain, which pertains to mental skills and knowledge acquisition. The original model consisted of six levels, arranged from lower to higher cognitive processes, each level building on the one before it.
Original Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956):
- Knowledge: The ability to recall or recognize facts, terms, basic concepts, and answers.
- Verbs: List, define, recall, identify, describe, state.
- Example: “Recall the capitals of countries.”
- Comprehension: Understanding the meaning of information, translating it into another form, or interpreting it.
- Verbs: Explain, summarize, discuss, interpret, paraphrase.
- Example: “Summarize the main points of a text.”
- Application: Using learned material in new and concrete situations.
- Verbs: Apply, use, demonstrate, solve, implement, show.
- Example: “Use mathematical formulas to solve problems.”
- Analysis: Breaking down information into its component parts and understanding its structure.
- Verbs: Analyze, compare, contrast, differentiate, examine, deconstruct.
- Example: “Analyze the causes and effects of a historical event.”
- Synthesis: Combining elements to form a new pattern or structure.
- Verbs: Synthesize, design, formulate, construct, organize, develop.
- Example: “Design an experiment to test a hypothesis.”
- Evaluation: Making judgments based on criteria and standards, using evidence and reasoning.
- Verbs: Evaluate, assess, judge, critique, justify, defend.
- Example: “Evaluate the effectiveness of a marketing strategy.”
Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001):
In 2001, Anderson and Krathwohl revised Bloom’s original taxonomy to make it more relevant to modern educational practices. The revised version maintains the original structure but introduces two main changes:
- The terminology was updated from nouns to verbs to reflect more active learning.
- The levels were reordered to reflect a more logical progression from lower-order thinking to higher-order thinking.
Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy:
- Remembering: Retrieving, recognizing, and recalling relevant knowledge from long-term memory.
- Verbs: Recognize, recall, list, define, identify, name.
- Example: “List the countries in Africa.”
- Understanding: Constructing meaning from oral, written, or graphic communication. Interpreting, comparing, or explaining ideas.
- Verbs: Explain, summarize, classify, compare, interpret.
- Example: “Interpret the meaning of a poem.”
- Applying: Using knowledge and skills in new or familiar situations.
- Verbs: Apply, execute, implement, carry out.
- Example: “Solve a math problem using a new technique.”
- Analyzing: Breaking down information into parts and understanding the relationships between them.
- Verbs: Analyze, differentiate, compare, contrast, examine.
- Example: “Analyze the themes in a novel.”
- Evaluating: Making judgments based on criteria and standards.
- Verbs: Evaluate, assess, justify, critique, validate.
- Example: “Evaluate the validity of a research study.”
- Creating: Putting elements together to form a novel structure or solution.
- Verbs: Create, design, formulate, construct, invent.
- Example: “Create a business plan for a new product.”
Key Changes in the Revised Taxonomy:
- Terminology Shift: The terms in the revised taxonomy reflect active learning and cognitive processes (e.g., “remember” instead of “knowledge,” “evaluate” instead of “evaluation”).
- Reordered Levels: The revised taxonomy places Creating at the highest level instead of Synthesis, recognizing the importance of innovation and problem-solving in the learning process.
- Dual Dimensions: The revised taxonomy includes a knowledge dimension (factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge) to complement the cognitive process dimension.
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Application in Education
- Instructional Design: Educators can use Bloom’s Taxonomy to design learning objectives, activities, and assessments that move students through various levels of cognitive processing.
- Assessment: Teachers can align assessments with specific cognitive levels to ensure that they evaluate both basic recall (lower-order thinking) and higher-level skills like critical thinking and creativity.
- Active Learning: Bloom’s Taxonomy encourages moving beyond memorization and rote learning, fostering deeper understanding and the ability to apply knowledge in real-world contexts.
Summary of Bloom’s Taxonomy Levels:
| Level | Cognitive Process | Example Verb | Example Activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Remembering | Recall or recognize facts | Recall, list, identify | Memorizing a poem |
| 2. Understanding | Interpret, explain meaning | Explain, summarize | Summarizing a chapter from a textbook |
| 3. Applying | Use learned information | Apply, solve, demonstrate | Using a formula to calculate a result |
| 4. Analyzing | Break down information | Analyze, compare | Analyzing a graph or data set |
| 5. Evaluating | Make judgments based on criteria | Evaluate, critique | Evaluating the credibility of a research article |
| 6. Creating | Form new structures or ideas | Create, design | Designing a new product or writing a novel |
Bloom’s Taxonomy remains a valuable tool for educators, guiding the development of clear, measurable objectives and encouraging the cultivation of higher-order thinking in students.