Bloom's Taxonomy
The original model has been imagined as a pyramid that has six main divisions-knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
- 2 min read
Benjamin Bloom’s proposition of heirarchical educational objectives (popularly known as Bloom’s taxonomy), especially focused on the cognitive domain, has been widely used in the curricular development and instructional designs across the world.
The pyramidical illustration of his model (published in 1956) speaks for itself. The original model has been imagined as a pyramid that has six main divisions- one sitting atop another. From the bottom to the top, the educational objectives were categorized as: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
In 2002, DR Krathwohl revised the taxonomy and suggested that the creation should be the ultimate aim of cognitive domain. His new model has imagined the Bloom’s taxonomy with new action words. From basic aim of educational instruction to more advanced ones, remember would be followed by understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and finally create.
In this article, we are going to elaborate the later model, as suggested by DR Krathwohl.
| Categories of Cognitive Learning | Descriptions | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Remember | Recalling basic concepts and facts. | Learners will be able to list the names of processes involved in the water cycle. |
| Understand | Explaining the concept/information. | Learners will be able to explain the process of the hydrological cycle in the form of a scientific description. |
| Apply | Using information in new situations/contexts. | Learners will be able to draw a picture of the hydrological cycle or create a 3D model. |
| Analyze | Comparing, contrasting, and exploring relationships. | Students will experiment with the water cycle in two different types of climates, followed by comparison of the outcomes in those contexts, and finally move towards a conclusion. |
| Evaluate | Making judgements based on given criteria. | Students will be able to assess the impact of human activities on the water cycle. |
| Create | Producing new or original work, mostly useful for the community/world. | Students will be able to prepare a groundwater recharge solution plan and propose it to the school’s leadership team. |
References
- Bloom, B. S. (Ed.). (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive domain. David McKay.
- Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(4), 212-218.