Bloom's Taxonomy 

by X | @rali2100 - Linkedin|R Ali

Created 2023-11-07

The Revised Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning and design thinking are two complementary frameworks that can be effectively combined to enhance learning and innovation. Bloom's Taxonomy provides a structured approach to classifying cognitive skills, while design thinking offers a human-centered methodology for problem-solving and creativity. By integrating these two frameworks, educators and designers can create more engaging, effective, and impactful learning experiences.

One of the main problems with traditional education is that it often focuses too much on lower-order thinking skills, such as memorization and recall. This can lead to students who are able to recite facts and figures but who are not able to think critically or creatively.

The Revised Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning is a hierarchical framework that categorizes cognitive skills into six levels:

1. Remember: This level involves recalling or retrieving previously learned information. This can include facts, terms, definitions, procedures, or concepts.

2. Understand: This level involves comprehending the meaning of information. This can include interpreting, explaining, paraphrasing, summarizing, or classifying information.

3. Apply: This level involves using acquired knowledge to solve problems or complete tasks in new situations. This can include applying concepts, principles, or rules to practical situations.

4. Analyze: This level involves breaking down information into its component parts and understanding the relationships between those parts. This can include identifying patterns, comparing and contrasting information, or differentiating between causes and effects.

5. Evaluate: This level involves making judgments about the value or worth of information or ideas. This can include assessing the credibility of sources, evaluating the effectiveness of solutions, or justifying decisions.

6. Create: This level involves generating new ideas, products, or solutions. This can include designing experiments, composing creative works, or developing new models or theories.

The Revised Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning the following changes:

1. Verb-based approach: The original taxonomy used nouns to describe the different levels of cognitive skills. The revised taxonomy replaced these nouns with verbs, which are more action-oriented and better reflect the active nature of learning.

2. Emphasis on higher-order thinking skills: The revised taxonomy placed a greater emphasis on higher-order thinking skills, such as analysis, evaluation, and creation. This reflects a growing recognition of the importance of these skills in the 21st century workplace.

3. Aligning with cognitive processes: The revised taxonomy aligned the six levels of cognitive skills with specific cognitive processes, such as remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. This provides a more nuanced framework for understanding and assessing student learning.

4. Universality: The revised taxonomy aimed to be more universal and applicable to a wider range of learning contexts, including not just schools but also workplaces and other settings. This reflects the growing recognition that learning is a lifelong process that occurs in many different places.

5. Metacognition: The revised taxonomy added a new dimension of metacognition, which refers to the ability to think about and regulate one's own thinking. This reflects the growing understanding of the importance of metacognition in promoting effective learning.

Designing learning encounters using Bloom's Taxonomy 

When creating learning experiences, incorporate opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and skills in creative ways. Utilize Bloom's Taxonomy to establish a variety of learning outcomes, ensuring that creating is included. Creating is a complex process that fosters deeper learning. This could involve generating written content, producing images or videos, crafting drawings or plans, or developing social media responses.

Reference

Adams, N.E., 2015. Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive learning objectives. J Med Libr Assoc 103, 152–153. https://doi.org/10.3163/1536-5050.103.3.010