Bloom's Taxonomy - Twinkl Teaching Wiki PDF

Bloom's Taxonomy Bloom's Taxonomy is a a set of three hierarchical models created by Dr Benjamin Bloom in order to promote higher forms of thinking in education, such as evaluating and analysing concepts, processes, procedures, and principles as opposed to simply remembering facts. In Bloom You know...

Bloom's Taxonomy Bloom's Taxonomy is a a set of three hierarchical models created by Dr Benjamin Bloom in order to promote higher forms of thinking in education, such as evaluating and analysing concepts, processes, procedures, and principles as opposed to simply remembering facts. In Bloom You know how there are some things that, despite not actually knowing what they are, everyone pretends they do? Let’s put that another way. Have you ever told someone you’ve read a book or seen a film that you actually haven’t? If you said yes, don’t worry, we’re not going to tell them and get you in trouble. Besides, don’t tell anyone, but we’ve totally done it too. The point we’re trying to make is that you’re far from alone in doing that. Now, what has this got to do with teaching, you may be asking? And you’d be right to, this is a teaching wiki, after all. Okay then, smarty-pants: What is Bloom’s Taxonomy? It’s a cornerstone of modern teaching and an absolute game-changer of an educational framework, so what is Bloom’s Taxonomy? : https://www.twinkl.com.hk/teaching-wiki/blooms-taxonomy 11/4/2024, 9 49 AM Page 1 of 15 If you know already, feel free to go do something else. This wiki isn’t for you. But if you don’t know the answer to the question “What is Bloom’s Taxonomy?” then stick around, because we’ve got a lot to show you! First Up: What Taxonomy? Is Bloom’s Bloom’s Taxonomy is a name given to a methodology for helping teachers to ask their students questions to ascertain how much they know. Benjamin Bloom, the titular Bloom himself, was an American educational psychologist born in 1913. In 1956, Bloom edited ‘The Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals’, which contained Bloom’s model, a rubric what has since come to be known as Bloom’s Taxonomy, or Bloom’s Taxonomy of Higher Order Thinking. Bloom’s model was based on a theoretical framework he proposed called Learning for Mastery, now known as Mastery Learning. In Mastery Learning, unlike more traditional models of teaching, children’s failure to grasp or master a lesson or skill is seen as a failing of the instruction or teaching, not a lack of ability. While this might sound harsh, Bloom’s Taxonomy of Higher Order Thinking was well-equipped to deal with and support : https://www.twinkl.com.hk/teaching-wiki/blooms-taxonomy 11/4/2024, 9 49 AM Page 2 of 15 students to attain mastery. The primary way this is done is through questions, but we’ll come to those in a bit. For now, let’s take a look at Bloom’s model in all its glory, and the six levels that make up Bloom’s Taxonomy Chart. Bloom’s Taxonomy Chart What is Bloom’s Taxonomy? This is! This copy of Bloom’s Taxonomy Chart shows the different levels present in Bloom’s model, and the guiding principles behind each. As you can see, Bloom’s Taxonomy Chart is based on six key principles. These are: Here is a breakdown of each level, from the bottom to the top of the pyramid. 1. Remembering - At this stage, students should be able to recall previously learned or imparted information. 2. Understanding - This level encompasses the ability to not only recall what’s been taught, but to comprehend the meaning of it as well. This can be shown by challenging students to translate materials from one form to another (e.g. word : https://www.twinkl.com.hk/teaching-wiki/blooms-taxonomy 11/4/2024, 9 49 AM Page 3 of 15 problems to sums in maths, or putting an idea into their own words). As well as this, they should be able to explain or summarise what they have learned to others. Once they have mastered this stage, children can also predict trends based on the information they’ve learned, identifying the consequences or effects of different actions. 3. Applying - This means being able to use learned information by applying it to situations your students find themselves in, putting them into practice. At this stage, children can begin to think of creative ways to apply information to real life. 4. Analysing - Students who have mastered this level are able to break down information, so they can better understand how it’s been put together. This may mean being able to consider why something was structured the way it was, the relationships between different ideas, as well as how they work together as a whole. 5. Evaluating - This concept translates to your students having their own thoughts and opinions about the information and ideas they’ve learned. They’re also able to check and critique information, contemplating it on a deeper level than in the previous levels. c. Creating - This is the highest level, and students at this stage can generate creative solutions to problems based on the : https://www.twinkl.com.hk/teaching-wiki/blooms-taxonomy 11/4/2024, 9 49 AM Page 4 of 15 information they understand. They’re able to generate new thoughts and ideas at this level, based on all of the information they have acquired and deduced as part of mastering the prior levels. The positioning of the six levels is not arbitrary. As you move from the bottom to the top of Bloom’s Taxonomy Chart, students are required to use more and more of their critical thinking skills in order to answer the questions, which you may have noticed on each level. This leads us nicely on to Bloom’s Taxonomy Questions. Bloom’s Taxonomy Questions A key component of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Higher Order Thinking are Bloom’s Taxonomy Questions. Bloom’s Taxonomy Questions are the mechanism by which it becomes possible to ascertain whether a student has mastered a particular level of Bloom’s Taxonomy or not. Let’s look at some Bloom’s Taxonomy Examples to see some questions suitable for each level, and see how they work: Remembering: This is the most basic level of Bloom’s model, so the questions are likewise fairly superficial and only require students to reiterate what has : https://www.twinkl.com.hk/teaching-wiki/blooms-taxonomy 11/4/2024, 9 49 AM Page 5 of 15 been learned. Questions like “true or false?” or using the Who/What/When/Where format are perfect for this. Understanding: This is a little more in-depth, so these Bloom’s Taxonomy Examples are likewise slightly more involved in the answers they require. Questions like “Can you explain why?” are perfect, as they ask students to summarise and apply their own thinking and knowledge to the topic. Applying: These Bloom’s Taxonomy Examples challenge your students to take what they’ve learned, evaluate it, and then apply it, so asking them for comparable alternatives, or different options, is a perfect way to explore this. Analysing: On this level of Bloom’s model, children should be more aware of how things work, and the mechanics and different components behind processes. Asking how things work, or questioning the relationships between different elements, can be a great way to test knowledge here. Evaluating: These Bloom’s Taxonomy Examples move into a more introspective mode, asking your students to develop their opinions and personal responses to the topic. You can test these level by asking them what they would have done in a given situation, how they feel about something, or what they might have done differently. : https://www.twinkl.com.hk/teaching-wiki/blooms-taxonomy 11/4/2024, 9 49 AM Page 6 of 15 Creating: These Bloom’s Taxonomy Examples, on top of prior questions, begin to ask more hypothetical questions. They move more into the realm of “what if?” Developing Your Own Bloom’s Taxonomy Questions As you can see, Bloom’s Taxonomy of Higher Order Thinking provides an excellent framework for understanding how well students have grasped a concept, as well as their level of mastery of said concept. There’s really no established, definitive set of questions for each level of the Bloom’s Taxonomy Chart seen above, the Bloom’s Taxonomy Examples are suggestions you can try out. However, you should also feel free to adapt them and create your own. One thing you’ll need to do this is a set of Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs. This is by no means an exhaustive list of Bloom’s : https://www.twinkl.com.hk/teaching-wiki/blooms-taxonomy 11/4/2024, 9 49 AM Page 7 of 15 Taxonomy Verbs, so feel free to get the thesaurus out. We’ve broken this list of Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs down by which level of Bloom’s model they correspond to, which makes it easier for you to find what you need: Remembering: Name Define List Draw Label Recall Understanding: Explain Approximate Contrast Convert Paraphrase Translate Applying: Apply Adapt Classify Examine Illustrate Solve : https://www.twinkl.com.hk/teaching-wiki/blooms-taxonomy 11/4/2024, 9 49 AM Page 8 of 15 Analysing: Compare Differentiate Diagnose Examine Explain Figure out Evaluating: Assess Criticise/critique Evaluate Test Summarise Validate Creating: Create Write Compose Design Plan Produce Resources To Help Take This Further Bloom’s Taxonomy is a fantastic tool to help you not only plan future lessons, but to work in some brilliant ways to check out how well your students have mastered any given : https://www.twinkl.com.hk/teaching-wiki/blooms-taxonomy 11/4/2024, 9 49 AM Page 9 of 15