In education, establishing clear learning objectives is paramount for effective teaching and student success. A foundational framework that aids educators in this crucial task is the Hierarchy Of Learning, expertly exemplified by Bloom’s Taxonomy. Developed by Benjamin Bloom, an educational psychologist, in 1956, this taxonomy provides a structured classification of different levels of intellectual skills and learning behaviors. It has since become a cornerstone in curriculum development and instructional design, helping educators ensure a progressive and comprehensive learning experience for students. This article delves into the depths of Bloom’s Taxonomy, exploring its levels, practical applications, and enduring relevance in contemporary education.
Decoding Bloom’s Taxonomy: Levels of the Learning Hierarchy
Bloom’s Taxonomy originally presented six cognitive domains, which have been revised to reflect a more dynamic and action-oriented approach to learning. These levels, representing a hierarchy of learning, are sequentially built upon each other, suggesting that mastery at higher levels depends on the attainment of skills at lower levels. Imagine this hierarchy not as a rigid pyramid, but as a layered cake, where each layer is essential and builds upon the foundation below. The six revised levels are:
- Remembering: This is the foundational level of the hierarchy of learning, focusing on the ability to retrieve, recognize, and recall basic facts and information from long-term memory. It’s about knowledge recall – accessing relevant information when needed.
- Understanding: Moving beyond simple recall, understanding involves constructing meaning from different forms of communication, be it oral, written, or graphic. This level encompasses interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and explaining concepts.
- Applying: Application is the ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations. It involves carrying out or using a procedure, whether it’s executing a task or implementing a learned concept in a practical context.
- Analyzing: At the analyzing level within the hierarchy of learning, learners break down material into its constituent parts, identifying relationships between these parts and understanding the overall structure or purpose. This involves differentiating, organizing, and attributing elements.
- Evaluating: Evaluation involves making judgments based on established criteria and standards. Learners at this level engage in checking and critiquing, forming opinions and making informed decisions based on evidence.
- Creating: The pinnacle of the hierarchy of learning, creating involves putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole. It’s about originality and innovation, reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure through generating, planning, or producing new outputs.
Image: Cake-style representation of Bloom’s Taxonomy, illustrating the hierarchical levels of learning from Remembering to Creating.
Leveraging Bloom’s Taxonomy for Effective Course Design
Bloom’s Taxonomy is not just a theoretical framework; it’s a practical tool that can significantly enhance course design. By understanding the hierarchy of learning, educators can strategically plan their courses to facilitate progressive skill development. The taxonomy highlights the natural progression of learning:
- Remembering is the prerequisite to understanding. You cannot grasp a concept without first remembering the foundational facts.
- Understanding is necessary before you can apply a concept. Practical application relies on a solid understanding of the underlying principles.
- Analyzing a process is essential before you can effectively evaluate it. Critical evaluation requires a detailed understanding of the components and their interactions.
- A thorough evaluation process is crucial for arriving at an accurate and well-reasoned creation. Innovation and original work are built upon a foundation of critical assessment.
However, it’s crucial to recognize that learning isn’t always a linear, step-by-step climb through each level of the hierarchy of learning for every concept. A rigid, sequential approach can become monotonous. Instead, educators should consider the learners’ level and the course context:
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Introductory Courses & Foundational Knowledge: For introductory courses, especially for freshmen or students new to a subject, the initial learning objectives might lean towards the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy – remembering and understanding. These levels are crucial for building a solid base of knowledge. However, even in introductory settings, incorporating objectives that push students towards applying and analyzing is beneficial, though progressing too rapidly up the hierarchy of learning could lead to frustration.
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Advanced Courses & Higher-Order Thinking: For upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses, where students possess a stronger foundation, the focus should shift towards the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy – analyzing, evaluating, and creating. While some remembering and understanding objectives might still be necessary for new, course-specific concepts, the majority should challenge students to engage in higher-order thinking. Overemphasis on lower-level objectives in advanced courses can lead to disengagement and underutilization of students’ capabilities.
Action Verbs and Learning Objectives: Making Bloom’s Taxonomy Operational
To effectively utilize Bloom’s Taxonomy, it’s helpful to associate action verbs with each level. These verbs provide concrete guidance when writing learning objectives, ensuring they are measurable and aligned with the desired cognitive level. While some verbs can be multi-level depending on the context, focusing on the intended skill or activity associated with the verb is key to determining the appropriate level within the hierarchy of learning.
The following table provides examples of key verbs and learning objectives for each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy:
| Bloom’s Level | Key Verbs (keywords) | Example Learning Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Create | design, formulate, build, invent, create, compose, generate, derive, modify, develop. | By the end of this lesson, students will be able to design an original experiment to test a scientific hypothesis. |
| Evaluate | choose, support, relate, determine, defend, judge, grade, compare, contrast, argue, justify, support, convince, select, evaluate. | By the end of this lesson, students will be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different research methodologies. |
| Analyze | classify, break down, categorize, analyze, diagram, illustrate, criticize, simplify, associate. | By the end of this lesson, students will be able to analyze the key components of a complex system. |
| Apply | calculate, predict, apply, solve, illustrate, use, demonstrate, determine, model, perform, present. | By the end of this lesson, students will be able to apply mathematical formulas to solve real-world problems. |
| Understand | describe, explain, paraphrase, restate, give original examples of, summarize, contrast, interpret, discuss. | By the end of this lesson, students will be able to explain the main principles of a scientific theory in their own words. |
| Remember | list, recite, outline, define, name, match, quote, recall, identify, label, recognize. | By the end of this lesson, students will be able to list the key events of a historical period. |
Learning objective examples are designed to illustrate the application of verbs at each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Bloom’s Taxonomy and Quality Assurance in Education
For institutions committed to quality education, frameworks like Quality Matters emphasize the importance of measurable learning objectives. Bloom’s Taxonomy, with its action verbs and clear hierarchy of learning, is instrumental in meeting such quality standards. It encourages educators to move away from vague verbs like “understand” or “learn” towards quantifiable actions. Furthermore, Quality Matters highlights the critical alignment between learning objectives and assessments. If an objective is at the application level of Bloom’s Taxonomy (e.g., “present”), assessments must go beyond simple recall quizzes and require students to demonstrate application skills, perhaps through presentations or practical projects.
Distinguishing Course-Level and Lesson-Level Objectives within the Hierarchy
When designing curriculum, it’s important to differentiate between course-level and lesson-level objectives. Course-level objectives are broader, overarching goals for the entire course. They are often too comprehensive to be directly assessed. Lesson-level objectives, on the other hand, are specific, measurable outcomes for individual lessons that contribute to the achievement of course-level objectives.
Within the hierarchy of learning, lesson-level objectives act as building blocks. Mastery of multiple lesson-level objectives collectively demonstrates progress towards and achievement of a course-level objective. When crafting objectives:
- Course-level objectives should be broad and encompass the major learning outcomes for the course. A course might only have 3-5 course-level objectives.
- Lesson-level objectives should be specific, measurable, and directly support the course-level objectives. Multiple lesson-level objectives (e.g., 8 or more) might contribute to a single course-level objective.
- Lesson-level objectives should progressively build up the hierarchy of learning, preparing students to achieve the cognitive demands of the course-level objectives. The verbs chosen for lesson-level objectives should be at or below the level of the verb used in the corresponding course-level objective within Bloom’s Taxonomy. For instance, if a course-level objective uses an applying verb, supporting lesson-level objectives can use verbs from the remembering, understanding, or applying levels, but not from higher levels like analyzing.
Steps to Crafting Effective Learning Objectives Using the Hierarchy of Learning
To write effective learning objectives using Bloom’s Taxonomy and the concept of hierarchy of learning, consider these steps:
- Ensure Measurable Verbs: Each learning objective should contain one measurable verb, ensuring clear criteria for assessment.
- Single Verb Focus: Each objective should focus on a single verb to maintain clarity and avoid ambiguity in assessment. If an objective contains multiple verbs, it becomes difficult to determine mastery if a student achieves one skill but not the other.
- Hierarchical Alignment: Ensure that course-level objective verbs are at least as high in Bloom’s Taxonomy as the highest lesson-level objectives that support them. This ensures that the lesson objectives adequately prepare students for the cognitive demands of the course objectives. We cannot assess evaluation skills if lessons only focus on remembering and understanding.
- Clarity and Conciseness: Strive for learning objectives that are measurable, clear, and concise, facilitating effective communication of learning expectations to students.
A helpful practice when writing objectives is to indicate the Bloom’s level of the verb in parentheses:
Course level objective 1. (Apply) Apply principles of sustainable design in urban planning projects.
1.1. (Understand) Discuss the environmental and social impacts of urban development.
1.2. (Apply) Utilize GIS software to analyze urban spatial data for sustainable planning.
This technique helps in quickly verifying the level of cognitive demand and ensuring that the hierarchy of learning is appropriately addressed across course and lesson objectives.
Conclusion: Bloom’s Taxonomy as a Guide to the Hierarchy of Learning
Bloom’s Taxonomy, with its clearly defined levels, provides a powerful framework for understanding and implementing the hierarchy of learning in educational settings. By utilizing this taxonomy, educators can design courses with well-structured learning objectives that progressively develop students’ cognitive skills. From foundational knowledge recall to complex creative problem-solving, Bloom’s Taxonomy offers a roadmap for creating engaging, effective, and meaningful learning experiences. Its enduring relevance lies in its ability to guide educators in fostering a deeper and more comprehensive approach to student learning, ensuring that education truly facilitates intellectual growth and mastery across diverse disciplines.
Additional Resources:
Comprehensive List of Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs – Explore a detailed verb chart to assist in writing learning objectives for each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
