Blooms Taxonomy
What is Bloom’s Taxonomy?
Our Questioning & Discussion Strategies are based upon Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Cognitive and Affective Domains), an educational criteria to stimulate higher level thinking skills. Objectives range from Lowest to Highest levels.
Cognitive Domain:
Evaluation: The ability to make a judgment based on definite criteria. Judgments must be supported with reason. Terms: judge, compare, validate, decide, support, conclude, discriminate
Synthesis: The ability to put parts together to form a new whole, i.e., a unique communication or a plan of operations. Stresses creativity. Terms: combine, compile, compose, create, design, modify, rearrange
Analysis: The ability to break down material into its component parts so that its organizational structure can be understood; seeing relationships between parts of a whole. Terms: contrast, distinguish, categorize, relate, diagram, outline, subdivide, break down, discriminate
Application: The ability to use a learned concept or material in new and concrete situations. One must be able to apply rules, laws, methods or theories. Terms: change, compute, demonstrate, operate, show, use, solve, apply, generalize
Interpretation: The ability to grasp the meaning of material, i.e., interpreting, translating material, or predicting consequences and effects. Terms: convert, defend, distinguish, estimate, explain, generalize, rewrite, restate, illustrate, differentiate
Recall (Memory): The ability to remember previously learned facts/material; bringing to mind the appropriate information. Terms: define, describe, identify, list, match, name, recall, recognize (This is the lowest level of learning in the cognitive domain.)
Affective Domain:
Affective learning is demonstrated by behaviors indicating attitudes of awareness, interest, attention, concern and responsibility, ability to listen and respond in interactions with others, ability to demonstrate those attitudinal characteristics or values which are appropriate to the test situation and the field of study. This domain relates to emotions, attitudes, appreciation, and values such as enjoying, conserving, respecting and supporting.
