The Revised Blooms Taxonomy: An Overview

Lorin Anderson University of South Carolina

A Fundamental Truth
We dont see the world as it is; we see the world through the lens through which we look at it.

Blooms Taxonomy as a Framework

A taxonomy of educational objectives could do much to bring order out of chaos in the field of education. It could furnish the conceptual framework around which our descriptions of educational programs and experiences could be oriented. It could furnish a framework for the development of educational theories and research. It could furnish the scheme needed for training our teachers and for orienting them to the varied possibilities of education (Bloom, 1949)

Who were the taxonomists?

Post

World War II Students received course credit by passing the examinations (credit-by-examination) Quite obviously, the exams had to be based on course objectives (validity) and of sufficient length to be reliable. University Examiners Responsible for designing or helping to design end-of-course examinations

They Needed a Set of Categories that Cut-Across Subject Areas

Although the objectives may be specified in an almost unlimited number of ways, the student behaviors involved in these objectives can be represented by a relatively small number of classes. Therefore, the taxonomy is designed to be a classification of the student behaviors which represent the intended outcomes of the educational process (p. 18).

Looking Through a New Lens

Evaluation Synthesis Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge

The Original Blooms Taxonomy Blooms Taxonomy

Without the Lens

The student will recall the names of the parts of a flower.

With the Lens

The student will recall the names of This is a knowledge objective. the parts of a flower.

Objectives were used to form categories; then categories were used to classify objectives. 80 % of the objectives fell into the Knowledge category

The Revision

Began in November 1996 Led by David Krathwohl Involved cognitive psychologists, curriculum theorists, teacher educators, and measurement and assessment specialists. Group met twice a year for four years. Draft completed in 2000; text published in 2001. Two books soft cover for teachers and other practitioners and hard cover for academicians.

In education, objectives are statements of what we want students to learn as a result of the instruction we provide. Standards are simply mandated objectives.

The Common Format of Objectives

Subject S

Verb V

Object O

The SUBJECT is the Learner or the Student.

The student (will) The student (should) The students (might)

Quite often, the subject is implicit or understood.

The verbs provide clues as to the cognitive process category intended by the person or persons writing the standard. Adopted from the original Blooms taxonomy of educational objectives, there are six cognitive process categories.

Bloom
Evaluation Synthesis Analysis Application Comprehension Knowledge

Revised Bloom
Create Evaluate Analyze Apply Understand Remember

Each of the six cognitive process categories was divided into specific cognitive processes. Nineteen (19) specific cognitive processes were identified.

Cognitive Processes

Remember Understand

Recognizing Recalling Interpreting Exemplifying Classifying Summarizing Inferring Comparing Explaining

Cognitive Processes (continued)

Apply Analyze

Evaluate Create

Executing Implementing Differentiating Organizing Attributing Checking Critiquing Generating Planning Producing

THE TAXONOMY TABLE

COGNITIVE PROCESS DIMENSION
1. REMEMBER Recognizing Recalling 2. UNDERSTAND Interpreting Exemplifying Classifying Summarizing Inferring Comparing Explaining 3. APPLY Executing Implementing 4. ANALYZE Differentiating Organizing Attributing 5. EVALUATE Checking Critiquing 6. CREATE Generating Planning Producing

Unlike the verbs, the objects of the standards are subject-specific (e.g., math, science, social studies). The objects specify the CONTENT of the standard. For several reasons, CONTENT was replaced by KNOWLEDGE.

What are Differences Between Content and Knowledge?

Content is subject-matter specific. If you focused on content, then, you would need as many taxonomies as there are subject matters (e.g., one for science, one for history, etc.). Content exists outside the student. A major problem, then, is how to get the content inside the student. When content gets inside the student, it becomes knowledge. This transformation of content to knowledge takes place through the cognitive processes used by the student.

Four Types of Knowledge

Factual Knowledge Conceptual Knowledge Procedural Knowledge Metacognitive Knowledge

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THE TAXONOMY TABLE

COGNITIVE PROCESS DIMENSION
KNOWLEDGE
1. REMEMBER Recognizing Recalling 2. UNDERSTAND Interpreting Exemplifying Classifying Summarizing Inferring Comparing Explaining 3. APPLY Executing Implementing 4. ANALYZE Differentiating Organizing Attributing 5. EVALUATE Checking Critiquing 6. CREATE Generating Planning Producing

DIMENSION

FACTUAL KNOWLEDGE

CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE METACOGNITIVE KNOWLEDGE

THE TAXONOMY TABLE

1. REMEMBER Recognizing Recalling

2. UNDERSTAND Interpreting Exemplifying Classifying Summarizing Inferring Comparing Explaining

3. APPLY Executing Implementing

4. ANALYZE Differentiating Organizing Attributing

5. EVALUATE Checking Critiquing

6. CREATE Generating Planning Producing

A. Factual Knowledge B. Conceptual Knowledge

A1 B1 C1 D1

A2 B2 C2 D2

A3 B3 C3 D3

A4 B4 C4 D4

A5 B5 C5 D5

A6 B6 C6 D6

C. Procedural Knowledge D. Metacognitive Knowledge

How it Works

Explain the political alliances and policies that impacted the United States in the latter part of the 20th Century, including NATO, the UN, and OPEC

Verb = Explain Object = the political alliances and policies that impacted the United States in the latter part of the 20th Century including NATO, the UN, and OPEC [Extraneous information]

Verb = Explain = Understand Object = the political alliances and policies that impacted the United States in the latter part of the 20th Century = Conceptual Knowledge

Summarize the provisions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, including how the amendments protected the rights of African Americans and sought to enhance their political, social, and economic opportunities

Verb = Summarize Object = Provisions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution
Including how the amendments protected the rights of African Americans and sought to enhance their political, social, and economic opportunities [Extraneous information]

Verb = Summarize = Understand Object = Provisions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution = Factual Knowledge

THE TAXONOMY TABLE

COGNITIVE PROCESS DIMENSION
KNOWLEDGE
1. REMEMBER Recognizing Recalling 2. UNDERSTAND Interpreting Exemplifying Classifying Summarizing Inferring Comparing Explaining 3. APPLY Executing Implementing 4. ANALYZE Differentiating Organizing Attributing 5. EVALUATE Checking Critiquing 6. CREATE Generating Planning Producing

DIMENSION

FACTUAL KNOWLEDGE

Standard 2

CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE METACOGNITIVE KNOWLEDGE

Standard 1

The SVO format of standards in combination with the twodimensional structure of the Taxonomy Table allows us to classify standards so we better understand their intent and meaning in terms of student learning.

Additional Benefits

Increase curriculum alignment Improve validity of assessments Improve quality of instruction

Curriculum Alignment
Assessments Objectives

Curriculum Alignment

Instructional Activities/ Materials

Why is Alignment Important?

Increases

validity of assessment Increases students opportunity to learn Provides more accurate estimates of teaching effectiveness Permits better instructional decisions to be made

Traditional Alignment

What content is included in the objective? What content is included on the assessment(s)? Is the content included in the objective and/or on the assessment included in the instructional materials? If the content is the same, there is a high level of alignment.

Objectives

Assessments

ALIGNMENT USING THE TAXONOMY TABLE

Instructional Activities

Remember Factual Conceptual Procedural MetaCognitive

Understand

Apply

Analyze

Evaluate

Create

THE ANATOMY OF AN ASSESSMENT TASK

INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL
(1) Written (2) Pictorial (3) Realia

STEM
(1) Question (2) Incomplete Statement (3) Directive

RESPONSE
(1) Short-Answer * Supply (Fill in the blank) * Select (Multiple-choice, Matching, True-False) (2) Extended Response * Written * Performance

Remember Factual Knowledge

No Introductory Material Stem as Question or Incomplete Statement Supply (Recall) or Select (Recognize) Format

Apply Procedural Knowledge

Introductory Material is Present Stem as Directive Extended Response Format

Teaching Students to "Remember Factual Knowledge"

1. Focus students attention on important facts and terms, using, among other things, study guides, colors, and verbal markers. 2. Structure the information to be remembered (e.g., outlines, diagrams, pictures). 3. Use repetition, incorporating songs and rhythmic activities (e.g., clapping, chanting, cheering). 4. Use mnemonic devices & acronyms; teach memory strategies (e.g., rehearsal, elaboration, making connections with familiar places and things). 5. Use distributed practice.

Teaching Students to "Understand Conceptual Knowledge

1. 2. 3. Emphasize defining features or key characteristics; ask "what makes X, X?" Give examples, non-examples, and near examples.

Teach concepts in relation to one another; show connections and relationships using visual representations and graphic organizers. 4. 5. Use metaphors and similes. Use hands-on activities and manipulatives; build models.

Why the Revised Taxonomy?

Historical link (1949 to the present) Two dimensions match the structure of all objectives: subject-verb-object. Complete crossing of rows with columns makes knowledge and cognitive processes equally important The use of verbs is critical since the verbs represent the cognitive processes that students use on or with the content so that learning occurs