Lesson 2: Bloom’s Taxonomy
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Bloom’s Taxonomy is a classification system used to help define and differentiate between levels of learning. Bloom’s Taxonomy was first created in 1956 by a team of psychologists at the University of Chicago, in the USA. It is named after the committee’s chairman, Benjamin Bloom. The taxonomy helps teachers to develop assessments, curriculum, and teaching and learning methods. There are three parts of the taxonomy in order to cover different competencies. These include: knowledge-based goals [cognitive domain], skill-based goals [psychomotor domain], and effective goals (effective: attitudes and values).
For example:
- Knowledge-based goal: Learner understands proper dental hygiene
- Skills-based goal: Learner cleans teeth properly
- Attitude & Value-based goal: Learner cares about proper oral hygiene
The taxonomies organize student outcomes from simple to complex. It is important to move from simple to complex in order to develop learners’ capacity and build their confidence. When teachers sequence activities to guide learners from simple to complex, this is called SEQUENCING or SCAFFOLDING. It is like climbing a ladder. You take each step one at a time. If any steps are missing, you cannot get to the top. Teachers need to structure lesson plans, and lessons within a unit, to help learners move one step at a time (develop simple knowledge and skills) before they can complete more complex tasks.
Figure 15 Bloom’s Taxonomy of Lower and Higher Order Thinking for Knowledge