Bloom’s Taxonomy
Bloom’s Taxonomy is the higher order of thinking. Imagine a pyramid; to get to
the top, you must first finish what is on the bottom. Bloom’s Taxonomy is
divided into 6 different sections, each one specifying what skills are being
demonstrated. The first and easiest block is knowledge. In knowledge you observe
and recall of information, knowledge of dates, events, places, major ideas, and
of subject matter. Some clues to identify knowledge is if it asks or you list,
define, tell, describe, identify, show, label, collect, examine, tabulate,
quote, name, who, when, where. The second step would be comprehension.
Comprehension consist of understanding information, grasp meaning, translate
knowledge into new context, interpret facts, compare, contrast, order, group,
infer causes, predict consequences. Keywords to spot Comprehension would be:
summarize, describe, interpret, contrast, predict, associate, distinguish,
estimate, differentiate, discuss, and extend. Layer number three is Application.
This is where it starts to get harder. Application involves using information,
methods, concepts, and theories in new situations, solving problems using
required skills or knowledge. Look out for these words to help you identify
application: apply, demonstrate, calculate, complete, illustrate, show, solve,
examine, modify, relate, change, classify, experiment, and discover. Step four
is Analysis. Analysis involves seeing patterns, organization of parts,
recognition of hidden meanings, identification of components. Question Cues:
analyze, separate, order, explain, connect, classify, arrange, divide, compare,
select, explain, and infer. The second to the last step, Synthesis, is hard,
because now not only do the questions have to be answered for this, but the
other steps should be done as well, to be able to fully understand. The elements
that contribute to synthesis are: use old ideas to create new ones, generalize
from given facts, relate knowledge from several areas, predict, and draw
conclusions. Clue words include combine, integrate, modify, rearrange,
substitute, plan, create, design, invent, what it?, compose, formulate, prepare,
generalize, and rewrite. Last and definitely the hardest because incorporate all
previous 5 steps, is Evaluation. Evaluation compares and discriminates between
ideas, assess value of theories, presentations, makes choices based on reasoned
argument, verifies value of evidence, and recognizes subjectivity. Suggested
hints include assess, decide, rank, grade, test, measure, recommend, convince,
select, judge, explain, discriminate, support, conclude, compare, and summarize.
