Bloom's Taxonomy
Identifies and discusses six thinking levels students should master to be successful in
their personal and professional lives
BLOOM'S MODEL OF COGNITIVE GOALS
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives was first published in 1956 by a group of
educational psychologists, headed by Benjamin Bloom. This ordering system shows the
progressive levels at which a person learns new material. From the simplest (lowest) to
the most complex (highest), they are as follows: knowledge, comprehension, application,
analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The description below is based on Bloom’s work and
on classroom research.
KNOWLEDGE (lowest level)
A student at this level can recognize facts, ideas, methods, principles, and
generalizations. He/she can identify material, if presented again in the original format in
which it was learned.
Example: A student who is asked to identify a 19th century Romantic poets can identify
him/her from a list that has the name of a composer, an artist and an inventor as well as
the poet in question, or can match the name of the poet to a phrase or word that describes
him/her.
COMPREHENSION
Material at this level can be recited, listed, or recreated, often in the student’s own
words. A student understands directions, written communication, tables, charts, and
diagrams.
Example: A student who has learned about 20th century U. S. presidents at this level
can write out the names of five of them on an exam question that asks for a list he/she or
can write out a description (in his/her own words) of each man's political beliefs and
leadership styles.
Note: Students at this level must be supplied with a cue, or they cannot recall the
information. This student often thinks, "I know the answer, but now I have temporarily
forgotten it; it is on the tip of my tongue."
APPLICATION
Students at this level can connect ideas, procedures, methods, formulas, theories, and
principles to a new situation they have not encountered. This means students must
understand and provide a situation or a specific example, which links textbook
knowledge ( general) with something in the "real world (specific.)
Example: A student who has read two opposing views on global warming can point out
specific examples in today's society to substantiate or invalidate an author's view.
ANALYSIS
Students at this level can take apart the elements of a complex topic, breaking them into
components that can be seen and studied independently from the other parts.
Example: A story consists of many elements: situation, conflict, struggle, outcome,
meaning, point of view, and dialogue. Each is an integral part of the whole.
To demonstrate that students really understand a story, they must understand and
recognize these elements and state how they contribute to the work.
SYNTHESIS
Students who learn material at this level can carry out analyses between categories that
are different and reassemble the component parts in new and creative ways.
Example: A student who is asked to compare the work of a particular philosopher and a
particular artist in the 17th century may realize—for the first time, for this student—that
both had been deeply affected by political and social movements in the time that strongly
affected their works. If this topic had been discussed in class, then the question is merely
on the comprehension or knowledge level, depending on its formulation. Synthesis
requires a student to do creative thinking.
EVALUATION (highest level)
Students at this level can judge the value of ideas, works, solutions, and methods, using
prescribed criteria for estimating their effectiveness.
Example: When essays are submitted, students receive a grade, based on certain
criteria: content, organization, sentences, word use, and mechanics. The course grade is
divided into various parts, each of which is a certain percentage of the whole. People
who are adept at this level can become empowered.
SOURCE: Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook 1: Cognitive Domain