B l o o m ' s Ta xo n o m y o f L e a r n i n g D o m a i n s
Bloom's Taxonomy was created in 1956 under the leadership of educational psychologist Dr Benjamin Bloom in order
to promote higher forms of thinking in education, such as analyzing and evaluating, rather than just remembering facts
(rote learning).
The Three Types of Learning
The committee identified three domains of educational activities or learning (Bloom, 1956):
o
o
Cognitive: mental skills (Knowledge)
Affective: growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude or self)
o
Psychomotor: manual or physical skills (Skills)
Since the work was produced by higher education, the words tend to be a little bigger than we normally use. Domains
can be thought of as categories. Trainers often refer to these three categories as KSA (Knowledge, Skills, and
Attitude). This taxonomy of learning behaviors can be thought of as “the goals of the learning process.” That is, after a
learning episode, the learner should have acquired new skills, knowledge, and/or attitudes.
While the committee produced an elaborate compilation for the cognitive and affective domains, they omitted the
psychomotor domain. Their explanation for this oversight was that they have little experience in teaching manual skills
within the college level (I guess they never thought to check with their sports or drama departments).
This compilation divides the three domains into subdivisions, starting from the simplest behavior to the most complex.
The divisions outlined are not absolutes and there are other systems or hierarchies that have been devised in the
educational and training world. However, Bloom's taxonomy is easily understood and is probably the most widely
applied one in use today.
Cognitive Domain
The cognitive domain involves knowledge and the development of intellectual
skills (Bloom, 1956). This includes the recall or recognition of specific facts,
procedural patterns, and concepts that serve in the development of intellectual
abilities and skills. There are six major categories, which are listed in order
below, starting from the simplest behavior to the most complex. The categories
can be thought of as degrees of difficulties. That is, the first ones must
normally be mastered before the next ones can take place.
Table of The Cognitive Domain
Category
Example and Key Words (verbs)
Examples: Recite a policy. Quote
prices from memory to a
customer. Know the safety rules.
Define a term.
Knowledge: Recall data or
information.
Key Words: arranges, defines,
describes, identifies, knows,
labels, lists, matches, names,
outlines, recalls, recognizes,
reproduces, selects, states.
Comprehension: Understand
Examples: Rewrites the
the meaning, translation,
principles of test writing. Explain
interpolation, and interpretation
in one's own words the steps for
of instructions and problems.
performing a complex task.
State a problem in one's own
Translates an equation into a
words.
computer spreadsheet.
Key Words: comprehends,
converts, defends, distinguishes,
estimates, explains, extends,
generalizes, gives an example,
infers, interprets, paraphrases,
predicts, rewrites, summarizes,
translates.
Examples: Use a manual to
calculate an employee's vacation
time. Apply laws of statistics to
Application: Use a concept in
evaluate the reliability of a written
a new situation or unprompted
test.
use of an abstraction. Applies
what was learned in the
Key Words: applies, changes,
classroom into novel situations
computes, constructs,
in the work place.
demonstrates, discovers,
manipulates, modifies, operates,
predicts, prepares, produces,
relates, shows, solves, uses.
Analysis: Separates material
Examples: Troubleshoot a piece
or concepts into component
of equipment by using logical
parts so that its organizational
deduction. Recognize logical
structure may be understood.
fallacies in reasoning. Gathers
Distinguishes between facts
information from a department
and inferences.
and selects the required tasks for
training.
Key Words: analyzes, breaks
down, compares, contrasts,
diagrams, deconstructs,
differentiates, discriminates,
distinguishes, identifies,
illustrates, infers, outlines,
relates, selects, separates.
Examples: Write a company
operations or process manual.
Design a machine to perform a
specific task. Integrates training
Synthesis: Builds a structure
from several sources to solve a
or pattern from diverse
problem. Revises and process to
elements. Put parts together to
improve the outcome.
form a whole, with emphasis on
creating a new meaning or
Key Words: categorizes,
structure.
combines, compiles, composes,
creates, devises, designs,
explains, generates, modifies,
organizes, plans, rearranges,
reconstructs, relates, reorganizes,
revises, rewrites, summarizes,
tells, writes.
Examples: Select the most
effective solution. Hire the most
qualified candidate. Explain and
justify a new budget.
Evaluation: Make judgments
about the value of ideas or
materials.
Key Words: appraises,
compares, concludes, contrasts,
criticizes, critiques, defends,
describes, discriminates,
evaluates, explains, interprets,
justifies, relates, summarizes,
supports.
Bloom's Revised Taxonomy
Lorin Anderson, a former student of Bloom, revisited the cognitive domain in the learning taxonomy in the mid -nineties
and made some changes, with perhaps the two most prominent ones being, 1) changing the names in the six
categories from noun to verb forms, and 2) slightly rearranging them (Anderson, Krathwohl, Airasian, Cruikshank,
Mayer, Pintrich, Raths, Wittrock, 2000; Pohl, 2000).
This new taxonomy reflects a more active form of thinking and is perhaps more accurate:
- See more at: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html#sthash.Xmm4ZNXo.dpuf
Alternative to Bloom: Structure of Observed Learning Outcome
(SOLO) Taxonomy
While Bloom's Taxonomy has been quite useful in that it has extended learning from simply remembering to more
complex cognitive structures, such as analyzing and evaluating, newer models have come along. IT has also become
more useful with the revised taxonomy.
However, one model that might prove more useful is the Structure of Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy. It
is a model that describes levels of increasing complexity in a learner's understanding of subjects (Biggs, Collis, 1982).
It aids both trainers and learners in understanding the learning process. The model consists of five levels in the order
of understanding:
o
Pre-structural - The learner doesn't understood the lesson and uses a much too simple means of going about it—the learner is unsure about the lesson or subject.
o
o
Uni-structural - The learner's response only focuses on one relevant aspect—the learner has only a basic concept about the subject.
Multi-structural - The learner's response focuses on several relevant aspects but they are treated independently—the learner has several concepts about the subject but they are
disconnected. Assessment of this level is primarily quantitative.
o
Relational - The different aspects have become integrated into a coherent whole—the learner has mastered the complexity of the subject by being able to join all the parts together.
This level is what is normally meant by an adequate understanding of a subject.
o
Extended abstract - The previous integrated whole may be conceptualized at a higher level of abstraction and generalized to a new topic or area—the learner is now able to create
new ideas based on her mastery of the subject.
SOLO not only shows the instructors how the learners are progressing, but also the learners themselves. This can best
be shown by using the square process (start in the inner square):
- See more at: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html#sthash.Xmm4ZNXo.dpuf