Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Match Teaching Goals &

Learning Exercises

David A. BuddUniversity of Colorado, Boulder

Types of Learning

1.Cognitive domain: development of intellectual skills. (Knowledge)

2. Psychomotor domain: manual or physical skills (Skills)

3. Affective domain: growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude)

• describe, in detail, what students will be able to do and at what level they should be able to do it.

• specific and assessable 

Learning Goals

For teachers - Learning goals guide the course design, focus lectures & activities, and define assessments.

For students: Learning goals clarify what they are expected to do, focus their attention on what to study, and helps them see the topical connections and the big picture.

1) Knowledge: recall information2) Comprehension: relate information in own words3) Application: use knowledge in new situation4) Analysis: break down knowledge & show

relationships among parts5) Synthesis: bring together parts of knowledge to form

a whole or build relationships for new situations6) Evaluation: Make judgments on the basis of given

criteria.

Superficial

to

DeepLearning

A framework for the progressive contextualization of material.

Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain

Analyze the

different levels of Bloom’s

Taxonomy

Knowledge – acquire, arrange, define, distinguish, duplicate, identify, label, list, match, memorize, name, outline, recall, recognized, repeat, reproduce, select, state

Comprehension – abstract, classify, comprehend, convert, defend, describe, discuss, distinguish, estimate, explain, extend, extrapolate, generalize, give an example, identify, indicate, infer, interpret, locate, outline, paraphrase, predict, recognize, rephrase, restate, rewrite, sort, summarize, tell, transform, translate

Application – apply, carry out, change, choose, compute, construct, demonstrate, discover, dramatize, experiment, generalize, illustrate, interpret, manipulate, model, modify, operate, organize, plan, predict, prepare, produce, relate, repair, schedule, sequence, show, solve, use

Analysis – analyze, appraise, break down, calculate, catalog, classify, compare, contrast, criticize, deconstruct, detect, determine, diagram, differentiate, discover, discriminate, distinguish, estimate, examine, explore, identify, illustrate, infer, investigate, observe, order, outline, question, recognize, relate, select, separate, simplify, test

Synthesis – arrange, assemble, build, categorize, combine, compile, compose, construct, create, design, devise, develop, explain, formulate, imagine, integrate, invent, generate, manage, modify, originate, plan, produce, propose, rearrange, reconstruct, relate, reorganize, revise, rewrite, specify, summarize, synthesize, systematize, tell, theorize, write

Evaluation – appraise, argue, assess, check, compare, conclude, contrast, criticize, critique, defend, describe, discriminate, dispute, estimate, evaluate, explain, interpret, judge, justify, measure, predict, rank, rate, recommend, relate, rule on, score, select, summarize, support, test, value, verify

"Knowledge" - recall of facts 1. List the types of tectonic plate boundaries.2. What molecule in the stratosphere protects against

ultraviolet radiation?

"Comprehension" - understanding and stating key concepts or main ideas

3. What is the difference between weathering and erosion?

4. Draw a diagram outlining the development of an oxbow lake.

Assessment Questions using Bloom’s Taxonomy

http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/gallerywalk/higher_order.html

"Application" - applying knowledge in new ways and in novel situations

1. If the top of this test page represents north, use an arrow to indicate a southwest wind.

2. Use Darcy's Law to calculate groundwater flow rates (m/s) at location A.

"Analysis" - breaking down information into key components, finding evidence

3. What inference can you make about the geomorphic history of this region based on the location and form of terraces?

4. What evidence exists in this soil profile that this soil is an entisol rather than an inceptisol?

Examples of Bloom’s Taxonomy

"Synthesis" - combining elements in a novel way, proposing alternate solutions

1. Make recommendations for the current coastal zoning plan in order to better protect property from hurricane damage.

2. Create a field check list for identifying outcrops prone to mass wasting.

"Evaluation" - making judgments based on accepted standards 3. Criticize arguments made in a creationist web site

based on the laws and theories of science. 4. Defend, using sound scientific evidence, the use of

Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste repository.

Examples of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Evaluate the sample learning goals from an introductory course and sedimentology for their • cognate level

• and clarity.

Learning Goals vs. Assessment Questions• Goal Compare and contrast (using brief descriptions and your own labeled sketches) oscillatory ripples to current ripples and their associated sedimentary structures

• QuestionHow do you distinguish straight crested wave ripples from straight crested current ripples in terms of shape of the ripple in cross section and in terms of internal stratification? Use a good drawing with labels to supplement your written explanations. Include arrows showing flow directions for both.

Learning Goals vs. Assessment Questions

Goal Identify and define examples of facies from a (graphical or written) description of a vertical sequence of rocks

QuestionA sed log is adjacent. How many different type of facies are present? Name any two of the facies. Explainhow they differ from each other. Divide the log into facies sequencesby drawing lines directly on the log.

Writing learning goalsConsider goals at course-, topic- and lecture/lab-levels.Write goals for what you intend to test/assess. Think

about what you want students to be able to do.Use verbs aligned with BloomAvoid vague or passive language.

o Goals of “knowing” and “understanding” are vague. What would a student do to demonstrate there is knowledge and understanding?

o Avoid passive language such as “Students will be exposed to …” or “Students will gain an appreciation for ….”

After taking my class, students will be able to ….

Write and critique some learning goals