Teaching Aspects to Keep in Mind

Bloom’s Taxonomy

 Hierarchy of educational objectives established by B. S. Bloom.

 Attempts to divide cognitive objectives ranging from the simplest behavior to the most complex.

Knowledge

 defined as remembering previously learned material

 involves recalling of a wide range of material, from specific facts to complete theories
 represents the lowest level of learning outcomes in the cognitive domain
 includes verbs such as list, define, tell, describe, identify, show, label, collect, examine, tabulate,
quote, name, who, when, where

Comprehension

 defined as the ability to grasp the meaning of material, that may include:
o translating material from one form to another
o interpreting material
o estimating future trends
o goes one step beyond the simple remembering of material
 includes verbs such as summarize, describe, interpret, contrast, predict, associate, distinguish,
estimate, differentiate, discuss, extend

Application

 refers to the ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations
 requires a higher level of understanding than those under comprehension
 includes the application of such things as rules, methods, concepts, principles, laws, and
theories
 includes verbs such as apply, demonstrate, calculate, complete, illustrate, show, solve, examine,
modify, relate, change, classify, experiment, discover
Analysis

 refers to the ability to break down material into its component parts so that its organizational
structure may be understood
 may include the identification of parts, analysis of the relationship between parts, and
recognition of the organizational principles involved
 learning outcomes here represent a higher intellectual level than mere comprehension and
application
 includes verbs such as analyze, separate, order, explain, connect, classify, arrange, divide,
compare, select, explain, infer

Synthesis

 refers to the ability to put parts together to form a new whole

 learning outcomes stress creative behaviors, with major emphasis on the formulation of new
patterns or structure
 includes verbs such as combine, integrate, modify, rearrange, substitute, plan, create, design,
invent, compose, formulate, prepare, generalize, rewrite

Evaluation

 is concerned with the ability to judge the value of material (statement, novel, poem, research
report) for a given purpose
 judgments are to be based on definite criteria
 learning outcomes in this area are highest in the cognitive hierarchy, because they contain
elements of all the other categories, plus conscious value judgments based on clearly defined
criteria
 includes verbs such as assess, decide, rank, grade, test, measure, recommend, convince, select,
judge, explain, discriminate, support, conclude, compare, summarize