Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Taxonomy-classification
• An method of addressing the different
levels of thinking and learning
• Identifies three domains
– Cognitive
– Affective
– Psychomotor
 Cognitive Domain

Evaluation
Higher Level Thinking
Synthesis On Top
The Higher The Level
On The Graphic
Analysis
The Less That Level
Tends To Be Addressed Lower Level Thinking On
In Education Application
The Bottom

Comprehension

Knowledge
 Knowledge
• Remembering • Illustrative verbs
previously learned – Enumerate
– Define
material – Describe
• May involve recall of – Identify
a wide range of – Label
– List
material – Match
• All required-bringing – Name
to mind the – Outline
– Recall
appropriate – Recite
information – Recollect
– Relate
– Reproduce
– Select
 Comprehension

• The ability to grasp • Illustrative verbs

– Change
meaning of material – Construct
• Translating material –
–
Convert
Decode
from one form to – Define
another – Describe
– Distinguish
• Interpreting material – Discriminate
– Explain
by explaining or – Extend
summarizing – Generalize
– Give example
– Illustrate
– Paraphrase
– Restate
– Rewrite
– Summarize
 Application
• The ability to use learned • Illustrative verbs
material in new and – Apply
concrete situations – Change
– Compute
• The ability to “apply” – Demonstrate
learned material – Develop
• may include application – Employee
of: – Illustrate
– Rules – Manipulate
– Methods – Modify
– Operate
– Concepts
– Organize
– Principles
– Predict
– Laws – Prepare
– Theories – Produce
– Solve
– Use
 Analysis

• The ability to break down • Illustrative verbs

material into its – Analyze
component parts to be – Breakdown
understood – Classify
• May include – Compare
– Identification of the parts – Contrast
– Analysis of the relationship – Determined
between parts – Deduce
– Recognition of the – Diagram
organizational principles – Differentiate
involved
– Distinguish
– Relate
– Separate
– Subdivide
 Synthesis

• The ability to put parts • Illustrative verbs

together to form a new – Compose
hole – Conceive
• May involve the – Construct
production of – Create
– A unique communication – Design
(theme or speech) – Devise
– A plan of operations – Formulate
(research proposal) – Generate
– A set of abstract relations – Invent
(scheme for classifying – Originate
information)
 Evaluation

• Illustrative verbs
– Appraise
• The ability to judge the – Choose
value of material – Compare
• Judgments are based on – Conclude
definite criteria – Contrast
– Criticize
• Criteria may be internal
– Decide
(organization) or external
– Defend
(relevance to the
– Discriminate
purpose)
– Justify
• Student may determine – Resolve
criteria or criteria may be – Support
given to them – Validate
 Affective Domain
Characterization By Value
Or Value Complex

Organization

Higher Level Thinking

Valuing On Top
The Higher The Level
On The Graphic
The Less That Level
Tends To Be Addressed Responding Lower Level Thinking On
In Education
The Bottom

Receiving
 Receiving

• Willingness to receive or • Illustrative Behavioral Terms

attend to particular – Acknowledge
phenomenon or stimuli – Ask
– Classroom activities – Attend
– Be aware
– Textbook
– Choose
– Assignment, etc – Describe
• Three subcategories – Follow
– Awareness – Identify
– Willingness to receive – Listen
– Controlled or selected – Locate
attention – Name
– Reply
• Getting, holding, and – Show alertness
directing student’s – View
attention – Watch
 Responding

• Active participation on the part of the

student
• Not just willing to attend, but actively
attending
• Indicates desire that a student has
become sufficiently involved in a subject,
activity, etc., so as to seek it out and
gained satisfaction from working with it
 Responding

• Illustrative Behavioral – Participate

Terms – Pursue
– Agree (to) – Question
– Answer – React
– Task – Read
– Comply – Reply
– Consent – Report
– Conform – Request
– Contribute – Respond
– Follow-up – Seek
– Indicate – Select
– Inquire – Visit
– Obey – Volunteer
– Write
 Valuing

• Student sees worth or value in the subject,

activity, assignment, etc.
• Characterized by valuing that is motivated
– Not by the desire to comply or obey
– By the individual’s commitment to the
underlying value guiding the behavior
• Learning outcomes are concerned with
behavior that is consistent enough to
make the value clearly identifiable
 Valuing

• Illustrative Behavioral – Express

Terms – Form
– Accept – Initiate
– Adopt – Invite
– Approve – Join
– Complete – Justify
– Choose – Prefer
– Commit – Propose
– Desire – Read
– Differentiate – Report
– Display – Sanctioned
– Endorse – Select
– Exhibit – Share
– Explain – Study
– Work
 Organization

• Bringing together a complex of set of values,

resolving possible conflicts between them, and
beginning to build an internally consistent value
system
• Individual sees how the value relates to those
already held or to new ones that are coming to
be held
• Integration of values is less harmonious; a kind
of dynamic equilibrium dependent upon salient
events at a specific point in time
 Organization

• Illustrative Behavioral – Defend

Terms – Explain
– Adapt – Group
– Adhere – Identify
– Alter – Integrate
– Arrange – Modified
– Categorize – Order
– Classify – Organize
– Combine – Prepare
– Compare – Rank
– Complete – Relate
– Synthesize
– Systemize
 Characterization By Value
Or Value Complex

• Internalization of values have a place in

the individuals value hierarchy
• Values have controlled one’s behavior for
a sufficient long period of time to have
developed a characteristic “lifestyle”
• The behavior is pervasive, consistent, and
predictable
 Characterization By Value
Or Value Complex

• Illustrative Behavioral Terms – Incorporate

– Act – Influence
– Advocate – Justify
– Behave – Maintain
– Characterize – Modify
– Conform – Pattern
– Continue – Practice
– Defend – Preservice
– Devote – Performed
– Disclose – Question
– Discriminate – Revise
– Display – Retain
– Encourage – Support
– Endure – Uphold
– Exemplify – Use
– Function
 Psychomotor Domain

Naturalization

Higher Level Thinking

Articulation On Top
The Higher The Level
On The Graphic
The Less That Level Precision
Tends To Be Addressed Lower Level Thinking On
In Education Manipulation The Bottom

Imitation
 Imitation

• Early stages of learning a complex skill,

overtly, after the individual has indicated a
readiness to take a particular type of
action
• Includes repeating an act that has been
demonstrated or explained
• Includes trial and error until an appropriate
response is achieved
 Imitation

• Illustrative Verbs – Mimic

– Began – Move
– Assemble – Practice
– attempt – Proceed
– Carryout – Repeat
– Copy – Reproduce
– Construct – Respond
– Dissect – Organize
– Duplicate – Sketch
– Follow – Start
– Try
 Manipulation

• Individual continues to practice a particular

skill or sequence until it becomes habitual
and the action can be performed with
some confidence and proficiency
• The response is more complex than the
previous level
– The learner is still not sure of themselves
 Manipulation

• Illustrative Verbs – Make

– Acquire – Manipulate
– Assemble – Operate
– Complete – Pace
– Conduct – Perform
– Do – Produce
– Execute – Progress
– Improve – Use
– Maintain
 Precision

• Skill has been attained

• Proficiency is indicated by a quick,
smooth, accurate performance, requiring
minimum energy
• Overt response is complex and performed
without hesitation
 Precision

• Illustrative Verbs – Refine

– Achieve – Succeed
– Accomplish – Surpass
– Advance – Transcend
– Automatize
– Exceed
– Excel
– Master
– Reach
 Articulation

• Involves a higher level of precision

• Skills are so well developed that the
individual can modify movement patterns
to fit special requirements or to meet a
problem situation
 Articulation

• Illustrative Verbs – Rearrange

– Adapt – Reorganize
– Alter – Revise
– Change – Success
– Excel – Transcend
 Naturalization

• Responses are automatic

• Individual begins to experiment, creating
new motor acts or ways of manipulating
materials out of understandings, abilities,
and skills developed
• One acts “without thinking”
 Naturalization

• Illustrative Verbs – Design

– Arrange – Refine
– Combined compose – Originate
– Construct – Transcend
– Create
 Psychomotor Domain
• A note about targeting the psychomotor
domain
– This is the domain that most academic
program areas (including Business Education)
deal with the least
– The main characteristic of this domain is that
physical ability is what is being dealt with
– When targeting the psychomotor domain (for
test questions, writing objectives, etc. . . ) ask
yourself what is being evaluated?
 Psychomotor Domain
– Simply having physical activity involved to
complete the task does not indicate the
student is working or being evaluated in the
psychomotor domain (at least as the
dominant domain)
– Poor Example
• The student will key a letter in block format.
– There is no measurement/evaluation of anything physical
– This is in the cognitive domain and application level since
the leaning being evaluated is the students knowledge of
keying a letter in block format
 Psychomotor Domain
– Good Example
• Review the letter below. Key this bad-news letter
to the Smith’s in 10 minutes or less.
– In this case the student’s speed and accuracy is being
measured—a physical skill.

– Business Educators rarely target the

psychomotor domain except for evaluating
speed and accuracy in keyboarding and using
calculators or numeric keyboards. I am sure
other examples are true.
 A Note About Illustrative Verbs
• Some illustrative verbs are used in more than
one level of a single domain
• The use of a verb in itself does not guarantee
the level and domain targeted is being
addressed
• Ask “What is (or what could be) evaluated?”
• Think about the complexity of the thoughts
and/or skills required
 Closing Thoughts
• Most of the time people/students are
thinking and evaluating in multiple
domains and on multiple levels
• Ascertain the dominant domain
– List the dominant domain first
– List the subsequent domains in the order of
dominance
 Final Thoughts
• Teachers should teach and evaluate in
different domains and different levels
– Promotes higher level thinking and problem
solving
• Teachers often stay only in the cognitive
domain at the knowledge level
– Easiest to teach in
– Easiest to evaluate in