Describe bloom’s taxonomy in education
Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning
2014
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY OF EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
Objectives state what we want our students to learn and be able to do. A statement of an objective contains a noun (type of
knowledge) and a verb (type of cognitive process using the knowledge).
General form of a learning objective: Students will be able to verb noun phrase.
Examples: Students will be able to design an experiment to test a hypothesis.
Students will be able to distinguish among confederal, federal, and unitary systems of government.
Students will be able to differentiate between rational and irrational numbers.
The Knowledge Dimension
Factual Conceptual Procedural Metacognitive
D
E
F
IN
E
D
The basic elements
students must know to
be acquainted with a
discipline or solve
problems in it
The interrelationship
among the basic elements
within a larger structure
that enables them to
function together
How to do something,
methods of inquiry, and
criteria for using skills,
algorithms, techniques, and
methods
Knowledge of cognition in general
as well as awareness and knowledge
of one’s own cognition
S
U
B
T
Y
P
E
S
Terminology
Symbols
Specific details
Specific elements
Classification
Categories
Principles
Generalizations
Theories
Models
Skills
Algorithms
Techniques
Methods
Criteria for judgment
Strategies for learning
Knowledge about cognitive tasks
Self-knowledge
E
X
A
M
P
L
E
Works by an artist
Historical events
Components of a cell
Periods of geologic time
Models of government
Theory of evolution
Skills to paint a watercolor
Skills to analyze an injury
Methods of literary
criticism
Use of mnemonic strategies
Use of organizing techniques
Knowing one’s understanding of
and motivation for a task
Taken from Anderson and Krathwohl; A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of
Educational Objectives, New York: Longman, 2001,
Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning
2014
The general form for writing a learning objective: Students will be able to verb noun phrase.
An example of a learning objective: Students will be able to write a learning objective that is clear and specific.
The Cognitive Dimension
Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create
Retrieve relevant
knowledge from
long-term memory
Construct meaning by
connecting “new” to
“prior” knowledge
Use a procedure to
perform exercises
or solve problems
Break material into its
constituent parts and
relate parts to whole
Make judgments
based on criteria
or standards
Put elements
together to form
a coherent whole
V
E
R
B
S
Remember
Recognize
Identify
Recall
Retrieve
Understand Interpret
Clarify Paraphrase
Illustrate Classify
Categorize Summarize
Generalize Infer
Conclude Explain
Predict Compare
Contrast Map
Apply
Execute
Carry out
Use
Implement
Differentiate Analyze
Discriminate Focus
Distinguish Select
Organize Outline
Integrate
Structure
Attribute
Deconstruct
Evaluate
Check
Coordinate
Detect
Monitor
Test
Critique
Judge
Create
Generate
Hypothesize
Plan
Design
Produce
Construct
Q
U
E
S
T
IO
N
S
What happened
after ..
How many ..
What is ..
Who did ..
Where did .. occur?
How would you explain ..
Who do you think ..
Why did ..
How would you graph ..
Which .. corresponds to ..
What are examples of ..
How could you group ..
How would you
solve ..
How would you
do ..
What would you
say to ..
How would you
work a case of ..
What was the turning
point?
How is. .. similar to ..
Why did .. occur
What is needed to ..
What were some of the
motives for ..
Is there a better
solution to ..
What do you
think about ..
and why?
Do you think .. is
a good thing
and why?
What are possible
solutions to ..
How would you
design an ..
What would
happen if ..
How many ways
can you ..
A
C
T
IV
IT
IE
S
Make a list
showing ..
Make a time line
Make a chart
showing ..
Write a summary of ..
Prepare a flow chart of ..
Write an explanation of ..
Make a taxonomy of ..
Draw a map/model of ..
Draw a graph of ..
Write possible outcomes of
Retell an event
Solve a problem
Write a response
to a case study
Perform a lab
experiment
Write a biography
Make a map showing
interrelationships
Write an analysis of ..
Write an essay
examining bias in ..
Construct a chart to
organize related data
Conduct a debate
(or a mock trial)
Write a critique
Prepare a case
Write an opinion
piece
Design an
experiment
Create a new
product
Plan a marketing
campaign
Create art
Design a building
