Question

Bloom's taxonomy is not only an approach that is advocated for use at GCU, its quite popular in general because it provides educators some concrete ways to generalize and assess learning. Have you used it in your own teaching? If so, please feel free to share your experience with it!

Answer 1

Bloom's taxonomy classifies human thinking into six categories as:

• Knowledge: The facts and information that can be recalled or remembered to answer.
• Comprehension: The ability to understand or grasp the meaning of the information that has been presented.
• Application: The applying of previously learned knowledge or information on an unfamiliar or new condition/situation.
• Analysis: The piece of information or knowledge is broken down into pieces to understand its organizational structure.
• Synthesis: The information or knowledge is combined in a newer structure.
• Evaluation: AssesingA the information or knowledge on a set criteria.

Thus, Bloom's taxonomy helps to plan lessons that would not simply imply on simple recall of learned matters, but a higher order of thinking skills. This enhances the learning and gaining of in-depth knowledge of the subject matter. For example in the teaching of topographical physical features to Grade 5 students, this taxonomy would help to test their previous knowledge by asking them the names of different topographical features. In comprehension, they could be asked to describe the topographical features. In application,they could be asked to draw the different topographical features, or to collect pictures and paste them in their record book by naming them. In analyzing, they could be asked to write about the specific patterns that they have observed in each physiographic feature. In synthesizing,they could be asked to differentiate each physiographic feature and compare them to find out their differences. Finally in the evaluation section, they could be asked to find out the various physiographic feature of their area, town, or their state, country. This would make the teaching-learning processes more interesting and effective.