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Bloom’s Taxonomy | Domains of Learning with Examples

Learning is a complex process. Although we may learn something new every day, it is an intricate process requiring many cognitive skills. The term “Bloom’s Taxonomy” may sound so jargon to many ears yet bears such a simple and easily comprehendible meaning. Taxonomy simply refers to categorization.

original vs revised bloom's taxonomy

What Is Bloom’s Taxonomy All About?

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a multi-tiered model that classifies thinking and educational learning objectives based on six levels of complexity. This model has always been considered like a stairway where teachers encourage students to get up to the higher levels of the hierarchy.

Through the publication of the book called “Taxonomy of educational objectives”, in the year 1954, the concept of Bloom’s taxonomy came to be known. Bloom’s taxonomy was theorized by Benjamin Bloom and his associates in the year 1956 as a list of six skills that are required for learning to take place effectively.

The goal was to develop a method of classification of thinking behaviors that are important in the process of learning. This classification is broadly classified into three domains:

  1. The Cognitive
  2. The Affective
  3. The Psycho-Motor

After eight years of study and research, Bloom and his group published “Bloom’s taxonomy” in the year 1956 and its original version consisted of only the cognitive domain. Later, the other domains came by because of revisions done by other researchers.

bloom’s taxonomy hierarchy of domains

The Cognitive Domain

When Bloom devised the hierarchy, the focus was placed solely on the cognitive domain of the taxonomy. The cognitive domain comprises skills that are knowledge-based. He broke down this domain into six levels of objectives as discussed below.

1. Knowledge:

Knowledge refers to retaining names, concepts, information etc. without necessarily comprehending the content of the information. For example -The name of different species of snakes.

2. Comprehension:

It is the ability to understand the content of the information using a complex list of processes such as organizing, summarizing, translating etc. comprehension is an important aspect of learning because any form of learning can take place only if the information is well comprehended and internalized by the learner.

For example, when a teacher narrates a story in a classroom setting, the child must first recognize the characters and organize the contents of the story, then process the plot and then reach a state of comprehension.

3. Application:

This is to use the acquired knowledge, facts, and techniques from the past and apply it in real-life settings.

For example, using mathematical techniques to do daily calculations. The ultimate purpose of gaining knowledge and learning is to be able to apply it in different domains of life. An inapplicable knowledge may prove to be fruitless otherwise.

For example, when an eight-year-old boy goes to the market to get eggs, he learns to apply the multiplication table which he learnt a few days ago to calculate the amount he has to pay.

4. Analysis:

It involves examining and breaking down the information into smaller parts to find the connections and inferences to achieve a deeper understanding of any concept.

For example, a skincare enthusiast attempts to understand the science behind sunscreen, how it protects against UV rays, why it does so and its relationship with other skincare regimes to achieve good results.

5. Synthesis:

This is to pick the smaller parts from diverse backgrounds and create a structure or a pattern out of them. This gives room for creativity as it involves creating novel products out of existing resources. For example, making roads using non-biodegradable plastic bottles.

When a scientist bases her research on interlinking two different concepts branching from the same phenomenon, she is analyzing the knowledge that she already possesses.

6. Evaluation:

It involves checking and making a critical examination of information by making judgments about the validity of the information, quality of work etc.

As Thomas was getting prepared for his presentation, he cross-checked whether his facts were from reliable sources and if there is a proper sequence to his content and his presentation style.

The cognitive domain of Bloom’s taxonomy is the old and original version of what Benjamin Bloom initially theorized. This theory has been later modified and the objectives have been revised to other terms. This domain is given the most important over the affective and the psycho-motor domains as it has much more to do with learning than the other two domains.

The Affective Domain

The affective domain refers to the emotional aspect of learning. This involves the way people react emotionally to different things. For example, Parker who is suffering from depressive symptoms tries to understand the sudden changes in his mood and affect by reading a book about depression. Under the affective domain, there come five levels such as:

  1. Receiving: It is nothing but the willingness to receive and become aware of the information. This is the first step to learning because if a person isn’t willing to receive, no learning can occur.
    Parker was hell-bent on the fact that he wasn’t his best self over the past few weeks. As he turned the pages of the book, he could see himself in the characters mentioned in the book. He was able to relate well and resonate.
  2. Responding: This is where the person participates in learning and internalizes the information that he comes across. This way they respond to the information in front of them.
    The more Parker immersed himself in the book, the more he understood his situation and he developed a liking for the book.
  3. Valuing: The student attaches value to the knowledge acquired. They choose to agree or disagree with what they learn.
    As Parker was nearing the end of the story, he realized that this book had changed his perspective on mental health, and he could relate his narrative to that of the author.
  4. Conceptualizing/ Organizing: This is when the student attempts to incorporate this knowledge into their belief system or moral values.
    The book felt like an eye opener for Parker and he found himself integrating some of the beliefs and ideas of the author into his belief system.
  5. Characterizing By Value: The Student chooses to identify themselves with this newly acquired knowledge.

Parker dawned upon an understanding of his mental state and he was able to accept himself for the way he felt. He decided to seek professional help because of having been inspired by the character of the story.

Psycho-Motor Domain

Psycho-motor domain refers to the physical aspects involved in learning. This is to accept and internalize information at a physical level. It is concerned with the physical encoding of information where fine/gross muscles are used to encode the information learnt. This domain has seven subdomains such as:

  1. Perception: This refers to the tendency to use sensory information to alter motor activity. For example, to turn on the air conditioner because of the humid weather.
  2. Set: Set is similar to that of the response from the affective domain. It refers to the readiness to act based on the need of the situation. For example, a person is motivated to move a stone from the road because it is a hindrance to passersby.
  3. Guided Response: It is the ability to follow instructions when learning or make use of trial and error. For example, using a GPS to learn the route to the museum.
  4. Mechanism: The ability to turn learnt information into habitual behaviors and do them with proficiency is called mechanism. For example, learning to drive a car which becomes more of a habit rather than a sequence of conscious movements.
  5. Complex Overt Response: This is the ability to perform complex motor tasks skillfully. For example, to be able to type a report on a computer without looking at the keyboard.
  6. Adaptation: The ability to show flexibility with the learnt skills in any given situation. In other words, to be able to adapt well to the demands of the context.
  7. Origination: Creating new movement patterns in any situation. This is the ability to show creativity and innovativeness based on the knowledge acquired.

The Five Levels Of Psycho-Motor Domain

  1. Imitation: The first level of psycho-motor domain involves imitation where learning takes place because of observing and imitating the actions of others.
  2. Manipulation: In this step, a person learns by following the directions given by a person with higher experience and expertise or through memory.
  3. Precision: Here, the learner reaches a point where his performance becomes exactly as it had been taught.
  4. Articulation: The learner becomes well versed with the skill that they can perform several skills harmoniously.
  5. Naturalization: The learner achieves the highest level of performance and can perform the skill naturally without giving it a lot of thought.

A Revised Version Of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Lorin Anderson, a former student of Bloom’s, led a new assembly in the year 1990s intended to revise Bloom’s taxonomy and make it relatable to the contemporary trends in learning and education.

After having spent many years diligently working, they published the revised version of bloom’s taxonomy in the year 2001. The revision consists of minor yet significant changes in its structure which further enhanced the efficiency of the model.

Of the many differences, the most prominent difference was found in the terminology of the model, and it can confuse people.

The term knowledge was replaced by remembering and comprehension and application came to become understanding and applying. The term analysis just saw a verb form to it and was called analyzing. Finally, Synthesis and evaluation became evaluating and creating.

Also in the revised version, evaluation is placed in second place and creating is placed in the top tier.

bloom’s taxonomy

The original version appears to be one-dimensional. However, this version of the taxonomy also adds another dimension that includes four types of knowledge that can be addressed by learning such as:

  • Factual Knowledge: This refers to the knowledge of terminology and facts. It also involves knowledge about specific details and elements.
  • Conceptual Knowledge: Theories, categories, principles, models are some of the things that come under conceptual knowledge. It involves learning about the relationship between different basic elements that enable them to function together.
  • Procedural Knowledge: This entails knowledge about process, methodology, techniques. It is the knowledge of specific skills and algorithms.
  • Metacognitive Knowledge: It comprises self-assessment ability, knowledge about cognitive tasks as well as awareness about own self.

How Useful Is Bloom’s Taxonomy?

Bloom’s taxonomy is predominantly useful in the educational field, and it is found useful for two things, most importantly, of all the other things.

Firstly, it encourages teachers and the educational system to look at learning objectives from a behavioral perspective and approach it in terms of what the learners can do with the knowledge that has been acquired. When the learning objectives are written in action words, it encourages the learners to apply their theoretical knowledge to actions and that will indicate the best method for assessing skills and the knowledge gained.

Secondly, the categorization of learning objectives gives room for acquiring essential skills along the way which would foster a quest for a deeper understanding of the knowledge gained and transfer the knowledge to a wide variety of tasks and situations.

Bloom’s taxonomy is like bread and butter for teachers in a classroom setting. They can use the skill hierarchy to elevate understanding of concepts, enhance critical and higher-order thinking among students.

Higher-order thinking would invite students to thrive in other essential skills such as problem-solving, making judgments, self-evaluation etc. The taxonomy can also simultaneously be used as a tool to evaluate the performance of the students on every level.

It serves as a framework of objectives for instructors which in turn facilitates high quality teaching and in depth understanding of concepts and techniques.

This model has given rise to many educational concepts such as low level and high-level thinking. In other words, the hierarchy precisely explains how skills required for learning move from the lowest to the highest grid. It is also closely connected to multiple intelligence, problem-solving, creative and critical thinking skills etc.

A Comparison Between Bloom’s Taxonomy And Depth Of Knowledge

S. No.Bloom’s TaxonomyDepth Of Knowledge
1.It measures the cognitive level of the student to find out whether learning has occurred.Depth of knowledge is focused more on the scenario or the setting where learning is expected to be expressed.
2.It is used better in measuring instructions cognitive rigor and objectives of learning.It is used for measuring assessment.
3.Learning is incremental here. In other words, a learner must move from the lower levels of the pyramid to reach the higher levels. Here, students can move fluidly through all levels.
4.It includes five levels such as remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. This includes four levels such as recall and reproduction, skills and concepts, strategic thinking, and extended thinking.
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