Bloom's Taxonomy of Cognitive Activity
In 1956, Benjamin Bloom headed a group of educational psychologists in developing a classification system for domains of educational activity. The three domains are cognitive, affective and psychomotor. Within the cognitive domain, Bloom and his colleagues recognized six levels of cognition, from the recall of information to more abstract levels such as synthesis and evaluation. Most classroom activities require that students only think at the lowest possible level, the recall of information.
Once you have identified your own goals for classroom learning, you can begin to develop strategies and activities to engage students on all six levels of cognition. These levels of learning can be used to develop tests, classroom discussions and assignments. When designing a classroom activity, use the following chart to ensure that your instructions for the activity match with your goals. If you want your students to analyze, for example, use words such as compare and contrast. | Level 1 Knowledge | define
identify
label
state
| list
match
recall
recite
| name
report
select
| | Level 2: Comprehension | describe
generalize
paraphrase
give an example of
| estimate
classify
explain
predict
| illustrate
summarize
state in your own words
translate
| | Level 3: Application | determine
chart
implement
prepare
| use an approach
develop
choose an appropriate procedure
| apply a principle
solve a problem
relate
demonstrate
| | Level 4: Analysis | discriminate
infer
| compare
contrast
| relate
design
| | Level 5 : Synthesis | plan
organize
create
| generate
appraise
critique
| judge
solve
formulate
| | Level 6: Evaluation | weigh
evaluate
combine
| conclude
support
defend
| appraise
compare
|
For more information: Bloom's Taxonomy--Model questions and Key Words University of Texas Learning Center |
