3.2 - How to Write Learning Objectives Using Bloom's Taxonomy

Summary

This video introduces Bloom's Taxonomy, a framework created by Dr. Benjamin Bloom in 1956 to promote higher-order thinking skills in education. It explains the six levels of cognitive domains, each associated with specific action verbs, to help educators create learning objectives. The video also discusses how the taxonomy's hierarchy can guide course design, emphasizing the importance of aligning learning objectives with the complexity of content and students' mastery levels. It concludes with a practical guide on constructing measurable learning objectives using Bloom's Wheel, a tool for selecting appropriate verbs and activities.

Takeaways

• 📚 Bloom's Taxonomy was created in 1956 by Dr. Benjamin Bloom to promote higher forms of thinking in education.
• 📈 It is a hierarchical model with six levels of cognitive domains, starting from lower to higher order thinking skills.
• 🔍 Each level of Bloom's Taxonomy has associated action verbs that can be used to create learning objectives.
• 🧠 The six levels are: Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating.
• 🔑 Remembering involves retrieving and recalling relevant knowledge, while Understanding is about constructing information from various sources.
• 🛠️ Applying is the execution of procedures or concepts, and Analyzing involves breaking down material into parts and understanding their relationships.
• ⚖️ Evaluating requires making judgments based on criteria and standards.
• 🎨 Creating involves putting elements together to form a new pattern or structure, demonstrating a synthesis of knowledge.
• 📈 The hierarchical nature of Bloom's Taxonomy suggests that learning at higher levels depends on mastering prerequisite knowledge and skills at lower levels.
• 🏛️ Course design should consider the complexity of content and the learning level of students, with introductory courses focusing more on lower order skills and advanced courses on higher order skills.
• 📘 The 'Bloom's Wheel' is a helpful tool for instructors to select appropriate verbs and activities for learning objectives, available for download online.
• 📝 Constructing measurable learning objectives involves starting with a stem sentence, identifying learning outcomes, consulting the Bloom's Wheel, and writing out the objective with specific, measurable verbs.

Q & A

What is Bloom's taxonomy and why was it created?

Bloom's taxonomy is a multi-tiered model created in 1956 by educational psychologist Dr. Benjamin Bloom to classify thinking according to six cognitive domains. It was designed to promote higher forms of thinking in education, such as analyzing and evaluating, beyond just remembering facts.

How is Bloom's taxonomy structured?

Bloom's taxonomy is hierarchically structured with six levels of learning, each associated with specific action verbs that can be used to create learning objectives.

What are the six levels of learning in Bloom's taxonomy?

The six levels are Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating, with each level representing a different cognitive process.

How can Bloom's taxonomy be used in course design?

Bloom's taxonomy can guide the design of learning objectives by ensuring that they cover a range of cognitive processes, from lower-order thinking skills like remembering and understanding to higher-order skills like analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

What is the significance of the hierarchical nature of Bloom's taxonomy in learning?

The hierarchical nature implies that learning at higher levels depends on having attained prerequisite knowledge and skills at lower levels, emphasizing a progressive development of cognitive abilities.

How does Bloom's taxonomy relate to the complexity of course content and the learning level of students?

Introductory courses often focus on lower-order thinking skills to introduce new concepts, while advanced courses assume foundational knowledge and focus on higher-order thinking skills, although both types of courses should include objectives from each domain.

What is a 'Bloom's wheel' and how can it assist instructors?

The 'Bloom's wheel' is a visual tool that contains the six levels of learning with associated action verbs and examples of activities and assessments for each domain. It helps instructors select appropriate verbs and design activities and assessments aligned with the learning objectives.

How can Bloom's taxonomy be used to construct a measurable learning objective?

It involves starting with a stem sentence, determining the learning outcome, consulting the Bloom's wheel to select an appropriate verb, and then writing out a student-centered, measurable learning objective.

Why is it important to avoid vague terms in learning objectives?

Vague terms like 'understand' or 'know' are not measurable and make it difficult to assess student performance. Using specific action verbs from Bloom's taxonomy ensures objectives are clear, measurable, and observable.

Can you provide an example of how to apply Bloom's taxonomy in writing a learning objective?

An example given in the script is to classify learning objectives within the six cognitive domains of Bloom's taxonomy, which demonstrates that learners can remember, understand, and apply the knowledge of Bloom's taxonomy.

What is the purpose of the 'Bloom's will' mentioned in the script?

The 'Bloom's will' is a tool containing the levels of Bloom's taxonomy with associated verbs and activity suggestions. It helps instructors to select verbs and design activities that align with each level of learning, making learning objectives more effective.