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Bloom's Taxonomy

There is more than one type of learning. A committee of colleges, led by Benjamin Bloom (1956), identified three domains of educational activities:

  • Cognitive: mental skills (Knowledge)
  • Affective: growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude)
  • Psychomotor: manual or physical skills (Skills)

Since the work was produced by higher education, the words tend to be a little bigger than we normally use. Domains can be thought of as categories. Trainers often refer to these three domains as KSA (Knowledge, Skills, and Attitude). This taxonomy of learning behaviors can be thought of as "the goals of the training process." That is, after the training session, the learner should have acquired new skills, knowledge, and/or attitudes.

This compilation divides the three domains into subdivisions, starting from the simplest behavior to the most complex. The divisions outlined are not absolutes and there are other systems or hierarchies that have been devised in the educational and training world. However, Bloom's taxonomy is easily understood and is probably the most widely applied one in use today.

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives, developed by Benjamin Bloom in 1950s, means of expressing qualitatively different kinds of thinking, is one of the best ways to differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs of students and for Curriculum Mapping. Because of six levels of thinking, it can provide a framework of planning units that incorporate low to high thinking level activities. Therefore, when we use Bloom’s Taxonomy as a planning framework we can plan for students thinking at all levels.

Classroom reflection manual states that Higher-order thinking by students involves the transformation of information and ideas. This transformation occurs when students combine facts and ideas and synthesise, generalise, explain, hypothesise or arrive at some conclusion or interpretation. Manipulating information and ideas through these processes allows students to solve problems, gain understanding and discover new meaning. When students engage in the construction of knowledge, an element of uncertainty is introduced into the instructional process and the outcomes are not always predictable; in other words, the teacher is not certain what the students will produce. In helping students become producers of knowledge, the teacher’s main instructional task is to create activities or environments that allow them opportunities to engage in higher-order thinking (Department of Education, Queensland, 2002, p. 1)

1. Knowledge: Recall of data.
Examples: Recite a poem or tables. Knows the safety rules.
Key Words: defines, describes, identifies, knows, labels, lists, matches, names, outlines, recalls, recognizes, reproduces, selects, states.


2. Comprehension: Understand the meaning, translation, extending or interpretation of explanations and problems. State a problem in one's own words.
Examples: Rewrite or explain in one’s own words the steps for performing a complex task. Translates a word problem into an equation .
Key words: comprehends, converts, distinguishes, estimates, explains, extends, generalizes, gives examples, infers, interprets, paraphrases, predicts, rewrites, summarizes, translates.


3. Application:Use a concept in a new situation. Applies what was learned in the classroom into novel situations in elsewhere.
Examples: Use a set of rules to calculate the interest on a bank deposit. Apply laws of inertia to observed events.
Key Words: applies, changes, computes, constructs, demonstrates, discovers, manipulates, modifies, operates, predicts, prepares, produces, relates, shows, solves, uses.


4. Analysis: Separates material or concepts into component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood. Distinguishes between facts and inferences.
Examples: Find out what’s wrong with someone’s way of problem solving (why someone is not getting the answer), check why some piece of equipment is not working. Recognize logical fallacies in reasoning. Gathers information from a department and selects the required tasks for training.
Keywords: analyzes, breaks down, compares, contrasts, diagrams, deconstructs, differentiates, discriminates, distinguishes, identifies, illustrates, infers, outlines, relates, selects, separates.


5. Synthesis: Builds a structure or pattern from diverse elements. Put parts together to form a whole, with emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure.
Examples: Write a set of rules for calculating a student’s performance in class. Write a rule book for your accepted behaviour in school. Revises and process to improve the outcome.
Keywords: categorizes, combines, compiles, composes, creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies, organizes, plans, rearranges, reconstructs, relates, reorganizes, revises, rewrites, summarizes, tells, writes.


6. Evaluation: Make judgments about the value of ideas or materials.
Examples: Select the most effective solution. Explain and justify a new code of conduct for the school.
Keywords: appraises, compares, concludes, contrasts, criticizes, critiques, defends, describes, discriminates, evaluates, explains, interprets, justifies, relates, summarizes, supports.




Affective domain

1. Receiving phenomena: Awareness, willingness to hear, selected attention.
Examples: Listen to others with respect. Listen for and remember the name of newly introduced people.
Keywords: asks, chooses, describes, follows, gives, holds, identifies, locates, names, points to, selects, sits, replies, uses.


2. Responding to phenomena: Active participation on the part of the learners. Attends and reacts to a particular phenomenon. Satisfactory responses.
Examples: Participates in class discussions. Gives a presentation. Questions new ideals, concepts, models, etc. in order to fully understand them. Know the safety rules and practices them.
Keywords: answers, assists, aids, complies, conforms, discusses, greets, helps, labels, performs, practices, presents, reads, recites, reports, selects, tells, writes.


3. Valuing: The worth or value a person attaches to a particular object, phenomenon, or behavior. This ranges from simple acceptance to the more complex state of commitment. Valuing is based on the internalization of a set of specified values, while clues to these values are expressed in the learner’s overt behavior and are often identifiable.
Examples: Demonstrates belief in the school discipline. Is sensitive towards individual and cultural differences (value diversity). Shows the ability to solve problems. Proposes a plan to keep school clean and follows through with commitment. Is able to talk on matters that one feels strongly about.
Keywords: completes, demonstrates, differentiates, explains, follows, forms, initiates, invites, joins, justifies, proposes, reads, reports, selects, shares, studies, works.


4. Organization: Organizes values into priorities by contrasting different values, resolving conflicts between them, and creating an unique value system. The emphasis is on comparing, relating, and synthesizing values.
Examples: Recognizes the need for balance between freedom and responsible behavior. Accepts responsibility for one’s behavior. Creates a life plan in harmony with abilities, interests, and beliefs. Prioritizes time effectively to meet the needs of studies, family, and self.
Keywords: adheres, alters, arranges, combines, compares, completes, defends, explains, formulates, generalizes, identifies, integrates, modifies, orders, organizes, prepares, relates, synthesizes.


5. Internalizing values (characterization): Has a value system that controls their behavior. The behavior is pervasive, consistent, predictable, and most importantly, characteristic of the learner. Instructional objectives are concerned with the student's general patterns of adjustment (personal, social, emotional).
Examples: Shows self-reliance when working independently. Cooperates in group activities (displays teamwork). Uses an objective approach in problem solving. Displays a commitment to ethical practice on a daily basis. Revises judgments and changes behavior in light of new evidence. Values people for what they are, not how they look.
Keywords: acts, discriminates, displays, influences, listens, modifies, performs, practices, proposes, qualifies, questions, revises, serves, solves, verifies.




Psychomotor domain

1. Perception: : The ability to use senses in order to act/react.
Examples: Detects non-verbal communication cues. Estimate where a ball will land after it is thrown and then moving to the correct location to catch the ball. Adjusts heat of stove to correct temperature by smell and taste of food.
Keywords: chooses, describes, detects, differentiates, distinguishes, identifies, isolates, relates, selects.


2. Set: Readiness to act. It includes mental, physical, and emotional sets. These three sets are dispositions that predetermine a person’s response to different situations (sometimes called mindsets).
Examples: Knows and acts upon a sequence of steps in a lab. Recognize one’s abilities and limitations. Shows desire to learn a new process (motivation).
Keywords: begins, displays, explains, moves, proceeds, reacts, shows, states, volunteers.


3. Guided response: The early stages in learning a complex skill that includes imitation and trial and error. Adequacy of performance is achieved by practicing.
Examples: Performs a mathematical equation as demonstrated. Follows instructions to build a model. Responds hand-signals of instructor while learning to operate a new equipment.
Keywords: copies, traces, follows, react, reproduce, responds


4. Mechanism: This is the intermediate stage in learning a complex skill. Learned responses have become habitual and the movements can be performed with some confidence and proficiency.
Examples: Use a personal computer. Repair a leaking tap. Ride a bicycle.
Keywords: assembles, calibrates, constructs, dismantles, displays, fastens, fixes, grinds, heats, manipulates, measures, mends, mixes, organizes, sketches.


5. Complex Overt Response: The skillful performance of actions that involve complex movement patterns. Proficiency is indicated by a quick, accurate, and highly coordinated performance, requiring a minimum of energy. This category includes performing without hesitation, and automatic performance. For example, players are often utter sounds of satisfaction or expletives as soon as they hit a tennis ball or throw a football, because they can tell by the feel of the act what the result will produce.
Examples: Parks a car into a tight parallel parking spot. Operates a computer quickly and accurately. Displays competence while playing the piano.
Keywords: assembles, builds, calibrates, constructs, dismantles, displays, fastens, fixes, grinds, heats, manipulates, measures, mends, mixes, organizes, sketches. NOTE: The key words are the same as Mechanism, but will have adverbs or adjectives that indicate that the performance is quicker, better, more accurate, etc.


6. Adaptation: Skills are well developed and the individual can modify movement patterns to fit special requirements.
Examples: Responds effectively to unexpected experiences. Modifies instruction to meet the needs of the learners. Perform a task with a machine that it was not originally intended to do (machine is not damaged and there is no danger in performing the new task).
Keywords: adapts, alters, changes, rearranges, reorganizes, revises, varies.


7. Origination: Creating new movement patterns to fit a particular situation or specific problem. Learning outcomes emphasize creativity based upon highly developed skills.
Examples: Constructs a new theory. Creates a new gymnastic routine.
Keywords: arranges, builds, combines, composes, constructs, creates, designs, initiate, makes, originates.


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