Teaching with

the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy-

Specific Outcomes of Learning
 A Bit of History!

In 1956, Benjamin Bloom along

with a group of like-minded
educators developed a
framework for classifying
educational goals and
objectives into a hierarchical
structure representing different
forms and levels of learning.
 He made "the improvement of student learning"
(Bloom 1971, Preface) the central focus of his life's
work
 Discussions during the 1948 Convention of the
American Psychological Association led Bloom to
spearhead a group of educators who eventually
undertook the ambitious task of classifying
educational goals and objectives.

 In 1956, eight years after the group first began,

work on the cognitive domain was completed
and a handbook commonly referred to as
"Bloom's Taxonomy" was published.
What is Bloom's Taxonomy?
Bloom's Taxonomy is a multi-tiered model of
classifying thinking according to different
levels of complexity
This framework consisted of the following
three domains:
The Cognitive Domain–knowledge-based
domain, consisting of six levels,
encompassing intellectual or thinking skills
The Affective Domain–attitudinal-based
domain, consisting of five levels,
encompassing attitudes and values

The Psychomotor Domain–skills-based

domain, consisting of six levels,
encompassing physical skills or the
performance of actions
Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
 In the 1990s, one of Bloom’s students, Lorin Anderson,
revised the original taxonomy. In the amended version of
Bloom’s Taxonomy, the names of the major cognitive
process categories were changed to indicate action
because thinking implies active engagements.
 Instead of listing knowledge as a part of the taxonomy,
the category is divided into different types of knowledge:
factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive.
 This newer taxonomy also moves the evaluation stage
down a level and the highest element becomes
“creating.” This revised form reflects a more active form
of thinking and is perhaps more accurate
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Higher Order Skills
Bloom's Original Anderson's Revised
Taxonomy Taxonomy
Knowledge Remembering

Comprehension Understanding

Application Applying

Analysis Analysing

Synthesis Evaluating

Evaluation Creating
 Original Terms New Terms
 Evaluation
•Creating
 Synthesis

 Analysis •Evaluating
 Application
•Analysing
 Comprehension

 Knowledge •Applying
•Understanding
•Remembering
(Based on Pohl, 2000, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, P8)
Changes in Terminology
The names of 6 major categories were
changed from noun to verb forms. The
reason for this is that the Taxonomy
reflects different forms of thinking and
thinking is an active process. Verbs
describe actions,not nouns, hence the
change.
The knowledge category was renamed. The
word knowledge was inappropriate to
describe a category of thinking and was
replaced with the word remembering
instead.
Comprehension and synthesis were retitled to

understanding and creating respectively, in

order to better reflect the nature of the
thinking defined in each category.
BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMY
Creating
Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things
Designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing.
Evaluating
Justifying a decision or course of action
Checking, hypothesizing, critiquing, experimenting, judging
Analyzing
Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and
relationships
Comparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, finding
Applying
Using information in another familiar situation
Implementing, carrying out, using, executing
Understanding
Explaining ideas or concepts
Interpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining
Remembering
Recalling information
What are Aims?
Aims------
A brief, but clear, overall impression of the
educational purposes of the unit.
 They should encapsulate what it is that
the unit intends to deliver, identifying the
core concepts and the rationale behind
it.
The aims for the unit are likely to be more
specific than those for the programme.
What are objectives?
What are SOL?

Learning outcomes
Are more detailed statements of what we
want our students to achieve - the
knowledge, understanding, skills,
capabilities and values students will have
gained as a result of their learning
experience in a particular unit.
 Why are well-written learning
outcomes important?
Student learning outcomes clarify faculty
expectations for what students should know,
understand, be able to do, and value by
the time they complete the program.
•They help shift discussions about the curriculum
away from "coverage of topics" to improvement
of student learning.
•Student learning outcomes at the course
level can act as a guide for class activities,
assignments, and exams.
•Assessment of student learning outcomes
can provide information to students on their
strengths and weaknesses in relationship to
learning outcomes.
•Assessment of student learning
outcomes can provide information for
the improvement of educational programs
and for demonstrating their effectiveness
Characteristics of well-written learning
outcomes
The specified action by the students must
be observable.
The specified action by the students must
be measurable.
The specified action must be done by the
students.
Use a variety of Bloom’s Taxonomy levels.
(Using appropriate action verbs, state what
students will be able to do or what they
should be able to demonstrate as a result
of completing your course. Do not list
course content, pedagogies,or class
activities.)
Use language that is clear and direct.
When possible, use language your students
can understand.
 How are student learning outcomes
written?
Student learning outcomes use active verbs such a
demonstrate, apply, analyse and compare . Typically, studen
learning outcomes are written using the following method:

Formula:
Time Frame + Student focus
+ActionVerb+Product/process/outcome =
Learning Outcome
Time frame: “At the end of the library
session…”
Student focus: “...students will be able
to…..
Action verb: “...identify...””
process:“...a relevant database for their
term paper research.”
Remembering -Define, describe, draw, find,
identify, label, list, match, name, quote, recall,
recite, tell, write
Understanding -Classify, compare, exemplify,
conclude, demonstrate, discuss, explain,
identify, illustrate, interpret, paraphrase, predict,
report
Applying -Apply, change, choose, compute,
dramatise, implement, interview,
prepare,produce, role play, select, show,
transfer, use
Analysing -Analyse, characterise, classify, compare,
contrast, debate, deconstruct, deduce, differentiate,
discriminate, distinguish, examine, organise, outline,
relate, research, separate, structure
Evaluating -Appraise, argue, assess, choose,
conclude, critique, decide, evaluate, judge, justify,
predict, prioritise, prove, rank, rate, select, monitor
Creating -Construct, design, develop, generate,
hypothesise, invent, plan, produce, compose, create,
make, perform, plan, produce
 Affective Domain

This domain includes the manner in which

we deal with things emotionally, such as
feelings, values, appreciation, enthusiasms,
motivations, and attitudes.
Levels
RECEIVING: refers to the student’s willingness to
attend to particular phenomena or stimuli (classroom
activities, textbook, music, etc.). From a teaching
standpoint, it is concerned with getting, holding, and
directing the student’s attention. Learning outcomes
in this area range from the simple awareness that a
thing exists to selective attention on the part of the
learner. Receiving represents the lowest level of
learning outcomes in the affective domain.
 RESPONDING: refers to active participation on the part of the
student.
 At this level he not only attends to a particular phenomenon
but also reacts to it in some way.
 Learning outcomes in this area may emphasize
acquiescence in responding (reads beyond assignments) or
satisfaction in responding (reads for pleasure or enjoyment).
 The higher levels of this category include those instructional
objectives that are commonly classified under interest; that is,
those that stress the seeking out and enjoyment of particular
activities
 . VALUING: is concerned with the worth or value a
student attaches to a particular object, phenomenon,
or behavior.\
 This ranges in degree from the simpler acceptance of a
value (desires to improve group skills) to the more
complex level of commitment (assumes responsibility for
the effective functioning of the group).
 Valuing is based on the internalization of a set of
specified values
ORGANIZATION: is concerned with bringing
together values, resolving conflicts between
them, and beginning the building of an
internally consistent value system. Thus the
emphasis is on comparing, relating, and
synthesizing values
 . CHARACTERIZATION BY A VALUE OR INTERNALIZES: at this
level of the affective domain, the individual has a value
system that has controlled his behavior for a sufficiently
long time for him to develop a characteristic life style.
 Thus the behavior is pervasive, consistent, and
predictable.
 Learning outcomes at this level cover a broad range of
activities, but the major emphasis is on the fact that the
behavior is typical or characteristic of the student.
Psychomotor Domain:

PERCEPTION: the first level is concerned with the

use of the sense organs to obtain cues that
guide motor activity.
This category ranges from sensory stimulation
(awareness of a stimulus), through cue selection
(selection task relevant cues) to translation
(relating cue perception to action in
performance).
 .SET: refers to readiness to take a particular
type of action. This category includes
mental set (mental readiness to act),
physical set (physical readiness to act),
and emotional set (willingness to act).
Perception of cues serves as an important
prerequisite for this level.
GUIDED RESPONSE: is concerned with the
early stages in learning a complex skill. It
includes imitation (repeating an act
demonstrated by the instructor) and trial
and error (using a multiple response
approach to identify an appropriate
response
MECHANISM: is concerned with performance acts
where the learned responses have become
habitual and the movements can be performed
with some confidence and proficiency.
Learning outcomes at this level are concerned
with performance skills of various types, but the
movement patterns are less complex than at the
next higher level.
COMPLEX OVERT RESPONSE: is concerned with
the skillful performance of motor acts that
involve complex movement patterns.
Proficiency is indicated by a quick, smooth,
accurate performance, requiring a minimum of
energy.
 The category includes resolution of uncertainty
(performs without hesitation) and automatic
performance
 . ADAPTATION: is concerned with skills that are so
well developed that the individual can modify
movement patterns to fit special requirements or
to meet a problem situation.
ORIGINATION: refers to the creating of a new
movement pattern to fit a particular situation or
specific problem. Learning outcomes at this
level emphasize creativity based upon highly
developed skills.