Bloom’s Taxonomy

Objectives
Old and New

by: Jemil L. Candilada

 Traditional Hierarchy of Thinking Processes

In 1956, Benjamin Bloom wrote Taxonomy of Educational

Objectives: Cognitive Domain, and his six level description of
thinking has been widely adapted and used in countless
contexts ever since. His list of cognitive processes is organized
from the most simple, the recall of knowledge, to the most
complex, making judgments about the value and worth of an
idea.
 Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational
Skill
Knowledge
Objectives (Traditional)
Definition
Recall information
Key Words
Identify, describe, name, label,
recognize, reproduce, follow
Comprehension Understand the meaning, Summarize, convert, defend,
paraphrase a concept paraphrase, interpret, give examples
Application Use the information or concept in a Build, make, construct, model,
new situation predict, prepare
Analysis Break information or concepts into Compare/contrast, break down,
parts to understand it more fully distinguish, select, separate
Synthesis Put ideas together to form Categorize, generalize, reconstruct
something new
Evaluation Make judgments about value Appraise, critique, judge, justify,
argue, support
 Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
• In 1999, Dr. Lorin Anderson, a former student of Bloom's, and his
colleagues published an updated version of Bloom’s Taxonomy that
takes into account a broader range of factors that have an impact on
teaching and learning. This revised taxonomy attempts to correct
some of the problems with the original taxonomy. Unlike the 1956
version, the revised taxonomy differentiates between “knowing what,”
the content of thinking, and “knowing how,” the procedures used in
solving problems.
• The Knowledge Dimension is the “knowing what.” It has four
categories:
factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive. Factual knowledge
includes isolated bits of information, such as vocabulary definitions and
knowledge about specific details. Conceptual knowledge consists of
systems of information, such as classifications and categories.
• Procedural knowledge includes algorithms, heuristics or rules of
thumb, techniques, and methods as well as knowledge about when to
use these procedures. Metacognitive knowledge refers to knowledge
of thinking processes and information about how to manipulate these
processes effectively.
The Cognitive Process Dimension of the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
like the original version has six skills. They are, from simplest to most
complex: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create.
• Remembering
Remembering consists of recognizing and recalling relevant
information from long-term memory.
• Understanding
Understanding is the ability to make your own meaning from
educational material such as reading and teacher explanations. The
sub-skills for this process include interpreting, exemplifying,
classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and explaining.
• Applying
 The third process, applying, refers to using a learned procedure either in a
familiar or new situation.
• Analysis
 The next process is analysis, which consists of breaking knowledge down into its
parts and thinking about how the parts relate to its overall structure. Students
analyze by differentiating, organizing, and attributing.
• Evaluation
 Evaluation, which is at the top of the original taxonomy, is the fifth of the six
processes in the revised version. It includes checking and critiquing.
• Creating
 Creating, a process not included in the earlier taxonomy, is the highest
component of the new version. This skill involves putting things together to make
something new. To accomplish creating tasks, learners generate, plan, and
produce.
 Sample Question of Old Taxonomy
• Knowledge
These types of questions test the students’ ability to memorize and to recall terms,
facts and details without necessarily understanding the concept.
Key Words: Memorize, Define, Identify, Repeat, Recall, State, Write, List &
Name
Examples of questions:
• "What is...?"
• "How would you describe...?"
• "Why did...?
• "How would your show...?" 
• Comprehension
These questions test the students’ ability to summarize and describe in their own
words without necessarily relating it to anything.
Key Words: Describe, Distinguish, Explain, Interpret, Predict, Recognize &
Summarize
Examples of questions:
• "What facts or ideas show...?"
• "How would you compare...?"
• "How would your classify...?
• "Can you explain what is happening...?"
• Application
Application questions encourage students to apply or transfer learning to their
own life or to a context different than one in which it was learned. 
Key Words: Apply, Compare, Contrast, Demonstrate, Examine, Relate, Solve &
Use
Examples of questions:
• "What would result if...?"
• "What facts would you select to show...?"
• "What approach would you use to...?"
• "How would you use...?" 
• Analysis
These questions encourage students to break material into parts, describe patterns
and relationships among parts, to subdivide information and to show how it is put
together.
Key Words: Analyze, Differentiate, Distinguish, Explain, Infer, Relate, Research
& Separate
Examples of questions:
• "What inference can you make...?"
• "What is the relationship between...?"
• "What evidence can you find...?"
• "What things justify...?"  
• Synthesis
These questions encourage students create something new by using a combination
of ideas from different sources to form a new whole.
Key Words: Arrange, Combine, Create, Design, Develop Formulate, Integrate &
Organize
Examples of questions:
• "What could be changed to improve...?"
• "How would you test...?"
• "What way would you design...?"
• "What outcome would you predict for...?"    
• Evaluation
Evaluation questions encourage students to develop opinions and make value
decisions about issues based on specific criteria.
Key Words: Assess, Critique, Determine, Evaluate, Judge, Justify, Measure &
Recommend
Examples of questions:
• "How could you select...?"
• "How could you prove...?"
• "How would you prioritize...?"
• "What information would you use to support...?" 
 Sample Question of New Taxonomy
Remember
 Retrieve relevant from long-term memory.
Question: What happened after the typhoon?
Understand
 Construct meaning by connecting “new” to “prior” Knowledge.
Question: How would you explain the illustration shown below ?
Apply
 Use a procedure to perform exercise or solve problems.
Question: How would you work a case of jumping?
Analyze
Break materials into its constituent parts and relate to whole
Question: What was the turning point?
Evaluate
Make judgements base on criteria or standsards
Question: What do you think about this situation and why?
Create
Put elements together to form a coherent whole.
Question: What are possible solutions to solve this problem?

Overall Question
What is the purpose of taxonomy in education and how to apply
in a professional teacher in teaching?