(Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching, accessed 7/10/2018 https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/)
In 1956 Benjamin Bloom, with collaborators Max Englehart, Edward Furst, Walter Hill, and David Krathwohl, published Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, a framework for categorizing educational goals. It became familiarly known as Bloom's Taxonomy.
Bloom's Taxonomy tells us that learners must first remember terms and understand basic facts before being able to apply that knowledge to analyze, evaluate and finally create in the discipline. Remembering and understanding are novice skills. The ability to apply, analyze, evaluate and create represents deeper learning.
In 2001, a group of cognitive psychologists, curriculum theorists, instructional researchers, and testing and assessment specialists published a revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy with the title A Taxonomy for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment. The authors of the revised taxonomy, pictured above, used verbs and gerunds to label their categories and subcategories. These “action words,” seen below, describe the cognitive processes by which thinkers encounter and work with knowledge.
During lesson planning, Bloom's Taxonomy should inform the creation of SLOs, activities and assessments. Below is an example of an Information Literacy SLO and how Bloom's Taxonomy is used to define increasing complex activities. Beginning level activities are highlighted in yellow. Deeper learning activities are highlighted in blue.
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Crowd sourcing: To activate prior knowledge, ask the students to tell you everything the know about the topic. You then write down what they say. Alternatively, they can come to the board and write down their knowledge themselves. The activity continues until the students can't think of anything further to add. You can then categorize the answers, if applicable, or use them as a springboard to further discussion.
Think/Pair/Share: To activate prior knowledge, first ask the students to individually think of everything they already know about the topic and write it down. Then put the students in pairs or small groups and allow the students to compare their prior knowledge. Then ask the pairs/groups to report what they know and record it on the board. Use this information as a springboard for further discussion.
Students create an infographic illustrating their new knowledge using Adobe Spark Post or Canva or Picktochart.
Cumulative brainstorming: The instructor writes down a different issue related to a given topic onto four poster notes and hangs them on the classroom walls. The students are divided into groups and each group is assigned to a poster. They write down their thoughts on the poster. Then they rotate until each group has had the opportunity to work on each issue. Each group then returns to their original sheet, synthesizes what has been said and reports back to the class.
Dotmacracy: The class discusses an issue until they have generated a number of different perspectives. The instructor writes these on poster notes and students use sticky dots to indicate the perspectives they strongly support.
Sticky note clustering: The instructor gives the students an issue, question or problem and 3-4 sticky notes. The students write down one idea on each sticky note. They then put their sticky notes on the white board or wall and work together to categorize them. This can also be done electronically with Padlet.
One minute paper: Give the students a topic (either from previously assigned reading or from the class discussion). They write a brief (1-2 paragraph) paper to show their understanding of the topic.
Pause and share: Used when the instructor is presenting information. At natural stopping points, pause for three minutes: one minute for the students to review their notes, and two minutes for students to compare notes in pairs.
Similarities and differences chart: The students create a chart of similarities and differences on a given topic.
Muddiest point cards: At the end of class, have the students write down one (or more) aspects of the discussion that they don't understand or would like more information on. They only need to write a phrase or sentence or two - just enough to explain what they didn't understand.
Application Cards: Students write down at least one possible, real-world application for an important principle, generalization, theory, or procedure that they just learned. This can be done on index cards or electronically using Padlet.
Fishbowl: This activity is especially useful in rooms with limited technology. The instructor asks 3-4 students to use the class computer/projector to work together to perform a task (ex. a database search). The observing students can either: assess specific aspects of the students' performance or identify ways the task can be performed differently or better.
Concept maps: a type of graphic organizer used to help students organize and represent knowledge of a subject. Concept maps begin with a main idea or concept and then branch out to show how that main idea can be broken down into specific topics. They can be done on paper or using tools like CoggleIt.
Deconstruction papers: Students identify, break down and analyze the components of some type of argument or concept. In Information Literacy, the most common type of deconstruction paper is the Deconstruction of a Scholarly Article.
Social Annotation: Students are given a reading online and make text-based annotations by highlighting a specific portion of the text and adding a comment/observation to it using a tool like Insert Learning or eMargin.
Case Study: Provide the students with a real-world case for the students to study (e.g. a news article, account of a decision or procedure, video, etc.). Alternatively, have students find their own case to examine. Individually, or in small groups, have students analyze the case using guidelines and a framework provided by you (the instructor). Have students present their analysis to the class, or require groups to turn in written answers.
Jigsaw activity: Break a topic into its components. Break the students into groups with enough people to match the number of components in the topic. (Eg. If the topic breaks down into four components, make groups of four students). These groups are the students' homebase. Assign each student one component of the topic .The student is to become "the expert" on that component of the topic. First, let them think about it/investigate it on their own. Then, group all the students with the same component together to discuss and investigate the component. Finally, send the students back to their homebase groups and each person reports on what they learned about their individual component. When each group member has reported, they should have, as a group, a thorough understanding of the topic.
Complete turn taking: Each student is asked to bring a couple of questions to class on an assigned topic. These can either be questions to clarify, issues they think were left unresolved, or ideas or positions not yet considered. Have the entire class arrange themselves in a circle. Alternatively, students can be in small-medium size groups. One student reads a question aloud. The student to their left then has one minute of uninterrupted time to speak and give their thoughts. This person signals that they are done speaking by saying, “OK, I’m done.” The next person to the left then has a turn of one minute of uninterrupted time to speak, and signals they are done by saying, “OK I’m done.” Finally, the third student to the left goes, following the same pattern. After three people have had a chance to speak, the conversation is opened up to the whole group for two minutes of discussion. The next student gets to ask a question, and this cycle continues.
Un-research project: Have the students write a paragraph or two as if they were writing a real research project, but without sources. They should define their topic, take a position and state their supporting arguments. Then have the students find the following in library databases:
Construct an annotated bibliography of these sources.
(Adapted from: Hosier, A. (2015). Teaching Information Literacy Through “Un-Research.” Communications in Information Literacy, 9(2), 126–135.)
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