Bloom's Taxonomy - Faculty Portal
Bloom's Taxonomy
You have probably heard of Bloom's Taxonomy. In 1956, Benjamin Bloom developed a classification system (taxonomy) of learning behaviors (Instructional Design Central, 2022). Bloom's Taxonomy is a framework for categorizing educational goals and objectives. The taxonomy is used to classify educational objectives and activities into different levels of cognitive complexity and specificity.
Bloom identified six levels beginning with simple recall to the highest levels of creating/evaluating. Verbs are associated with each level to demonstrate student learning and performance. These verbs are often the basis for writing student learning outcomes with the focus on what the student will do to demonstrate their learning in a measurable and observable way.
The original Bloom's Taxonomy consisted of six levels, arranged from the simplest at the base to the most complex on top.
- Remember/Knowledge: This level involves recalling or recognizing factual information, concepts, or theories.
- Understand/Comprehension: This level involves understanding or interpreting information, concepts, or theories.
- Application: This level involves using knowledge, concepts, or theories to solve problems, complete tasks, or create products.
- Analysis: This level involves breaking down complex information, concepts, or theories into smaller parts to understand their relationships or patterns.
- Evaluation: This level involves making judgments about the value, quality, or effectiveness of ideas, concepts, or theories.
- Creation/Synthesis - This level involves generating new ideas, concepts, or theories to produce something original or solve a problem.
As an instructional design model, Bloom's reinforces the growth of the learner in the course. Learners begin at one of the lower levels, ideally the level consistent with their current knowledge. As they complete the coursework, they advance in the levels based on the new knowledge they have acquired (May, 2018).
Bloom's classifications are often represented as a pyramid. Different iterations of the pyramid can be found depending on the source. The image below was updated in 1990 to include modern technologies and resources.