Bloom's Taxonomy

Bloom’s taxonomy is a framework which involves lower order and higher order thinking skills. Lower order thinking skills include, remembering, understanding and applying while higher order thinking skills include analysing, evaluating and creating. 

Within Education Queensland there is a focus on schools including higher order thinking in their curriculum. In reference to Queensland teachers aligning with the National Curriculum, Queensland Studies Authority (2010) states, the Learning P-12 approach includes “content and achievement standards and assessment that focus on depth of learning and higher order thinking based upon high expectations and standards for all students.” 

The following information is from Think, Organise, Write, a book from Quill and Townsend, who describe the different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy and the skills involved. They also suggest a range of graphic organisers for students to use to plan and write at each level of thinking. 

Remembering

Remembering - This is the easiest thinking level where you need to show you have remembered or learned information. Skills at this level involve describing, identifying, listing, retrieving, examining, matching, retelling and naming. Use the following graphic organisers to plan and write at this level of thinking:

• Note-taking table
• Story Map
• Time-line

Understanding

This type of thinking activity shows that you understand what you have learned. Skills at this level involve summarising, classifying or comparing.  Graphic Organisers:

• Concept Map - Spider Map
• Concept Map - Hierarchical Map
• Table

Applying

Applying means to transfer something learned to a new situation i.e. to make use of information in some way. skills at this level involve implementing, constructing, examining, classifying, illustrating, solving or completing. Graphic Organisers:

• Flow Chart
• Persuasion Map
• Storyboard
• Y - chart

Analysing

Analysing is to examine something in detail in order to discover its meaning or essential featured, to break something down into its components. Skills at this level involve comparing, contrasting, inquiring, surveying, grouping, arranging, interpreting, investigating or finding. Graphic Organisers:

• Venn diagram
• Ranking ladder
• Sociogram
• For and Against
• SWOT analysis
• Cause and effect organiser (Fishbone Map)

Evaluating

Evaluating/judging is justifying a decision or new course of action; making judgements and thinking hard to support your opinions. Skills at this level involve interpreting, critiquing , judging, hypothesising, monitoring, measuring, appraising, rating, scoring, assessing or testing. Graphic Organisers:

• PMI chart
• Balance Bar/ Scale of Bias
• Effects Wheel
• Reflective Questioning
• Socratic Questioning

Creating

Creating/producing generates new ideas, ways to design products or new ways to do things. Skills at this level involve composing, integrating, proposing, arranging, planning, designing, assembling, constructing, inventing, substituting and speculating. Graphic Organisers:

• Reframing Matrix
• SCAMPER Chart
• Lotus Diagram

References

QSA. 2010. Transition to the Australian curriculum: Frequently asked questions. Retrieved Nov 28 from http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/12474.html

Quill, A & Townsend, A. 2009 Think, Organise, Write. Farr Books. Wilston, Queensland.

April James, posted some interesting information about Bloom's Digital Taxonomy, created by Andrew Churches. Follow the link to find out more:

http://aprilljames.blogspot.com/2010/11/andrew-churches.html