Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains Bloom's Taxonomy was created in 1956 under the leadership of educational psychologist Dr Benjamin Bloom in order to promote higher forms of thinking in education, such as analyzing and evaluating, rather than just remembering fats (roe learning), The Three Types of Learning ‘The committee identified three domains of educational activites or earning (Bloom, 1956): © Cognitive: mental skills (Knowledge) © Affective: growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude or self) © Psychomotor: manual or physical skills (Skills) ‘Since the work was produced by higher education, the words tend to be a litle bigger than we nom use. Dornsins can be thought of as eategores. ‘Trainers often refer to these thre categories as KSA (Knowledge, Skills, and Atitude). This taxonomy of learning behaviors can he thought oft “the goals ofthe learning proces.” That i, aera Teaming episode, the leamer should have acquired new skills, knowledge, andor attades. While the committee produced an elaborate compilation forthe cognitive and affective domains, they omitted the psychomotor domain. Their explanation for this oversight was that they have little experience in teaching manual skills within the college level (I guess they never thought 10 check with thei sports or drama departments), ‘This compilation divides the dire domains into subdivisions, starting from the simplest behavior to the most complex. The divisions outlined are not ‘absolutes and thre are other systems or hierarchies that have been devised in the educational and taining world. However, looms taxon casily understood and is probably the most widely applied one in use today. Cognitive Domain ‘The cognitive domain involves knowledge and the development of intellectual skills (Bloom, 1956). This includes the recall or recognition of specific facts, procedural pattems, and concepts that serve inthe development of intellectual abilities and skills There are six major categories, which are listed in order belovs, starting from the simplest behavior tothe most complex, The categories canbe thought of as degrees of difficulties That x, ‘he first ones must normally be mastered before the next ones ca take place. Table of The Cognitive Domain Example and Key Words | (verbs) Category Examples: Recite apoliey. Quote prices from memory toa ‘customer. Know the safety rules, Define aterm. Knowledge: Recall data or informs Key Words: srranges, defines, describes, identities, knows, labels list, matches, names, outlines, recalls, recognizes, reproduces, Selects, stats, Examples: Rewrites the principles of test writing. Explain in one's own words the steps for performing « complex Comprehension: Understand the meaning, | task, Translates an equation into computer spreadsheet translation, interpolation, and incerpretation of instructions and problems. State a problem in Key Words: comprchends, converts, defends, | ‘one's own words, istinguishes, estimates, explains, extends, generalizes, gives an example, infers, interprets, paraphrases, predits, rewrites, summarizes, anslates Examples: Use a manual to caleulate an employee's Application: Use a concept in anew situation | vacation time, Apply laws of statistics to evaluate the | crunprompted use ofan sbstaction, Applies reliability ofa writen tes. | what was leamed in the elessroom into novel jans inthe work place | Key Words: applies, changes, computes, constructs, | demonstrates, discovers, manipulates, modifies, operates,Dredicts, prepares, produces, relates, shows, solves, uses Examples: Troubleshoot a pieve of equipment by using logical deduetion. Recognize logieal fallacies in reasoning, Gathers information from department and selects the required tasks for traning. |fasuretceeasieee eememrey| paatosl pus das eel fave cimaesead eatin ee a eg Word entree bake tet aoe Sov Gagete Ge arg TR dlectnin, ngs, Benes teas ey, atic eee aa a re Desig a mechnetopaforn speclfctae nepal TG end lesen tnd proceso improve he ovcare, ‘Synthesis: Builds a structure o patter fom diverse elements: Put pars together to form a ‘whole, with emphasis on reating a new ecaiay orc Key Words: categorizes, combines, compiles, composes, ‘creates, devises, designs explains, generates, modifies, ‘organizes, plans, reananges, reconstructs, relates, organizes, revises, rewrites, summarizes, tl, writes. ‘xamples: Select the most effective solution, Hire the most ‘qualified candidate. Explain and justify 1 new budget valuation: Make judges shou the value ee ater herent Key Words: apprsss compares, cones, conta, | rics, crilqus, defends, deacibes, disiminates vals, exp, interpret, juss eae | ‘umareey mips Bloom's Revised Taxonomy Lorin Anderson, a former student of Bloom, revisited the cognitive domain inthe learning taxonomy inthe mid-ninties and made some changes, with perhaps the wo most prominent ones being, 1) changing the names inthe six categories from noun to verb fons, and 2) slighlly rearanging them (Anderson, Krathwohl,Airasian, Cruikshank, Mayer, Pitch, Raths, Wittrock, 2000; Poh, 2000). ‘This new taxonomy reflects a more active form of thinking and is perhaps more acur Original Domain New Domain Table of The Revised Cognitive Domain Category | Example and Key Words (verbs) slminaaisa sr RES Remonberng atl epiwsiat | este tetinnpalln Guenter Men a = LUnderstanding: Comprehending the ‘meaning, translation, interpolation, and interpretation of instructions and problems, ‘State a problem in one's own words, | ‘eustomer. Knows the safety rules. Key Words: defines describes, identifies, knows, labels, lists, matches, names, outlines, recalls recognizes, reproduces selects, states Examples: Rewrites the principles of test writing, Explain in one's own words the steps for performing a complex task ‘Translates an equation into @ computer spreadsheet. Key Words: comprehends, converts, defends, distinguishes, estimates, explains, extends, generalizes, gives an example, infers, interprets, paraphrases, predicts rewrites, summarizes, translates, Applying: Use a concept in anew situation or “unprompted use ofan abstraction. Applies | what was learned in the classroom into novel situations in the work place, Analyzing: Separates material or concepts {nto component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood. Distinguishes ‘between facts and inferences, Evaluating: Make judgments about the value ‘of ideas or materials, | examples: Ui amano cleulatean enplyecs | vacation time. Apply laws of tistics we evluste the reliably ofa written est. Key Words: ales, changes, computes, ons, demons, diseover, manipulates, mo operas, edits, prepares, prodies, reltes, shows, solves. ves Examples: Troubleshoot apiece of equipment by using logical deduction. Recognize logical fallacies in reasoning, Gathers informetion from a department and ‘selects the requeed tsks for training. Key Words: analyzes, beaks down, compares, contrass, diagrams, deoonsiruts, differentiates, discriminates. distinguishes, identifies, iustrates, infers, ‘outlines, relates, selects, separates, Examples: Select the most effective solution, Hire the most ‘qualified candidate. Explain and justify a new budget Key Words: appraises, compares, concludes, contrast, criticizes, eiiques, defends, deseribes, discriminates, ‘evaluates, explains, interprets, justifies, relates, summarizes, supports. ‘Creating: Builds a stracture or patter fom diverse elements. Put parts together to forma ‘whole, with emphasis on creating a new ‘meaning or structure. Examples: Write a company operations or process manual Design a machine to perform a specific ask Imegcates traning from several sources to solve a problem, Revises and process to improve the outcome. Key Words: categorizes, combines, compiles, composes, creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies, ‘organizes, plans, rearranges, reconstruc, relates, reorganizes, revises, rewrites, summarizes, fells, writes.