Chapter 4b – Cognitive Processes

Lesson 3: THE REVISED BLOOM’S TAXONOMY OF EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Introduction

Imagine that you are already working as a teacher. How would you feel if you enter your
classroom without specific learning outcomes? How would you proceed without clear and
specific targets? Being sure about your learning outcomes will help you to facilitate learning
effectively. With appropriate, clear and specific learning outcomes, you do not need to guess
nor grope in the dark on what to accomplish.

This lesson will present the original and the revised Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational
Objectives. Although the revised taxonomy came out years ago it is important to still present
both the old and the revised to have a complete understanding and better appreciation of the
taxonomy's use in education.

Let's play word scramble!

Group A

Scrambled word Answer Clues

i n e v a l t a u o judge, criticize, assess

h s s y n I s e t combine, formulate, design

y i a n a l s s take apart, examine, compare

i n p l a p a c t i o use, work with, utilize

p r e c o m n i o s h e n describe, retell, explain

l e d w n o k e g enumerate, list, define

Group B

Scrambled word Answer Clues

e t c r e a design, invent, imagine

e e v a I t a u assess, judge, appraise

y a n a e l z separate, compare, organize

y a p l p practice, implement, show

s u n d e a d n r t explain, discuss, define

m r e r e m b recall, name, list

The words you unscrambled in Group A are the levels in the cognitive domain of the old
Bloom's Taxonomy. You surely are right. The six words in Group A are all nouns. The words in
Group B are the levels in the cognitive domain in the Revised Taxonomy. You are right again.
The words in Group B are verbs. This is one of the main differences of the old and the revised
taxonomies.

Read on to learn about the old and the revised Bloom's taxonomy. You will definitely find
this very relevant and useful to you as a future teacher.
Chapter 4b – Cognitive Processes

Old Taxonomy

In 1956, the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of

Educational Goals Handbook 1: Cognitive Domain was published. Initially, the
purpose was simply to have a framework to classify test questions that
faculty members shared. Eventually, it became so relevant and useful in
education. Since then, it has been used in planning the curriculum, planning
learning activities and assessment. Bloom and his colleagues published
Handbook II, The Affective Domain in 1964. Eventually, other experts published
Benjamin Bloom
a taxonomy for the psychomotor domain in 1966, 1970 and 1972.

This Lesson will focus more on the cognitive domain.

Bloom's taxonomy was a model that described the different levels of learning outcomes
that target what skills and competencies the teachers aim to develop in the learners. The
taxonomy in the cognitive domain contains the levels from knowledge to evaluation. The six
levels progress from simple to more complex levels of thinking, the last three being referred to
as "higher-order thinking skills" or HOTS! So you've got to have the "hots" to teach well. We
always hear seasoned teachers reminding us to focus on the HOTS and not just to stop at the
usual memorizing and enumerating.

To facilitate learning, we begin teaching with facts, stating memorized rules, principles
or definitions (knowledge), which must lead to understanding concepts, rules and principles
(comprehension). But we should not end here.

A proof of the comprehension of the concepts and principles is using them in real-life
situations (application). For an in-depth understanding and mastery of these applied
concepts, rules and principles, these are broken down into parts (analysis). Students may
compare, contrast, classify, further investigate, etc.

These actions now reflect a higher level of thinking. A still higher level of thinking is when
students put together elements of what has been learned in a new way (synthesis). They come
up with a wholistic, complete, more integrated, or even a new view or perspective of what was
learned.

With a full grasp of what was learned, the students can now assess or judge, based on
a set of standards, on what they have learned (evaluation).

The cognitive domain levels or thinking levels also have subcategories except for that
of application. The next Table shows the original taxonomy with its levels, subcategories and
sample verbs. Here are some examples of learning outcomes using the taxonomy:

The Original Bloom’s Taxonomy:

Cognitive Domain Levels and their Subcategories
Sample Verbs
1. Knowledge
a. Knowledge of specifics
• terminology
• specific facts
b. Knowledge of ways and means of dealing with the define, describe, draw,
specifics identify, label, locate,
• conventions memorize, name, recite,
• trends and sequences recognize, select, state,
• classifications and categories write
• criteria
• methodology
c. Knowledge of universals and abstractions in the field
Chapter 4b – Cognitive Processes

• theories and structures

• principles and generalizations
2. Comprehension
a. Translation paraphrase, summarize,
b. Interpretation restate, retell, illustrate
c. extrapolation
3. Application apply, change,
prepare, produce,
4. Analysis
a. Elements analyze, subdivide, take
b. Relationships apart, investigate, compare,
c. Organizational principles contrast, infer
5. Synthesis
a. production of unique communication combine, organize, design,
b. production of a plan, or proposed set of operations formulate
c. derivation of a set of abstract relations
6. Evaluation
a. in terms of internal evidence assess, appraise, critique,
b. in terms of external evidence judge, recommend

At the end of the unit, the students will be able to:

• enumerate the characters in "The World is an Apple" (knowledge)

• summarize the story (comprehension)
• apply the rules of subject-verb agreement when writing a summary of the story
(application)
• compare and contrast the qualities of the characters in the story (analysis)
• write a song expressing the message or lesson of the story (synthesis)
• write a critique of the author's writing style (evaluation)

Revised Taxonomy

After 45 years since the publication of Bloom's taxonomy, Lorin

Anderson (Bloom's former student) and David Krathwohl led a new group of
experts to work together. The result was what is now called the revised
taxonomy.

Below are the salient differences between the old and the revised
taxonomies: Lorin Anderson

1. Levels or categories of thinking in the old taxonomy were nouns,

while in the revised taxonomy they are verbs. The use of action
words instead of nouns was done to highlight that thinking is an
active process. For example, evaluate instead of evaluation, or
analyze instead of analysis.

2. While the revised taxonomy remains to be in hierarchical levels of

David Krathwohl
increasing complexity, it is intended to be more flexible, in that it
allows the categories to overlap. For example some action words in understand level,
like explain, may appear to be more complex than the action word, show in the apply
level. However, when we look into the six levels from remember to create, we will still find
that, over-all, the taxonomy proceeds in a hierarchical order.

3. The knowledge level was changed to remember. The change was made because
knowledge does not refer to a cognitive or thinking level. Knowledge is the object of the
Chapter 4b – Cognitive Processes

thinking. Remember is a more appropriate word for the first thinking level which involves
recalling and retrieving knowledge.

4. The comprehension level was changed to understand. Teachers are likely to use the
word understand when referring to their work rather than comprehension.

5. Synthesis was changed to create and was placed as the highest level.

6. The cognitive domain now includes two dimensions: the cognitive dimension and the
knowledge dimension. The knowledge dimension of the revised taxonomy was based
on the subcategories of knowledge in the old taxonomy.

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

Chapter 4b – Cognitive Processes

The Revised Taxonomy with Two Dimensions of the Cognitive Domain

(Krathwohl, 2002)
The Cognitive Dimension The Knowledge Dimension
1. Remember A. Factual
Retrieving relevant knowledge from long- The basic elements that students must
term memory know. Knowledge of:
a. recognizing a. terminology
b. recalling b. specific details and elements

2. Understand B. Conceptual
Determining the meaning of instructional The interrelationships among the basic
messages, including oral, written and elements within a larger structure that
graphic enable them to function together.
a. Communication Knowledge of:
b. Interpreting a. classifications and categories
c. inferring b. principles and generalizations
c. comparing c. theories, models and structures
d. exemplifying
e. classifying
f. explaining
g. summarizing
3. Apply C. Procedural Knowledge
Carrying out or using a procedure in a How to do something; methods of inquiry,
given situation and criteria for using skills, algorithms,
a. executing techniques and methods. Knowledge of:
b. implementing a. subject-specific skills and
algorithms
4. Analyze b. subject-specific techniques and
Breaking material into its constituents c. methods c. criteria for determining
parts and detecting how the parts relate when to use appropriate
to one another and to an overall structure procedures
or purpose
a. differentiating
b. organizing
c. attributing
5. Evaluate D. Metacognitive Knowledge
Making judgments based on criteria and Knowledge of cognition in general as well
standards as awareness and knowledge of one's own
a. checking cognition
b. critiquing a. strategic knowledge
b. knowledge about cognitive tasks,
6. Create including contextual and
Putting elements together to form a novel, conditional knowledge
coherent whole or make an original c. self-knowledge
product
a. generating
b. planning
c. producing

The revised taxonomy highlights two dimensions: the cognitive and the knowledge
dimensions. The cognitive dimension includes the hierarchical or ordered levels of thinking.
The thinking levels move from the simplest to the most complex. The levels are remember,
understand, apply, analyze, evaluate and create.
Chapter 4b – Cognitive Processes

The knowledge dimension includes four knowledge categories: factual, conceptual,

procedural, metacognitive. The knowledge that teachers aim to teach and students aim to
learn can be about facts, concepts, procedures and metacognitive knowledge.

When you formulate learning objectives, you consider what level of thinking (cognitive)
you want your students to achieve, and also what type of knowledge it is you want to teach.

When we write a learning objective, the level of thinking is represented by the verb, while
the knowledge dimensions is represented by the noun. In the example, "at the end of the lesson,
the learner will be able to: explain the photosynthesis process," explain is the action word which
will fall under the second cognitive dimension level, understand, and photosynthesis is the
noun that will fall under procedural knowledge.

Below is a table that shows how the cognitive and knowledge dimensions pair to form
various kinds of learning objectives and activities. An example for each pairing is given. Study
each one to learn more.

Knowledge Dimension
Cognitive Factual Conceptual Procedural Metacognitive
Dimension
1. Remember List the Describe kare- Recall the steps Review tasks
recognize recall ingredients of kare as a in cooking kare- accomplished
kare-kare Filipino dish kare in cooking
kare-kare
2. Understand Summarize Classify Describe the Choose best
interpret, the features smartphones procedure of strategies to
exemplify of the latest according to sending group adjust quickly
classify, smart phone operating messages using in using a
summarize, model system cell phones different
infer, compare, smartphone
explain
3. Apply Use facts in Demonstrate Follow the PQ4R Use the best
execute, answering coherence in steps in reading study strategy
implement questions. answering a chapter to overcome
questions one's weakness
4. Analyze Identify the Identify triggers Examine the Reflect on one's
differentiate, key words in of anger different steps ability to anger
organize, the definition among family members
attribute of anger teenagers manage anger
take to manage
5. Evaluate Select the Critique the Choose the best Assess one's
check, critique most different views ways to invest financial
complete list about financial money literacy
of investment literacy
banks
6. Create Produce a Write an Create a new Make a project
generate, plan, presentation informal essay recipe for about adobo
produce showing about what cooking adobo as Filipino dish
award- authentic based on one’s
winning adobo is talents
adobo
recipes
Chapter 4b – Cognitive Processes

Practical Guide in Using the Revised Taxonomy

When you are ready to plan your units, lessons or activities, Bloom's taxonomy will be
very useful in helping you formulate your learning objectives. Below is a collection of action
words and possible activities or work which you can use for your plan.

Cognitive Dimension Sample Action Words Suggested Activities, Outputs

Levels or Outcomes
Remember Recall Describe Recitations, worksheets,
(recalling information) Name Locate definitions, fact charts, lists
List Find
State Underline
Tell Define
Reproduce
Understand Explain Define Story problems, drawing show
(explaining information Translate Define and tell, summary,
and concepts) Interpret Report paraphrasing
Discuss Predict
Describe

Apply Use Implement

(using information in a Practice Construct Presentation, role-playing,
new way) Solve Demonstrate simulation, collection, model,
Execute Dramatize scrapbook, product
Analyze Compare Investigate Chart, plan, questionnaire,
(distinguishing different Contrast Differentiate spreadsheet, summary, survey
parts of a whole) Distinguish Infer
Separate Sequence
Evaluate Assess Appraise Opinion, judgment,
(defending a concept Debate Check recommendation, report, self-
or idea) Defend Decide evaluation, position paper,
Dispute Justify critique
Judge Rate
Create Change Invent Framework, model, story,
(creating something Design Devise multimedia presentation,
new) Formulate Generate poem, haiku, song, essay
Improve Compose
Plan Combine
Propose

Uses of the Revised Taxonomy

The revised taxonomy provides a framework that helps educators in the following ways:

1. It provides educators with a common set of terms and levels about learning outcomes that
help in planning across subject matter and grade levels.
2. It helps in the drafting of learning standards across levels
3. It serves as a guide in evaluating the school's curriculum objectives, activities and
assessment.
4. It guides the teacher in formulating learning outcomes that tap higher -order thinking skills.