Is it Time to Update Bloom's Taxonomy

Proposed in 1956, Bloom’s Taxonomy, a collection of learning objectives developed by a group led by educational psychologist, Benjamin Bloom, has become one of the most quoted books used by American educators and is one of the primary road maps for a holistic educational approach. This taxonomy is a classification of levels of intellectual behavior and objectives necessary to the learning process. It is used for development of educational programs and creates a common means of communication for educators.

History

1990s Bloom’s Taxonomy Modifications were made by a new group of cognitive psychologists. Lorin Anderson, a former student of Bloom’s, headed the project. In this revision one of the most significant changes was a conversion of the original nouns at each level to verbs. The following list enumerates these differences:

• Knowledge -> Remembering
• Comprehension -> Understanding
• Application -> Applying
• Analysis -> Analyzing
• Synthesis -> Synthesizing
• Evaluation -> Creating

How today’s technological processes can be integrated with bloom’s taxonomy

Edtechvision.org proposes updating Bloom’s Taxonomy so that it is more relevant to contemporary educational environments. A summary of their proposed mapping of Bloom’s 1990 version is listed below.

Remembering

• Includes using digital techniques to highlight, bookmark and Google key data.

Understanding

• Advanced Searching and Boolean Searching – At this level students employ more sophisticated techniques to create and refine searches.
• Categorizing – The digital aspect can include organizing and classifying files and web sites.
• Commenting and annotating – Adding notes to documents is analogous to handwritten notes but indexing and linking opportunities can enhance understanding.
• Sharing – uploading and sharing of materials is a simple form of collaboration.

Analyzing

• Linking – This is establishing and building links within and outside of documents and web pages. Linking can help understand interrelationships and process flows.
• Reverse-engineering – aids in understanding how physical and abstract construction can be accomplished.
• Validating – The analysis can help students to evaluate the quality of information sources.

Evaluating

• Blog commenting and reflecting – Students commenting and replying to postings evaluate the material.
• Posting – Students post well thought out and structured comments to blogs and discussions.
• Moderating – Moderators evaluate postings assessing value and suitability.
• Collaborating and networking – Effective collaboration involves evaluating the participants’ abilities and contributions. Networking is a form of communication that takes place.

Creating

• Programming, Filming, Digital Image Development and Writing are all potential components within the process of creating.

Conclusion

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a valuable tool for education because it provides a framework for educators and cognitive psychologists to communicate about fundamental educational concepts. However, for it to be effective over a significant time period, it must be re-evaluated and updated to reflect contemporary factors. The technology of our time is extremely significant to the education process. Bloom’s Taxonomy was designed to be reinterpreted for best use. A first example was Bloom’s updated taxonomy. Today it should be updated again.