Bloom's Revised Taxonomies
Why was the order of thinking skills changed from the old to the new version and why did the authors change from nouns to verbs on the pyramid of thinking skills?
(I agree with these changes and I think they are more appropriate).
From Bloom’s Taxonomy: What’s Old Is New Again by Cecilia Munzenmaier, MS, with Nancy Rubin, Phd
The revision published in 2001 is not a heretical departure from the original Handbook, but a continuation of Bloom’s work. The original taxonomy was revised for two reasons:
To refocus attention on the value of the original handbook in developing accountability programs, aligning curriculums, and designing assessments
To update the original based on new understanding of learning and new methods of instruction
In the revised taxonomy, evaluation is no longer the highest level of the pyramid. A new category, creating, claims the peak. This category was originally known as synthesis. Another significant change is that category names are no longer nouns, but verbs. For example, knowledge is now understanding. As a consequence, objectives developed using the revised taxonomy now describe learners’ thinking processes rather than behaviors.
The revised taxonomy: the new version has two dimensions— knowledge and cognitive processes—and the subcategories within each dimension are more extensive and specific.
The new emphasis on cognitive processes remedies a weakness in the original taxonomy. In the 1956 version, the verbs associated with each cognitive level describe behaviors. However, the same behavior can sometimes be performed at different cognitive levels.
If you are using either version of Bloom’s Taxonomy to write performance objectives, your choice of verbs is critical. Michele Medved of MBM Training identifies three criteria for selecting verbs for performance objectives. Verbs in performance objectives must:
• Be measurable and observable
• Specify what the learner (not the instructor) does
• Require the learner to apply the learning
Verbs are the most critical element of a performance objective because they identify what the learner must do to meet the objective. Another component of an effective performance objective is the condition under which the learner performs. One way to identify the conditions is to use the knowledge dimension of the revised taxonomy. First, determine how (or in what context) will learners use what they have learned? Then identify the cognitive process learners must use to apply their knowledge. Objectives for any cognitive process can target any of the four categories of knowledge.
What’s Old Is New Again by Cecilia Munzenmaier, MS, with Nancy Rubin, Phd
Are some levels of Bloom's taxonomy easier to teach online than others? Are some levels more of a challenge to teach online?
What is Active Learning in the Online Environment?
Active learning is defined as “students [that are] engaged in more activities than just listening. They are involved in dialog, debate, writing, and problem solving, as well as higher-order thinking, e.g., analysis, synthesis, evaluation.” The authors of this definition (Bonwell & Eison,1991) were defining active learning for the face-to-face classroom, as was Chickering and Gamson, authors of the opening quotation.
Yet active learning in the virtual environment is no different than learning in face-to-face classrooms; we can apply the same definitions to online learning communities. The goal is to encourage students to dialog, write, think and evaluate no matter what learning environment the student occupies. If we consider Bloom’s Taxonomy of cognitive development, we want students to employ skills that go beyond the entry-level skills of knowledge and comprehension. We want students to develop and use higher order thinking skills of application, analysis and synthesis. Before we move to the design steps, I’ve listed the types of active learning which will help with the course design process.
Active learning that involves students, that puts them in the center of the learning experience is possible in the online environment just as it is in the face-to-face classroom. We also see how active learning that takes advantage of the abundance of tools and applications available on the Web can make learning relevant, yet no less rigorous. Course instructors however are the key to successful learning outcomes by their involvement in instruction and development of active learning that adheres to pedagogical principles.
https://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/tag/blooms-taxonomy/
From my experience, I have found the above to be true. (Active learning in the virtual environment is no different than learning in face-to-face classrooms). Though, I need to add that many students are feeling isolated, right now. So, there does seem to be a social and emotional level that is missing, even with the Discussion Board and Zoom. The biggest challenges I have faced, in my classes, involved group projects. Professors are getting creative at finding ways to resolve some of these issues. I have been on group projects that used Zoom, Google Doc’s and the Discussion Board. I am doing research on other ways to do group projects.
Comments
Post a Comment