Bloom’s Taxonomy 2024: Chart and How to Use It

Bloom’s taxonomy is a set of hierarchical models that classify educational learning objectives. It divides them into levels that differ in their specificity and complexity. Students use it for better learning and understanding of a subject, while tutors incorporate it into teaching.

As a result:This article will give you a clear understanding of how to ace your studies with Bloom’s taxonomy chart. Our experts gathered essential tips on how to use it and explained it in this article.

1. 🏺 A Brief History

Bloom taxonomy got its name from Benjamin Bloom. He was the head of the educators’ committee that devised the taxonomy.

Bloom was also an editor of the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals, a text published after a series of conferences between 1949 and 1953. The purpose of those conferences was to improve the way educators communicate regarding the design of curricula and examinations.There were two volumes of taxonomy. The first volume was released in 1956, and it was titled Handbook I: Cognitive. The second volume, titled Handbook II: Affective, was published in 1964.

The whole taxonomy consists of 3 domains: cognitive, affective, and sensory (also known as the psychomotor domain). The cognitive domain attracts the most attention from educators. The focus is to use it as a core to structure curriculum learning activities, objectives, and assessments.

In 2001, a revised version of Bloom’s taxonomy’s cognitive domain was published. It was Lorin Anderson, a former student of Benjamin Bloom, who led an assembly in the 1990s. The aim was to update the taxonomy and make it more relevant for teachers and students in the 21st century.

2. 📊 Bloom’s Taxonomy Chart

In the chart below, you can see the cognitive domain of Bloom’s revised taxonomy in its entirety. It consists of 2 main dimensions: the cognitive processes dimension (levels of the taxonomy) and the knowledge dimension (you can find explanations for each type of knowledge after the chart).

In the table, there’s also a description for each level. You’ll see verbs that represent a certain level in the knowledge dimension and examples of how a particular one can be implemented in real life.

3. 🔲 Bloom’s Taxonomy Knowledge Dimensions

Originally, this taxonomy consisted of one dimension only (levels, or cognitive processes). Bloom’s revised taxonomy brought in the knowledge dimension that shows the kind of knowledge to be learned.

• Factual knowledge. These are the essential elements. Every student should know them to be adequately acquainted with a particular discipline. And to solve any problems it might have. Factual knowledge includes knowledge of terminology, specific elements, and details (technical vocabularies, significant resources, symbols, etc.).
• Conceptual knowledge. Conceptual knowledge represents the understanding of relations between the essential elements inside a bigger structure. And how these relations enable the components to function as a whole. This set includes knowledge of models, structures and theories, generalizations, principles, categories, and classifications (historical periods, theorems, laws, etc.).
• Procedural knowledge. This is the knowledge of specific processes and steps to do certain things and complete specific tasks. It also involves methods of inquiry and criteria for using skills, methods, and techniques. This category includes knowledge of when to use specific procedures, knowledge of methods and techniques specifically for the subject, and knowledge of algorithms and skills standard for the topic (painting, number division, techniques of interviewing, scientific experiments, etc.).
• Metacognitive knowledge. This is the general knowledge of cognition. It also involves the awareness and understanding of your comprehension. The knowledge that belongs to the metacognitive one includes:

  • strategic knowledge;
  • cognitive knowledge (including conditional and contextual ones);
  • self-knowledge (outlining to capture the structure of a subject, knowledge of test types, awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses).

4. ✍ How to Use Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s taxonomy provides a systematic classification of the learning and thinking process. Its framework is straightforward and easy to understand, which makes it a great tool for effective studying and teaching.

When used right, Bloom’s taxonomy not only acts as an excellent tool for measuring thinking, but it also fits the needs of modern educators and provides alignment between educational standards, objectives, activities, goals, and products. This alignment makes it easier for teachers to decide how to use the time in class effectively.

Besides:

If we’re talking about students, Bloom’s taxonomy table comes in handy. It can help to develop a more systematic approach to studying. This approach, in turn, will bring positive results much quicker because there will be specific objectives to work towards and a straight route to reach them. If it seems too tricky, learners can use appropriate tools.

Here’s an example of how to use Bloom’s taxonomy in a complex, using its levels. We’ll use the tale “The Three Little Pigs” as the subject.

• Remembering. Describe the place where the pigs lived.
• Understanding. Summarize the story of the three little pigs.
• Applying. Build a theory of why only the third pig decided to build a brick house.
• Analyzing. Outline the actions of the pigs. And decide how you would act in the same events.
• Evaluating. Assess what would happen if the three little pigs acted differently.
• Creating. Write a poem, song, or skit to describe the whole story in a new form.

It’s possible to apply Bloom’s taxonomy table to a much wider variety of scenarios and situations. Apart from studying, it finds use in numerous types of training and preparation, including medical practice.

Bloom’s taxonomy provides a well-organized framework that every teacher, tutor, and trainer needs to provide an efficient learning process. Students can also use it to improve their performance significantly. If that’s what you need, then it’s worth giving this system a shot.

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Further reading:

• Best Note Taking Templates for Effective Learning
• How to Study Effectively: Tricks to Save Time Studying
• Must-Know Test Taking Tips & Strategies
• Bloom’s Taxonomy: Apps to Improve Your Studying