Blooms

In the 1956, Benjamin Bloom, an educational psychologist working at the University of Chicago, developed his taxonomy of Educational Objectives. His taxonomy of learning objectives has become a key tool in structuring and understanding the learning process. He proposed that learning fitted into one of three psychological domains (see below illustration 1): ● the Cognitive domain – processing information, knowledge and mental skills ● the Affective domain – Attitudes and feelings ● the Psychomotor domain – manipulative, manual or physical skills
 * Bloom's Taxonomy**

=Critical and Creative Thinking - Bloom's Taxonomy= What are critical thinking and creative thinking?

What's Bloom's taxonomy and how is it helpful in project planning?

How are the domains of learning reflected in technology-rich projects? Benjamin Bloom (1956) developed a classification of levels of intellectual behavior in learning. This taxonomy contained three overlapping domains: the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. Within the cognitive domain, he identified six levels: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. These domains and levels are still useful today as you develop the critical thinking skills of your students.

Critical Thinking
Critical thinking involves logical thinking and reasoning including skills such as comparison, classification, sequencing, cause/effect, patterning, webbing, analogies, deductive and inductive reasoning, forecasting, planning, hyphothesizing, and critquing. Explore the [|Georgia Critical Thinking Skills Program]. It contains links to lessons and resources in many areas of critical thinking

Creative Thinking
Creative thinking involves creating something new or original. It involves the skills of flexibility, originality, fluency, elaboration, brainstorming, modification, imagery, associative thinking, attribute listing, metaphorical thinking, forced relationships. The aim of creative thinking is to stimulate curiosity and promote divergence.

Read the article [|Teaching Thinking Skills] and [|Critical and Creative Thinking] for additional background information.

While critical thinking can be thought of as more left-brain and creative thinking more right brain, they both involve "thinking." When we talk about HOTS "higher-order thinking skills" we're concentrating on the top three levels of Bloom's Taxonomy: analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Knowledge
//Examples:// dates, events, places, vocabulary, key ideas, parts of diagram, 5Ws
 * collect || describe || identify || list || show || tell || tabulate ||
 * define || examine || label || name || retell || state || quote ||
 * enumerate || match || read || record || reproduce || copy || select ||

Comprehension
//Examples:// find meaning, transfer, interpret facts, infer cause & consequence, examples
 * associate || compare || distinguish || extend || interpret || predict || differentiate ||
 * contrast || describe || discuss || estimate || group || summarize || order ||
 * cite || convert || explain || paraphrase || restate || trace ||  ||

Application
//Examples:// use information in new situations, solve problems
 * apply || classify || change || illustrate || solve || demonstrate ||
 * calculate || complete || solve || modify || show || experiment ||
 * relate || discover || act || administer || articulate || chart ||
 * collect || compute || construct || determine || develop || establish ||
 * prepare || produce || report || teach || transfer || use ||

Analysis
//Examples:// recognize and explain patterns and meaning, see parts and wholes
 * analyze || arrange || connect || divide || infer || separate ||
 * classify || compare || contrast || explain || select || order ||
 * breakdown || correlate || diagram || discriminate || focus || illustrate ||
 * infer || outline || prioritize || subdivide || points out || prioritize ||

Synthesis
//Examples:// discuss "what if" situations, create new ideas, predict and draw conclusions
 * combine || compose || generalize || modify || invent || plan || substitute ||
 * create || formulate || integrate || rearrange || design || speculate || rewrite ||
 * adapt || anticipate || collaborate || compile || devise || express || facilitate ||
 * reinforce || structure || substitute || intervene || negotiate || reorganize || validate ||

Evaluation
//Examples:// make recommendations, assess value and make choices, critique ideas
 * assess || compare || decide || discriminate || measure || rank || test ||
 * convince || conclude || explain || grade || judge || summarize || support ||
 * appraise || criticize || defend || persuade || justify || reframe ||  ||

Affective Domain
Domain Attributes: interpersonal relations, emotions, attitudes, appreciations, and values id
 * accepts || attempts || challenges || defends || disputes || joins || judges ||
 * contributes || praises || questions || shares || supports || volunteers ||  ||

Resources on Bloom's Taxonomy
[|Bloom's Taxonomy] by J. Prado - This site contains the levels, example words, products, and example questions. [|Bloom's Taxonomy: An Overview] from Family Education Network's TeacherVision [|Taxonomy of Educational Objectives] developed by A. Harrow, adapted by T. Allen - This page provides sample questions. [|Learning Skills Program: Bloom's Taxonomy] from University of Victoria - This page lists the six levels of the cognitive domain with examples. [|Designing and Managing MCQs] from University of Cape Town, South Africa [|Major Categories in the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives] by G. Krumme, University of Washington, Seattle [|Question Types Based on Bloom's Taxonomy] from University of Colorado [|Bloom's Taxonomy] from University of Mississippi [|Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum] by B. Fowler, Longview Community College - Explore the questions associated with each Bloom category.
 * Other Sites with an Overview and Key Words:**
 * Other Sites Listing the Taxonomy:**

Critical Thinking Resources
[|Critical Thinking] from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - This webpage provides an overview of critical thinking. [|Critical Thinking on the Web] by T. van Gelder at The University of Melbourne - This links page provide connects to lots of teaching and learning resources related to critical thinking. [|Free Brainstorming Training] from Infinite Innovations Ltd - Learn basic and advanced techniques for brainstorming. [|Mission: Critical] from San Jose State University - This website provides an advanced look at critical thinking and specifically analysis of arguments and persuasion.

Examples and Applications of Critical Thinking
[|Evaluating Primary Sources] from Library of Congress's American Memory - This website does a great job providing an example of using Bloom's Taxonomy for evaluating primary resource materials. [|Integrating Critical Thinking Skills Into the Classroom] by A. Buchanan - This article defines critical thinking and provides steps for integrating the ideas into the classroom. [|Layered Curriculum] by K.F. Nunley - The [|Layered Curriculum] approach focuses on increasing levels of complexity. Explore some of the many [|examples]. [|What Is a Thinking Curriculum?] by T.F. Fennimore & M.B. Tinzmann, North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) - Join the authors in exploring the characteristics of a "thinking curriculum."

Threaded Discussion Rubric Bloom's Taxonomic Level: Understanding & Evaluating Key Words: Understanding Interpreting, Summarising, inferring, comparing, explaining, exemplifying, discussing, commenting Key Terms - Evaluating: Checking, critiquing, judging, testing, commenting, reviewing, posting,reflecting. Introduction: This is a rubric for a Threaded Discussion. The rubric is in two parts, the first is for understanding and the second part for evaluating. This is examining the process of replying to a post and discussing using asynchronous threaded discussion tool. This rubric is working against two levels. The simplest format is construction and understanding. This is where material is posted and the students are asked via a focusing or guiding question to display there understanding.

Creative Thinking Resources
[|Creativity Links] by C. Osborne - This page links to great resources on creative thinking. [|Creative Problem Solving] from Burris Laboratory School, Muncie, IN - This page highlights six steps in creative problem solving. [|Creativity Web] from C. Cave - This page contains ideas on linking creative thinking to critical thinking and multiple intelligences. Within this Website: [|Six Hats of Thinking] by S. Labelle [|Techniques for Creative Thinking] [|Edward de Bono's Methods & Concepts of Lateral Thinking] - This page provides an overview of deBono's ideas about creativity. Here you can also learn about the [|Six Thinking Hats]. [|Introduction to Creative Thinking] by R. Harris from VirtualSalt - This page compares critical and creative thinking and discusses the myths of creative thinking. [|Inventive Thinking Curriculum Model] from The United States Patent and Trademark Office - This page provides ideas for invention and creative thinking. [|Classic Lateral Thinking Puzzles] by P. Sloane and adapted by A. Ottens - A collection of thinking puzzles is found on this page. [|Tutorial on Creativity, Brainstorming and Innovation] from Infinite Innovations Ltd. - This tutorial provides basic information about creativity, brainstorming, and innovation. It also provides ideas and activities. [|Creativity Pool] - This is a database of creative and original ideas. Submit your own or check to see if someone else has thought of the same thing.


 * Build A Project**

Select a topic and a technology. Brainstorm examples of outcomes at different levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Diagram of Revised Blooms