Using Bloom's Taxonomy to Write Effective Learning Objectives

Bloom's Taxonomy is a classification of the different objectives and skills that educators set for their students (learning objectives). UsingBloom’sTaxonomytoWriteEffectiveLearningObjectives PostedbyJessicaShabatura|Sep27,2013|Assignments&MeasuringStudentLearning Bloom’sTaxonomyisaclassificationofthedifferentobjectivesandskillsthateducatorssetfortheirstudents(learningobjectives). WhatisBloom’sTaxonomy Bloom’sTaxonomy isaclassificationofthedifferentobjectivesandskillsthateducatorssetfortheirstudents(learningobjectives).Thetaxonomywasproposedin1956byBenjaminBloom,aneducationalpsychologistattheUniversityofChicago.Theterminologyhasbeenrecentlyupdatedtoincludethefollowingsixlevelsoflearning.These6levelscanbeusedtostructurethelearningobjectives,lessons,andassessmentsofyourcourse. : Remembering:Retrieving,recognizing,andrecallingrelevantknowledgefromlong‐term memory. Understanding:Constructingmeaningfromoral,written,andgraphicmessagesthrough interpreting,exemplifying,classifying,summarizing,inferring,comparing,and explaining. Applying:Carryingoutorusingaprocedureforexecuting,orimplementing. Analyzing:Breakingmaterialintoconstituentparts,determininghowthepartsrelateto oneanotherandtoanoverallstructureorpurposethroughdifferentiating,organizing, andattributing. Evaluating:Makingjudgmentsbasedoncriteriaandstandardsthroughcheckingand critiquing. Creating:Puttingelementstogethertoformacoherentorfunctionalwhole; reorganizingelementsintoanewpatternorstructurethroughgenerating,planning,or producing. Likeothertaxonomies,Bloom’sishierarchical,meaningthatlearningatthehigherlevelsisdependentonhaving attainedprerequisiteknowledgeandskillsatlowerlevels. YouwillseeBloom’sTaxonomyoftendisplayedasapyramidgraphictohelpdemonstratethishierarchy.Wehaveupdatedthispyramidintoa“cake-style”hierarchytoemphasizethateachlevelisbuiltonafoundationofthepreviouslevels. Youmayusethisgraphicforeducationalornon-profituseifyouincludeacreditforJessicaShabaturaandcitationbacktothiswebsite. HowBloom’scanaidincoursedesign Bloom’staxonomyisapowerfultool tohelpdeveloplearningobjectivesbecauseit explainstheprocessoflearning: Beforeyoucan understand aconcept,youmust remember it. To apply aconceptyoumust firstunderstandit. Inorderto evaluate aprocess,youmusthave analyzed it. Tocreateanaccurateconclusion,youmusthavecompletedathoroughevaluation. However,wedon’talwaysstartwithlowerorderskillsandstepallthewaythroughtheentiretaxonomyforeachconceptyoupresentinyourcourse.Thatapproachwouldbecometedious–forbothyouandyourstudents!Instead,startbyconsideringtheleveloflearnersinyourcourse: Arelotsofyourstudentsfreshman?Isthisan“Introductionto…”course?Ifso,manyyourlearningobjectivesmaytargetthelowerorderBloom’sskills,becauseyourstudentsarebuildingfoundationalknowledge.However,eveninthissituationwewouldstrivetomoveafewofyourobjectivesintotheapplyingandanalyzinglevel,butgettingtoofarupinthetaxonomycouldcreatefrustrationandunachievablegoals. Aremostofyourstudentsjuniorsandseniors?Graduatestudents?Doyourstudentshaveasolidfoundationinmuchoftheterminologyandprocessesyouwillbeworkingonyourcourse?Ifso,thenyoushouldnothavemanyrememberingandunderstandinglevelobjectives.Youmayneedafew,foranyradicallynewconceptsspecifictoyourcourse.However,theseadvancedstudentsshouldbeabletomasterhigher-orderlearningobjectives.Toomanylowerlevelobjectivesmightcauseboredomorapathy.  HowBloom’sworkswithlearningobjectives Fortunately,thereare“verbtables”tohelpidentifywhichactionverbsalignwitheachlevelinBloom’sTaxonomy. YoumaynoticethatsomeoftheseverbsonthetableareassociatedwithmultipleBloom’sTaxonomylevels.These“multilevel-verbs”areactionsthatcouldapplytodifferentactivities. Forexample,youcouldhaveanobjectivethatstates“Attheendofthislesson,studentswillbeabletoexplainthedifferencebetweenH2OandOH-.”Thiswouldbeanunderstandinglevelobjective.However,ifyouwantedthestudentstobeableto“…explaintheshiftinthechemicalstructureofwaterthroughoutitsvariousphases.”Thiswouldbeananalyzinglevelverb. Addingtothisconfusion,youcanlocateBloom’sverbchartsthatwilllistverbsatlevelsdifferentfromwhatwelistbelow.Justkeepinmindthatitistheskill,actionoractivityyouwillteachusingthatverbthatdeterminestheBloom’sTaxonomylevel. Bloom’sLevel KeyVerbs(keywords) ExampleLearningObjective Create design,formulate,build,invent,create,compose,generate,derive,modify,develop. Bytheendofthislesson,thestudentwillbeabletodesignanoriginalhomeworkproblemdealingwiththeprincipleofconservationofenergy. Evaluate choose,support,relate,determine,defend,judge,grade,compare,contrast,argue,justify,support,convince,select,evaluate. Bytheendofthislesson,thestudentwillbeabletodeterminewhetherusingconservationofenergyorconservationofmomentumwouldbemoreappropriateforsolvingadynamicsproblem. Analyze classify,breakdown,categorize,analyze,diagram,illustrate,criticize,simplify,associate. Bytheendofthislesson,thestudentwillbeabletodifferentiatebetweenpotentialandkineticenergy. Apply calculate,predict,apply,solve,illustrate,use,demonstrate,determine,model,perform,present. Bytheendofthislesson,thestudentwillbeabletocalculatethekineticenergyofaprojectile. Understand describe,explain,paraphrase,restate,giveoriginalexamplesof,summarize,contrast,interpret,discuss. Bytheendofthislesson,thestudentwillbeabletodescribeNewton’sthreelawsofmotiontoinher/hisownwords Remember list,recite,outline,define,name,match,quote,recall,identify,label,recognize. Bytheendofthislesson,thestudentwillbeabletoreciteNewton’sthreelawsofmotion. Learningobjectiveexamplesadaptedfrom,NelsonBakeratGeorgiaTech:[email protected] HowBloom’sworkswithQualityMatters ForacoursetomeettheQualityMattersstandardsitmusthavelearningobjectivesthataremeasurable.Usingaverbtableliketheoneabovewillhelpyouavoidverbsthatcannotbequantified,like:understand,learn,appreciate,orenjoy.QualityMattersalsorequires thatyourcourseassessments(activities,projects,andexams)alignwithyourlearningobjectives.Forexample,ifyourlearningobjectivehasanapplicationlevelverb,suchas“present”,thenyoucannotdemonstratethatyourstudentshavemasteredthatlearningobjectivebysimplyhavingamultiplechoicequiz. Course level andlessonlevelobjectives Thebiggestdifferencebetweencourseandlessonlevelobjectivesisthatwedon’tdirectlyassesscourselevelobjectives.Courselevelobjectivesarejusttoobroad.Instead,weuseseveral lessonlevelobjectives todemonstratemasteryofonecourselevelobjective. Tocreategoodcourselevelobjectives,weneedtoaskourselves:“whatdoIwantthestudentstohavemasteryofattheendofthecourse?”Then,afterwefinalizeourcourselevelobjectives,wehavetomakesurethatmasteryofallofthelessonlevelobjectivesunderneathconfirmthatastudenthasmasteryofthecourselevelobjective—inotherwords,ifyourstudentscanprove(throughassessment)thattheycandoeachandeveryoneofthelessonlevelobjectivesinthatsection,thenyouasaninstructoragreetheyhavemasteryofthecourselevelobjective. HowBloom’sworkswithcourselevelandlessonlevelobjectives: Courselevelobjectivesarebroad.Youmayonlyhave3-5courselevelobjectives. Theywouldbedifficulttomeasuredirectlybecausetheyoverarchthetopicsofyourentirecourse. Lessonlevelobjectivesarewhatweusetodemonstratethatastudenthasmasteryofthecourselevelobjectives.Wedothisbybuildinglessonlevelobjectivesthatbuildtowardthecourselevelobjective.Forexample,astudentmightneedtodemonstratemasteryof8lessonlevelobjectivesinordertodemonstratemasteryofonecourselevelobjective. Becausethelessonlevelobjectivesdirectlysupportthecourselevelobjectives,theyneedtobuilduptheBloom’staxonomytohelpyourstudentsreachmasteryofthecourselevelobjectives.UseBloom’sTaxonomytomakesurethattheverbsyouchooseforyour lessonlevelobjectives builduptotheleveloftheverbthatisinthecourselevelobjective.Thelessonlevelverbscanbebeloworequaltothecourselevelverb,buttheyCANNOTbehigherinlevel.Forexample,yourcourselevelverbmightbeanApplyinglevelverb,“illustrate.”YourlessonlevelverbscanbefromanyBloom’slevelthatisequalorbelowthislevel(applying,understanding,orremembering). Stepstowardswritingeffectivelearningobjectives: Makesurethereisonemeasurableverbineachobjective. Eachobjectiveneedsoneverb.Eitherastudentcanmastertheobjective,ortheyfailtomasterit.Ifanobjectivehastwoverbs(say, define and apply),whathappensifastudentcandefine,butnotapply?Aretheydemonstratingmastery? Ensurethattheverbsinthecourselevelobjective are atleast atthehighestBloom’sTaxonomyasthehighestlessonlevelobjectivesthatsupportit. (Becausewecan’tverifytheycan evaluateifourlessonsonlytaughtthem(andassessed)to define.) Strivetokeepallyourlearningobjectivesmeasurable,clearandconcise. Whenyouarereadytowrite,itcanbehelpfultolistthelevelofBloom’snexttotheverbyouchooseinparentheses.Forexample: Courselevelobjective1. (apply) Demonstratehow transportation isacriticallinkinthesupplychain. 1.1.  (understand) Discussthechanginggloballandscapeforbusinessesandotherorganizationsthataredrivingchangeintheglobalenvironment. 1.2.  (apply)Demonstratethespecialnatureoftransportationdemandandtheinfluenceoftransportationoncompaniesandtheirsupplychainsoperatinginaglobaleconomy. Thistrickwillhelpyouquicklyseewhatlevelverbsyouhave.ItwillalsoletyoucheckthatthecourselevelobjectiveisatleastashighofaBloom’slevelasanyofthelessonlevelobjectivesunderneath. Beforeyoubeginconstructingyourobjectives: PleasereadourLearningObjectives: BeforeandAfterExamples page. AdditionalExternalResources: ForalongerlistofBloom’sVerbs –TIPStip: Youcanalsousethe“find”function(press:Ctrl-forcommand-fonamac)inyourbrowsertolocatespecificverbsonthislist. 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