HST Social Science: Online Study Materials-Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning

he word ‘taxonomy’ means a lawful and orderly arrangement. This word has derived from two words taxis’ which means arrangement and nomas that means ‘law’.
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives of Learning broadly categorised into three domains under the leadership of Benjamin Bloom, a Professor of Chicago University.
In 1956, Dr. Benjamin Bloom, professor of Chicago University developed a new vision for teaching. Bloom’s taxonomy is a detailed classification of educational objectives.

Three domains of bloom’s taxonomy:

1. Cognitive domain (knowledge)
2. Affective domain (attitude, emotion)
3. Psychomotor domain (skills).

In Bloom’s taxonomy of learning objectives were written in ascending order of complexity or difficulty and are hierarchical in nature.
Each higher objective includes all the human behaviour which has been broadly categorised into three domains or categories.

Cognitive Domain of Learning

Cognitive domain is concerned with the development of intellectual capability. For example (thinking or knowledge). Cognitive domain is the core of the learning domain. There are six levels of cognitive domain. Which are mentioning below.

Six levels of Cognitive Domain

Knowledge

• It is the lowest level in cognitive domain, knowledge can be defined as recalling, or recognition of terms, ideas, theories etc are included in the level of knowledge.

Comprehension

• This is the little higher level than knowledge. Comprehension is the ability to grasp the meaning of content or material. Comprehension represents the lowest level of understanding.
• It has three categories namely translation, interpretation and extrapolate.

Application

•  Application refers to the ability to use the principle or idea in a different situation from the one in which it was originally learned.

Analysis

• Analysis is the ability to break things into its constituent’s parts and an understanding of organization and relationship between the parts.

Synthesis

• It involves combining the constituent’s parts to make it as a whole.
• Synthesis emphasizes the ability of making something new, bringing ideas together, providing new insight and helping the pupil to create new ideas.

Evaluation

• Evaluation is the highest level in the hierarchical development of intellectual abilities.
• All the earlier categories are the prerequisite for this category.
• Evaluation refers to the ability to judge the value of concept, material and procedures for a specific purpose.

Affective Domain Levels

This domain was proposed by Krathwahl Bloom. Affective domain deals with feelings, attitude, and emotion. A degree of acceptance or rejection. The Effective domain includes the following six levels.

Receiving

• It refers to the willingness of students to attend to particular phenomena or stimuli. Affective domain represents the lowest level of learning outcomes in the affective domain.

Responding

• It refers to the willingness to participate.
• When students are sufficiently motivated he responds or actively attends and thus, finds pleasure or enjoys the activity.

Valuing

• Valuing includes the worth of a thing or behaviour.Instructional objectives that are commonly classified under attitudes and appreciation are included in this category of objectives.

Organization

• Bringing together the different values, resolving conflict between them and building of an internal value system and like other activities are included in the category of organization.
• Here more emphasis is given on comparing, relating and synthesizing the values.

Characterization

• At this level of affective domain an individual responds in relation to the values that he has internalized and develops a characteristic lifestyle.
• The behaviour therefore becomes pervasive, consistent and predictable.

Levels of Psychomotor Domain

This domain of bloom’s taxonomy deals with the abilities and skills which are physical in nature. It concerns motor activities i.e. skills. Psychomotor domain is classified into six categories by Harrow (1972).

Perception

• Perception means the ability of a learner to become aware of actions, objects, qualities and relations.
• This is achieved through sense organs and it helps in making preparatory adjustments- mentally, physically and emotionally.

Imitation

• It refers to the learning ability of the learner to perform an action according to a given instruction.

Manipulation

• Manipulation means the learner is able to perform an act according to given instruction rather than doing an imitation pattern.

Precision

• Accuracy in performing various acts increases with practice. Articulation.
• Achieving a desired level of competence and effectiveness through practice.

Naturalization

• The internalized skill and an individual is able to adapt, modify or design new techniques, methods or procedures according to the requirements of a situation.