"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited" — Plutarch
Bloom's Taxonomy was developed in the 1950s by Benjamin Bloom. It has been revised many times by different people. However, it fundamentally remains the same.
Bloom's Taxonomy is a set of words which describes both higher-order and lower-order thinking processes. It allows us to discuss teaching issues and gives us a foundation for creating teaching material as well as reviewing teaching processes.
Here is a list of terminology, from low-order thinking to high-order thinking:
- Knowledge
- Select, List, Name, Define, Describe, Memorize, Label, Identify, Locate, Recite, State, Recognize
- Comprehension
- Match, Restate, Paraphrase, Rewrite, Give examples, Express, Illustrate, Explain, Defend, Distinguish, Summarize, Interrelate, Interpret, Extend
- Application
- Organize, Generalize, Dramatize, Prepare, Produce, Choose, Sketch, Apply, Solve, Draw, Show, Paint
- Analysis
- Compare, Analyze, Classify, Point out, Distinguish, Categorize, Differentiate, Subdivide, Infer, Survey, Select, Prioritize
- Synthesis
- Compose, Originate, Hypothesize, Develop, Design, Combine, Construct, Produce, Plan, Create, Invent, Organize
- Evaluation
- Judge, Relate, Weight, Criticize, Support, Evaluate, Consider, Critique, Recommend, Summarize, Appraise, Compare
Bloom's taxonomy allows for lesson plans to be created that are suitable for all types of students. Students can start of with tasks that require only lower-order thinking, but progress to higher-order thinking as they are able to. As an example, The Halting Problem has a set of questions which follows this sequence.