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As teachers teach, they generally plan activities, ask
questions, and make assessments to see if students have learned the information
presented. All questions can be classified as to
difficulty or "LEVEL OF THINKING" based on Bloom's Cognitive Taxonomy. There are
six levels in the
taxonomy, ranging from
Knowledge (simplest) to Evaluation (most difficult).
Teachers need to realize that their activities, questions, and
assessments reflect different taxonomy levels. The following sections provide a list of the taxonomy levels and common
verbs which are used in determining the
activities, discussion questions, and assessments at that level. For a view of "the big
picture," a task oriented question construction wheel based on Bloom's taxonomy is provided.
Major
Levels of Bloom's Taxonomy
| LEVEL |
OBJECTIVE |
DESCRIPTIVE |
| Basic (low) |
Knowledge |
The learner must recall
information (i.e. bring to mind the appropriate
material). |
| Basic |
Comprehension |
The learner understands what
is being communicated by making use of the
communication. |
| Basic |
Application |
The learner uses abstractions
(e.g. ideas) in particular and concrete
situations. |
| Basic |
Analysis |
The learner can break down a
communication into its constituent elements or
parts. |
| Basic |
Synthesis |
The learner puts together
elements or parts to forma whole. |
| Advanced (high) |
Evaluation |
The learner makes judgments
about the value of material or methods for a
given purpose. |
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Verbs
for Stating Behavioral Objectives
A teacher can determine the taxonomy level of a behavioral objective by examining the verb
in the objective. By finding that verb in one of the
following categories he/she can determine the difficulty
level of the question.
Knowledge-Remembering
previously learned materials
| cite |
label |
name |
reproduce |
| define |
list |
quote |
pronounce |
| identify |
match |
recite |
state |
Answers: who? what? when? where?
questions
Comprehension-ability
to grasp the meaning of material
| alter |
discover |
manage |
relate |
| change |
explain |
rephrase |
substitute |
| convert |
give examples |
represent |
summarize |
| depict |
give main idea |
restate |
translate |
| describe |
illustrate |
reword |
vary |
| interpret |
paraphrase |
Application-ability
to use learned material in new and concrete situations
| apply |
discover |
manage |
relate |
| classify |
employ |
predict |
show |
| compute |
evidence |
prepare |
solve |
| demonstrate |
manifest |
present |
utilize |
| direct |
Answers: how many? which? what is?
write an example.
Analysis-ability to break down material into its
component parts of that its organizational structure may
be understood.
| ascertain |
diagnose |
distinguish |
outline |
| analyze |
diagram |
divide |
point out |
| associate |
differentiate |
examine |
reduce |
| conclude |
discriminate |
find |
separate |
| designate |
dissect |
infer |
determine |
Answers why? questions
Synthesis-ablity
to put parts together to form a new whole -- project-based learning
| combine |
devise |
originate |
revise |
| compile |
expand |
plan |
rewrite |
| compose |
extend |
pose |
synthesize |
| conceive |
generalize |
propose |
theorize |
| create |
integrate |
project |
write |
| design |
invent |
rearrange |
| develop |
modify |
Answers how can we improve? what would
happen if? how can we solve questions?
Evaluation-ability
to judge the value of material for a given purpose. This is an
ability that develops after many experiences in Synthesis.
| appraise |
conclude |
critique |
judge |
| assess |
contrast |
deduce |
weigh |
| compare |
criticize |
evaluate |
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