Abstract:

Bloom’s Taxonomy was created in 1956 and has been used in both secondary and higher education since that time. Krathwohl (2002) noted the original Bloom’s taxonomy was more of a measurement tool which defined the meaning of learning goals as well, as the breadth and depth of a course or curriculum. Both Bloom’s and Anderson et al.’s taxonomies are commonly represented as a triangle or a pyramid and it demonstrates a linear relationship.

Changes to Bloom’s taxonomy have also been proposed by other researchers. In 2012, Shelley Wright in her Wright’s Room Blog stated she thought Blooms was wrong. She suggested Blooms 21 where the teacher begins with creating first.

Rather than starting with creating as indicated by Wright (2012), this author posits that students must start with knowledge as indicated in Bloom’s and Anderson et al.’s taxonomies. Students have to spend adequate time getting basic knowledge to advance to other levels. However, Bloom’s taxonomy is, and has been, depicted a large base of a triangle or pyramid with the larger base representing knowledge. But the time in this lower learning taxonomies learning should be limited. More time needs to be spent in the application, evaluation, analysis and synthesis activities and assessment in all levels of instruction from K-12 through doctoral education.

The triangle or pyramid in Bloom’s taxonomy appears to infer that student would spend more time in knowledge attainment than in the higher levels of learning since it is a larger portion of the triangle pictorial. This is reflective of traditional teacher-centered, lecture-based instruction where the teacher spends the most time on lower learning taxonomies, particularly at the knowledge level.

With the move to student-centered strategies, learning is not linear. Students have to have basic knowledge, but limited time should be spent on teacher-focused activities. However after advancing to a higher taxonomy, students may need additional skills and competencies (knowledge) to advance to the next higher taxonomy. This idea incorporates Vygotsky’s Theory of Proximal Development to step students up in learning levels by taking what they know, adding to it (knowledge) and stepping them up to the next level of learning.

This session will provide a theoretical basis for a “stepped up” pictorial model of Blooms that demonstrates ideal time spent in assessment and activities in each taxonomic level in student-centered learning. This model starts with knowledge and comprehension as the bottom two risers of a staircase. This is needed for students to have the skills to “step up’ to application. From application, students may need some additional knowledge to gain skills in the area of analysis. This is particularly important with the advancements in technology, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) which puts a plethora of information at students' fingertips.

Keywords:

Learning taxonomies, student-centered learning, technology and artificial intelligence, Blooms 21, emerging pedagogies and teaching strategies.