Bloom's Taxonomy for Online Learning: A Crash Course (+Template)

Bloom's Taxonomy is an established pedagogical framework for helping teachers meet the demands of their students - but can course creators and entrepreneurs use the same framework to develop their own businesses? Yes, we think so.

In the days of the school system, what was it that made you excel in terms or numbers? Do you remember Maths and Science your favorite subjects, or did you wait eagerly to attend English class?

Have you ever stopped to reflect on what you did to get there? You learned to count, then to add, and that led you towards Physics as well as Calculus. The first grade you entered wasn't one with an entire volume of Shakespeare in your hands You were taught by someone about letters, and how they combine to form the words that appear on the page of the novel you love.

Our brains learn slowly, layering concepts on concept, progressively increasing their complex. From the beginning of kindergarten until the hallways of the Ivy League, Educators rely on building-block principles to disseminate knowledge. They use pedagogical methods - theories and practices of teaching - to systematically impart concepts to their pupils.

In addition to the class, knowing the way people learn will aid course designers in creating higher-quality classes. With a thorough understanding of how the brain forms knowledge, you can strategically build courses that are more efficient in provide solutions to students. It will make them come to your courses, and make them more likely to suggest your program to other students, and help your business to grow.

What is Bloom's Taxonomy?

Benjamin Bloom originally published his taxonomy in 1956. The pedagogical method was developed by Bloom to measure the cognitive development of students. Through the creation of a hierarchy that measures a student's level of knowledge, Bloom created a way to determine the question each educator asks: are my lessons working?

Bloom's hypothesis was simple: If you are unable to remember a concept, you do not understand the idea; or if you can not comprehend something, you can't apply the concept. There is no way to differentiate between the correct and incorrect answers and debate their benefits and downfalls; any expertise or understanding of the argument can be accomplished without establishing the foundations for remembering and understanding.

To keep this in mind, he developed a continuum of cognition, which was divided into six stages, and designated each with a noun to describe the level or skill of cognition a student should be able to master prior to moving onto the next stage.

This spectrum is typically presented as a pyramid to show the different degrees of dependence upon the other levels:

• Students cannot be accepted until they understand,
• They aren't able to evaluate until they learn to analyze.

Bloom referred to this process as scaffolding, and the metaphor is effective: as construction workers build tall buildings, they erect scaffolding to provide support for their workspaces from the ground up. In the same way, each level of the taxonomy is built on the foundation of the level before. If there are cracks in the foundation , a cognitive skill was skipped or not adequately reinforced, the next level up will be a bit unstable.

Every learner isn't going to start at square one and move to the top. Certain students have developed certain skills that allow them to begin in the middle and begin climbing from there.

What is the significance of the six levels in Bloom's Taxonomy?

Each level of Bloom's Taxonomy is accompanied by a set of verbs to describe what actions students is expected to be able complete by that stage. Once someone masters the words at one stage, they move on to the next level, and the next level, and so ahead.

These levels include also learning objectives, which are very useful when considering how to apply these to your course outline. As your course progress you may use greater and more advanced learning objectives as you can expect greater degrees of knowledge from your students.

In addition, we've added special applications for course creators as well as educators working in a virtual classroom. When looking for practice activities as well as assessments that can help you make different lessons more accessible and to complete the different levels of your course outline, this list is a great place to start.

Stage 1  Do not forget

The process of remembering is easy: it is the most basic way to retain of information. It's a memory game, which is why it's at the bottom of this ladder - it's the simplest, most basic element of learning and also the most essential as nothing else is able to be accomplished until you are able to hold a critical mass of data in your memory.

The students who have reached the basics of this subject are expected to be able recall details, or even define key phrases. They can write an outline of important terms, and draw a diagram and are knowledgeable enough about the subject to know the search terms they can plug into Google in their search for more info.

Try it out to the test:

• Students can join in an online scavenger hunt. Ask them to curate a bookmark or favorites list of websites relevant to their topic. They can also find Facebook pages and other social media accounts in which this subject is discussed. The students can then add their research to a resource list to share with their peers.

Stage 2: Understand

At this point in Bloom's Taxonomy, students have progressed beyond simply remembering facts, and they demonstrate a contextual knowledge of the knowledge.

This is evident in their ability to explain the facts to another person They can also paraphrase or summarize blog articles, news articles as well as other bits of information in a precise manner. They can perform more advanced online searches now, using Boolean phrases and digging through academic journal databases - and make use of their knowledge to identify correctly and categorize numerous online sources that aid in the topic.

Put it to the test:

• Start a topic thread within your community website or Facebook group as well as assigning students to contribute meaningfully to the discussion. By explaining and discussing the subject together, they can improve their knowledge and assist one another in progressing to the next level.
• Have students create a blog article or record a video, post a social status, or go live on social media to communicate this idea clearly and succinctly for others. The point is that it doesn't matter whether they do this live or just create the content and present private to the class The most important thing is making content using a straightforward explanation.
• Give students an article or blog post to readand then ask them to annotate the text with notes that discuss how the article relates to the topic.

Stage 3 : Apply

Students who are at this stage have mastered the ability to take information and apply it to diverse scenarios.

The new expertise to resolve a challenge. When presented with a hypothetical obstacle, they could use the information to plan the most basic solution. They might be able test their knowledge with a simple task or assignment. At this stage, these projects are akin to fill-in-the-blank activities, where the students receive a fundamental framework and they have to use their understanding to create the larger picture. But they're developing their knowledge about the issue and are in the process of becoming capable of using these abilities in a more abstract way.

Put it to the test:

• Provide students with basic questions and require them to think of solutions based on the topic.
• Students are given a diagram or writing piece with some terms missing in it, then ask them to write in the missing words using the right terms.
• The students already know how to present this idea; Now ask them to come up with an idea for a hypothetical assignment or practice exercise you could offer to someone in order to assess their knowledge.

Stage 4. : Analyze

As we move through the Bloom's Taxonomy, students can dissect information into small pieces to investigate the connections between ideas. It is also the time at which students make their own judgement on the topic. They will be able to assess information, compare and contrast concepts and gather proof to back their claims.

Test it: test:

• Provide students with a condensed information or a list of words then ask them to sort the information. They can rank it by the importance of it, divide it into different categories, or even create comparison/contrast charts with explanations.
• Have students create an argumentative list of pros and cons based on their understanding of the topic and how they can apply it to a particular problem or situation.
• Provide students an open-ended thesis , and then ask them to express your opinion or propose a solutions. The key here: they need to provide evidence supporting their choice, in order to prove that they can critically assess the topic.

5th Stage  Evaluation

The stage at this point is when students reach an increased level of autonomy regarding the subject. They are not just able to explain, apply the information they've been given to them, but they also can use everything they've learned and rearrange the pieces into fresh ideas that can be tested, debated, and measured.

At this point, you can expect students to be able to intelligently engage in debate over a thesis question. They can come up with new ideas or suggestions, as well as design and develop tests to gauge the effectiveness of their ideas. Students at this stage possess a solid understanding of the subject that they will be able to draw from their knowledge on the spot in order to engage in spontaneous conversations as well as tackle ad-hoc challenges.

Put it to the test:

• Put students into groups, and have them debate on a thesis that was chosen by you.
• Ask students to develop a comprehensive project in order to solve a particular problem. They could even produce slideshows, a webpage or any other form of material to demonstrate their project.
• Invite students to participate to a thread discussion in your community or group site. The activity for groups is to participate actively in the discussion, moderate one another's discussion, and critically review any information posted in comments.
• Present students with a problem and request the students to develop a test to measure or address the issue. The students can then present their solution in a group similar to presenting on a whiteboard. They will be able to explain the arguments and justifications for their solutions will determine how well they comprehend of the topic.

Stage 6  to Create

This is it - the training wheels are off, the cord has been cut, and the work there is complete. You've taught your pupils enough that they are able to take this knowledge in a multitude of situations and develop brand-new resources that inform and inspire people. They've climbed to the top of Bloom's Taxonomy scaffold and they're eager to grow and succeed as individuals. Are you proud? That's what you should be!

Put it to the test:

• Students are asked to create an article or video that uses a fresh technique of their own to present the subject with a captivating method.
• Put students in groups to design and create a series of episodes of podcasts about the subject. Students can collaborate as a class to decide what topics should be covered during the podcast series. each episode can build on the one before.
• Students should design, edit, and make contributions to a Wiki on the topic.

How do you apply Bloom's Taxonomy

Know the students you teach. What kind of questions do they ask? Which projects or activities are they responding to? Are they motivated enough to take part in classroom discussions?

In the beginning of a lesson begin by asking questions from a variety of the Bloom's taxonomy levels to ascertain a baseline of understanding for your pupils. Be attentive to the answers and their engagement level - students will engage less as you ascend through the levels they are unfamiliar with, and this will help you determine the extent of their knowledge. Now you can build an approach to aid them to move up to upper levels.

Find out the goals for cognitive development of your course. Is this course designed to give students an introduction? An opportunity to revisit previously-studied ideas? Is there a skill they need to master, or an academic level that they must attain? The Bloom's taxonomies do not all alike; the use of each one will vary depending on the subject you are studying as well as the level of proficiency that you want to attain.

Create an assessment plan that helps students move through levels within the taxonomy of your course. When you have decided where you want to end with, you'll be able to plan your stops on the route by using Bloom's Taxonomy to ensure that you meet every requirement.

Within a single lesson, move from lower order to higher-order thinking questions. The levels of questions you ask must be a component of your lessons and could be distributed throughout the lesson, moving from lower-order questions at the start of the class, and ending with higher-order questions nearer the end of the lesson. This way, you can determine if your students are staying current with the curriculum and are able to tackle any roadblocks or assist students who are struggling before moving to the next level.

Results of learning for Online course's effectiveness

Now that you have the keys to pedagogical success, you're all set to design a curriculum outline that packs a punch. It doesn't matter if you're teaching someone how perform a piano, or launch a small business; our brains learn exactly the same way and follow the same pattern, regardless of the subject matter. Your ability to leverage that is the key to building a course which is effective and keep your students returning for more.

      The article was originally published September 2020, and was updated by March 2023 in order to make it even more useful.