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

Bloom's Taxonomy is a well-established teaching framework to help teachers effectively meet the needs of their pupils. But do entrepreneurs and course creators leverage the same framework for their businesses? We certainly think so.

In the days of school, where did you do well in terms or numbers? Did you find Maths as well as Science your favorite subjects, or were you apprehensively waiting for English class?

Have you ever stopped to consider how you reached that point? It was when you learned to count and then to add, which led to Physics and Calculus. The first grade you entered wasn't one with an entire volume of Shakespeare on your desk and someone was there to teach you about letters and how they can be combined into the words in the book you've always loved.

Brains develop slowly, layering concepts on concept, progressively increasing their levels of complexity. From kindergarten to the halls of the Ivy League, Educators rely on the principles of building blocks to impart knowledge. They rely on pedagogical approaches that are theories and methods of teaching - to systematically introduce concepts to their students.

In addition to the class, understanding the way people learn will assist course developers in designing higher-quality classes. With a thorough grasp of the way the brain develops knowledge you can strategically build courses that are more efficient in deliver solutions to your pupils. They will be able to keep coming back to you for more and will in turn, encouraging them to refer your program to other students, and help your business to expand.

What is Bloom's Taxonomy?

Benjamin Bloom originally published his taxonomy in 1956. He designed this pedagogical approach to assess the development of cognitive abilities of students. Through the creation of a hierarchy that measures a student's level of knowledge, Bloom created a way to answer the question that each educator asks: are my lessons working?

Bloom's idea was that If you are unable to recall a notion, then you do not understand the concept; and if you do not understand something, you cannot apply the idea. You cannot distinguish between correct as well as incorrect responses and debate their benefits and downfalls; any expertise or understanding of the argument cannot be achieved without first setting the foundations for remembering and understanding.

To keep this in mind, he devised a continuum of cognition, which was divided into six stages and assigned each stage an adjective to indicate the skill or level of cognition a student should be able to master prior to moving onto the next stage.

This continuum is often shown as a pyramid, to show the different levels' dependency upon one another:

• A student is not able to apply until they have a solid understanding of
• And they are unable to assess before they are able to think critically.

Bloom was referring to this procedure as scaffolding, and the metaphor is effective: as builders construct a tall building, they erect scaffolding to provide support for their workspaces from the ground up. The same is true for taxonomy. every taxonomy level is built upon the foundation prior to the one before. If there are cracks on the ground - for instance, an ability in the brain was neglected or was not properly reinforced - the subsequent level will have to be on unstable ground.

It is not the case that every student will begin at square one and work their way up. Certain students have developed certain skills that allow them to jump in somewhere between the two and start ascending up from there.

What are the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy?

Each stage of Bloom's Taxonomy includes a sequence of verbs to describe what actions students must be able to perform by that stage. Once someone masters the vocabulary on one level then they can move onto the next level, and so on.

These levels include also learning objectivesthat are especially useful in thinking about the best way to incorporate them into your course outline. As your modules in your course advance, you might use more and more sophisticated learning objectives since you'll be able to expect higher knowledge from your students.

We've also included apps for instructors and teachers in a digital classroom. When looking for practice activities as well as assessments that can help you flesh out different lessons and different levels of your course outline, this list of resources is an excellent place to begin.

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 pyramid - it's both the easiest, the fundamental foundational element in learning and also the most essential as nothing else is able to be achieved until you can hold a critical mass of information in your memory.

The students who have reached the level of this are expected to be able recall details, or even define key terms. They can write the bullet points of key concepts, identify a diagram, and are knowledgeable enough about the subject matter that they are aware of the terms to plug into Google to find further info.

Put it to the test:

• Students can join in an online search. Have them create an index of bookmarks or favorites of websites relevant to their topic. They can also locate Facebook pages and other social media accounts in which this subject is discussed. They can contribute their findings in a list of resources that they can share with peers.

Stage 2: Understand

At this point in Bloom's Taxonomy, students have progressed beyond merely remembering, and have demonstrated a context-based knowledge of the knowledge.

They show this in their ability to explain facts to someone else; they can paraphrase or summarize blogs, news articles as well as other bits of information accurately. They are able to conduct more sophisticated online searches now, using Boolean terminology and looking through journals of academic research - and utilize their newly acquired knowledge to correctly identify and tag various online resources that support this topic.

Put it to the test:

• Make a thread for the subject on your Facebook group or community site with students being given the responsibility of contributing in a meaningful way to the discussion. By explaining and discussing the subject together, they will deepen their understanding and help one another progress towards the next stage.
• Have students write a sample blog post, record a vlog, make a status update on social and then live-stream on social media to communicate this idea clearly and succinctly to other students. It doesn't matter if you live-stream the activity or create the content and submit it to the group privately - the important part is creating content that has a clear description.
• Assign students a blog post or article to read, and ask them to annotate the text with notes that explain how it relates to the subject.

3rd Stage : Apply

Students who have reached this level have learned the capability to use knowledge and apply it in diverse situations.

They might use their newfound skills to tackle a particular issue. In the event of a hypothetical obstacle, they could use the data to devise simple solutions. They might be able to practise their skills with a simple project or assignment. At this stage, these assignments are similar to fill-in-the-blank exercises, where students will be provided with a simple structure and must apply their knowledge to complete the bigger picture. However, they're developing their knowledge about the matter and they're well on their way to being competent to apply these skills with a greater abstraction.

Test it: test:

• Give students basic questions and require students to develop solutions using the subject matter
• Provide students with a sketch or piece of paper without some words in it, then ask them to write in the missing words using the correct terms
• Students are already able to present this idea; Now ask them to come up with a hypothetical homework or practice task they would give to someone to check their comprehension.

Stage 4  4: Examine

In this phase of Bloom's Taxonomy Students can dissect information into parts that allow them to study the connections between ideas. It is also the time where students can make judgement decisions about their subject. They can evaluate information in a way, and compare and contrast different concepts, and find the evidence that supports their conclusions.

Put it to the test:

• Give students a jumbled information or a list of words as they classify the data. You can assign it a rank according to the importance of it, divide it into different categories, or even create contrast lists and explanations.
• Ask students to create a pro/con list based on their comprehension of the topic and how to use it in a specific challenge or issue.
• Give students with an unrestricted thesis statement and request them to present your opinion or propose a solution. It is crucial that the students must present evidence in support of their decision, and show they know how to evaluate the subject critically.

5 Stage  Evaluation

This is the stage where students have gained a new level of independence in their understanding of the subject. They're not limited to knowing how to communicate, use the information they've been given to them but also are able to apply what they've learned and arrange the bits to create new concepts which are tested through debate, discussion, and measurement.

As of now, you can expect students to be able to effectively argue with one another on the topic of their thesis. Students can develop new ideas or suggestions, and create tests to assess the effectiveness of their ideas. The students at this stage have such a firm grasp of the subject that they will be able draw upon it immediately for spontaneous discussions and deal with ad-hoc issues.

Try it out to the test:

• Group students in groups to have a discussion on a thesis that was selected by you.
• Ask students to create a complete project that will tackle a specific issue. You could create a slide deck, webpage or other type of content to showcase their work.
• Ask students to contribute to a thread discussion on your group or community site; part of the group exercise will be to participate actively in the discussion and moderate each other's discussions and review the information presented in comments
• Present students with a problem, and ask them to design tests to test the difficulty or resolve it. Students are able to present their ideas in a group environment similar to presenting in front of a panel. Their ability to present the arguments and justifications for their solutions will determine the depth of their understanding of the topic.

Step 6  to Make

This is it - the training wheels have come off, the cord has been cut, and your work there is complete. You've taught your students such that they're able to use this information to a myriad of situations and create brand new resources to inform and inspire others. They've reached the top on the Bloom's Taxonomy ladder and are ready to succeed and grow in their own way. Are you proud? That's what you should be!

Put it to the test:

• Have students create an article or video where they use a creative approach of their choosing to convey the concept using a convincing way
• Group students into groups to plan and record a series of podcast episodes on the topic. Students can collaborate as group to determine what issues should be addressed during the podcast series. each episode may build on prior ones.
• Ask students to make, edit, or add to a wiki about the subject

How do you apply Bloom's Taxonomy

Be aware of the students you teach. What kinds of questions do your children ask? What projects and activities are they responding to? Are they motivated to engage in class discussions?

Early in a lesson unit, ask questions from a range of Bloom's taxonomy levels in order to establish a base of comprehension for your pupils. Be attentive to the answers and their engagement level - the students are less interested as you ascend through the levels they are unfamiliar with. This will help you determine the extent of their knowledge. Now you can build a strategy to help them advance to higher levels.

Define the objectives of cognitive learning for the course. Are you aiming to give students an introduction? A revision of previously learned ideas? Is there a skill they're required to master or even a certain level of knowledge that they must attain? Not all Bloom's taxonomies are alike; the use of each taxonomy will differ according to your subject matter and the degree of knowledge you're aiming for.

Plan an assessment plan which helps students go across the various levels of the taxonomy of your course. When you have decided where you want to end with, you'll be able to plan the stops along your trip, using Bloom's Taxonomy to ensure you have covered every aspect.

Within a single lesson in a single unit, you should move from the lower-order to higher order thinking questions. This level of inquiry must be a component of your plan for the lesson, and could be distributed throughout the course, starting between lower-order and higher-order questions in the beginning of class then moving onto higher-order issues towards the close of the lesson. In this way, you'll be able to check if students are keeping on top of the material and have the opportunity to address the obstacles that hinder them or support students who are struggling before moving to the next stage.

Learning outcomes for online course success

Now that you have the keys to pedagogical success and you're ready to build a course outline that packs a punch. There's no difference if you're teaching someone how perform a piano, or start a business of your own Brains learn in exactly the same way and follow the same lines regardless of nature of the subject. It is your ability to make use of that is the key in creating a curriculum that is successful and keeps your students coming back to learn more.

      This article was first published in on September 10, 2020. The article was updated in March 2023 to be far more valuable.