Bloom’s Taxonomy Explained | Kings Tutors

September 26, 2021

• Topical

Born in 1913, Benjamin Bloom was one of the most influential and innovative educational psychologists in recorded history. Perhaps most notable of his theories was what has become known as Bloom’s Taxonomy. First published in 1956, the taxonomy is a type of classification, which can help educators and students alike to learn and develop cognitively. There are 6 key levels of the taxonomy which are as follows:

Stage one is remembering.

What this means can vary greatly from context to context, but in essence it is the first stage of learning. It may be copying down information, quoting information, memorising information, or bookmarking information. It is essentially the first interaction a student has with a new piece of information.  

Stage two is understanding.

This stage of learning pertains to what we do with the information we have remembered. It is a more interactive stage than simply learning facts, and may involve annotating, commenting, or expressing the information in some way. 

Stage three is applying this information.

The next stage is about how we use the understanding we have obtained, by applying it to various situations and contexts. This may be articulating the information, making judgements on the information, or presenting the information to others. 

Stage four is analysis of the information.

At this level, our brains begin to explore and analyse the information on a deeper level. Whether it be by breaking the information down or deducing further bits of information, this is the stage at which our brains begin to methodically make judgements on the information with which we have been provided.

Stage four is evaluation. 

One step further, at stage four our brains begin to evaluate and weigh up the information. This is the level at which debate and moderation enter the thought process, and we begin to hypothesise and criticise aspects of what we have learnt.

The final stage is creation.

This is the level at which we begin to edit and change the information provided, and use this knowledge to create new thoughts and ideas. Prime examples of such creation include collaboration, problem solving, and the mixing of various ideas and concepts which we have learnt.

Now we have studied (or ‘remembered’) the six stages of Bloom’s Taxonomy, the question remains as to how educators and learners alike can use this information to their advantage. From an educator’s point of view, the stages can be used to create assessments, plan lessons, develop courses and analyse styles of teaching. By understanding more deeply the stages of learning as outlined by Bloom, educators can help students to optimise their potential to learn. 

From a student’s point of view, the potential of understanding Bloom’s Taxonomy is enormous. Whether it be by incorporating the stages into daily academic life or optimising revision strategies, students can use the taxonomy to ensure that they are not just remembering what they have learnt, but understand more deeply how to apply this information. 

We hope that this blog can help parents and students alike to examine their strategies of learning, and adapt and optimise them to reach their full potential!