Blooms Taxonomy Guide to Developing Learning Objectives

Apply the scheme below to assess your own or others' work. For students, try to discern which category best
describes the task(s) set for in your assignment. Then ask yourself whether what you are writing falls within
it. For Consultants, look for the same thing and help writers deepen their analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
These are the most demanding categories of college writing, but they are often quite common!
Category (simplest
first)
Knowledge

Comprehension

Application

Expressed by writer as. . .

To shift the thinking. . .

Lists, reliance on long quotations; trouble

paraphrasing; no distinction in relative
importance of ideas
More use of own words; still trouble
understanding relative importance of ideas
and sources; interesting but not directly useful
information is tossed in
Connects ideas/evidence clearly to the topic;
still relies on analysis of others; magazine info.
considered equal to original research

Tell in your own words how you could

explain to someone else.

Analysis

Doesn't rely only on other authors'

conclusions; themes and ideas of other writers
are identified, but not linked across sources

Synthesis

Text organized by themes and ideas rather

than by source; still problems reconciling
conflicting information

Evaluation

Shows understanding of relative value of

different sources and ideas (and shades of
gray)

Source - http://writing2.richmond.edu

Tell in your own words how you could

explain to someone else.

How does the information apply to the

topic; can you give an example; how does
this idea/ statement/ evidence support the
thesis?
What ideas do these sources (or
paragraphs) have in common; can we
outline the information by idea instead of
by article?
What else might be important about the
topic; what else would you like to know; is
the evidence given by the source
convincing?
Which information is most convincing; why;
how can we decide/support/choose one
side of the argument over the other; who
said this; can you use this information to
say something new?

The cognitive domain involves knowledge and the development of intellectual skills (Bloom, 1956). This
includes the recall or recognition of specific facts, procedural patterns, and concepts that serve in the
development of intellectual abilities and skills. There are six major categories, which are listed in order below,
starting from the simplest behavior to the most complex. The categories can be thought of as degrees of
difficulties. That is, the first ones must normally be mastered before the next ones can take place.

Category
Remembering: Recall previous learned
information.

Understanding: Comprehending the

meaning, translation, interpolation, and
interpretation of instructions and
problems. State a problem in one's own
words.

Applying: Use a concept in a new

situation or unprompted use of an
abstraction. Applies what was learned in
the classroom into novel situations in the
work place.
Analyzing: Separates material or concepts
into component parts so that its
organizational structure may be
understood. Distinguishes between facts
and inferences.

Example and Key Words (verbs)

Examples: Recite a policy. Quote prices from memory to a customer.
Knows the safety rules.
Key Words: defines, describes, identifies, knows, labels, lists, matches,
names, outlines, recalls, recognizes, reproduces, selects, states.
Examples: Rewrites the principles of test writing. Explain in one's own
words the steps for performing a complex task. Translates an equation
into a computer spreadsheet.
Key Words: comprehends, converts, defends, distinguishes, estimates,
explains, extends, generalizes, gives an example, infers, interprets,
paraphrases, predicts, rewrites, summarizes, translates.
Examples: Use a manual to calculate an employee's vacation time. Apply
laws of statistics to evaluate the reliability of a written test.
Key Words: applies, changes, computes, constructs, demonstrates,
discovers, manipulates, modifies, operates, predicts, prepares, produces,
relates, shows, solves, uses.
Examples: Troubleshoot a piece of equipment by using logical deduction.
Recognize logical fallacies in reasoning. Gathers information from a
department and selects the required tasks for training.

Evaluating: Make judgments about the

value of ideas or materials.

Key Words: analyzes, breaks down, compares, contrasts, diagrams,

deconstructs, differentiates, discriminates, distinguishes, identifies,
illustrates, infers, outlines, relates, selects, separates.
Examples: Select the most effective solution. Hire the most qualified
candidate. Explain and justify a new budget.

Creating: Builds a structure or pattern

from diverse elements. Put parts together
to form a whole, with emphasis on
creating a new meaning or structure.

Key Words: appraises, compares, concludes, contrasts, criticizes,

critiques, defends, describes, discriminates, evaluates, explains,
interprets, justifies, relates, summarizes, supports.
Examples: Write a company operations or process manual. Design a
machine to perform a specific task. Integrates training from several
sources to solve a problem. Revises and process to improve the
outcome.
Key Words: categorizes, combines, compiles, composes, creates, devises,
designs, explains, generates, modifies, organizes, plans, rearranges,
reconstructs, relates, reorganizes, revises, rewrites, summarizes, tells,
writes.

Source - http://www.bloomstaxonomy.org/

Blooms Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain

Beginning in 1948, a group of educators undertook the task of classifying education goals and objectives. The
intent was to develop a classification system for three domains: the cognitive, the affective, and the
psychomotor. Work on the cognitive domain was completed in the 1950s and is commonly referred to
as Bloom's Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain (Bloom, Englehart, Furst, Hill, & Krathwohl,1956). Others
have developed taxonomies for the affective and psychomotor domains.
The major idea of the taxonomy is that what educators want students to know (encompassed in statements
of educational objectives) can be arranged in a hierarchy from less to more complex. The levels are
understood to be successive, so that one level must be mastered before the next level can be reached.
The original levels by Bloom et al. (1956) were ordered as follows: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application,
Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. The taxonomy is presented below with sample verbs and a sample
behavior statement for each level.
LEVEL

DEFINITION

KNOWLEDGE

Student recalls or recognizes

information, ideas, and
principles in the
approximate form in which
they were learned.
Student translates,
comprehends, or
interprets information
based on prior learning.

COMPREHENSION

APPLICATION

ANALYSIS

SYNTHESIS

EVALUATION

Student selects, transfers,

and uses data and principles
to complete a problem or
task with a minimum of direction.
Student distinguishes,
classifies, and relates
the assumptions,
hypotheses, evidence,
or structure of a
statement or question.
Student originates,
integrates, and combines
ideas into a product, plan or
proposal that is new to him
or her.
Student appraises, assesses,
or critiques on a basis of
specific standards and
criteria.

SAMPLE
VERBS
Write, List
Label, Name
State, Define

SAMPLE
BEHAVIORS
The student will define the 6 levels of
Bloom's taxonomy of the
cognitive domain.

Explain
Summarize
Paraphrase
Describe
Illustrate
Use, Compute
Solve,
Demonstrate,
Apply, Construct

The student will explain

the purpose of Bloom's taxonomy of the
cognitive domain.

Analyze
Categorize
Compare
Contrast
Separate

The student will compare and contrast

the cognitive and affective domains.

Create, Design
Hypothesize,
Invent, Develop

The student will design a classification

scheme for writing educational objectives
that combines the cognitive, affective, and
psychomotor domains.

Judge,
Recommend,
Critique, Justify

The student will judge the effectiveness of

writing objectives using Bloom's
taxonomy.

The student will

write an instructional objective for each
level of Bloom's taxonomy.