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 are entrepreneurs and creators of courses able to leverage the same framework for their own businesses? Yes, we think so.

When you were in school, where did you do well either with words or numbers? Do you remember Maths as well as Science your most favored subjects or were you apprehensively waiting for English class?

Have you stopped to think about what you did to get there? It was when you learned to count and after which you learned to add and that led you towards Physics as well as Calculus. It wasn't like you arrived in Grade 1 with a book of Shakespeare in your hands and someone was there to teach you about letters and how they can be combined with the words you see on the page of the book you've always loved.

Our brains learn gradually, layering idea 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 information. They rely on pedagogical approaches that are theories and methods of teaching - to systematically sow concepts into their students.

Outside of the school, understanding the way people learn will help course creators to build better classes. Armed with a solid grasp of the way the brain creates knowledge, it is possible to design courses that more efficiently provide solutions to learners. This will keep them coming back to you for more and will make them more likely to recommend the course to friends, and help your business to grow.

What is Bloom's Taxonomy?

Benjamin Bloom originally published his taxonomy back in 1956. The pedagogical method was developed by Bloom to measure the cognitive development of his students. By creating a hierarchical structure to track a student's depth of understanding, Bloom created a way to ascertain the ever-elusive question all educators ask themselves whether their lessons are effective?

Bloom's theory was straightforward: If you can't remember a concept, you don't understand it; if you do not comprehend something, you are unable to apply the concept. There is no way to differentiate between the correct and incorrect answers or debate the advantages of and drawbacks. Any knowledge or depth of argument cannot be achieved without first setting the fundamentals of understanding and remembering.

With that in mind, he created an enumeration of cognition that split into six phases and assigned each stage an adjective to indicate the level or skill of intelligence a student must attain before moving to the next level.

This continuum is often presented as a pyramid to illustrate the levels' dependency upon each other:

• A student is not able to apply until they are able to comprehend,
• And they are unable to assess before they begin to learn how to analyse.

Bloom referred to this process as scaffolding, and the analogy is powerful: as builders build tall structures, they erect scaffolding to provide support for their workspaces beginning from the ground. In the same way, every level in the taxonomy is built on the foundation prior to the one before. If there is a crack in the foundation , a cognitive skill was skipped or not adequately reinforced, the following level may find itself on shaky ground.

Not every learner will start with the basics and then begin to climb up. A few students may have cemented certain skills, allowing them to begin in the middle and begin climbing from there.

What are the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy?

Each stage of Bloom's Taxonomy is accompanied by a set of words that define what actions students should be able to complete by that stage. Once someone masters the vocabulary on one level then they can move onto the next and then ahead.

They also contain learning goals, which can be very useful when considering the best way to incorporate them into the outline of your course. As the modules of your course develop it is possible to use higher and more sophisticated learning objectives as you can expect greater knowledge from your students.

Finally, we've included special software for creators of courses as well as educators working in a virtual classroom. If you're looking for activities to practice as well as assessments that can help you flesh out different lessons and levels of your course outline, this list is the perfect place to start.

Stage 1.  Do not forget

Remembering is simple: this is simply the basic retention of new facts. This is a game of memory, which is why that it's on the bottom of this ladder - it's the most simple, basic foundational element in learning and the one that is the most crucial since nothing else will be accomplished until you are able to hold a critical mass of information in your memory.

The students who have reached this level should be able to recall the information they have learned, or to define crucial phrases. They can write the bullet points of the most important concepts, or label a diagram, and have enough knowledge of the subject that they are aware of the terms they can plug into Google to find further details.

Try it out to the test:

• Take students on an online Scavenger hunt. Ask them to curate the bookmarks or favorite lists of sites relevant to the topic, or locate Facebook groups or social profiles that feature this theme. You can add their insights in a list of resources that they can share with classmates.

Stage 2: Understand

In this stage of Bloom's Taxonomy, students have progressed beyond simply remembering facts, and have demonstrated a context-based knowledge of the information.

This is evident in their ability to explain the facts to another person and they are able to paraphrase or summarize news articles, blog posts, and other pieces of data accurately. They can perform more advanced web searches now - using Boolean terms and digging into journals of academic research - and make use of their knowledge to identify correctly and categorize numerous online sources that aid in this topic.

Try it out to the test:

• Create a thread about the topic in your community website or Facebook group as well as assigning students to contribute meaningfully to the discussion. In discussing and explaining the subject together, they are able to improve their knowledge and aid one another to move to the next level.
• Ask students to compose a blog post, record a vlog, post a social status, or go live on Facebook to present this concept simply and concisely for others. It's not important if students live stream the event or just create the content, and then submit private to the class - the important part is making content using a straightforward description.
• Give students a blog post or article to readand then request them to note the article with notes to explain how it relates to the issue.

Stage 3 : Apply

Students who have reached this level have learned the ability to take the information they have learned and apply it to various circumstances.

They might use their newfound skills to tackle a particular issue. If they are faced with a possible obstacle, they could use the information to plan basic solutions. They may be able practice their abilities through a short task or assignment. In the beginning, these assignments are similar to fill-in-the-blank exercises, where students are given a basic framework and they have to utilize their skills to understand the bigger picture. However, they're starting to deepen their understanding of the subject of study and are well getting closer to being competent to apply these skills in a more abstract way.

Put it to the test:

• Give students basic questions and require them to come up with solutions that are based on the subject.
• Provide students with a sketch or writing piece without some words, and have them complete the gaps using the correct terms
• The students already know how to present this idea; now ask them to come up with a possible homework or practice task you could offer an individual to check their comprehension.

Stage 4. : Analyze

As we move through the Bloom's Taxonomy, students can break information down into smaller parts to explore the connections between ideas. It is also the time where students can make judgement on the topic. They will be able to assess information in a way, and compare and contrast different concepts and gather proof to back their claims.

Put it to the test:

• Provide students with a condensed list of terms or facts, and ask them to classify the data. They can rank it by the importance of it, divide it into groups, or make comparison/contrast charts with an explanation.
• Ask students to create a pro/con list based on their knowledge of the subject and how they can make it applicable to a particular challenge or issue.
• Students are given an open-ended thesis statement, and ask them to state your opinion or propose a solution. This is the most important thing: they need to provide evidence in support of their decision, and show they know how to evaluate the subject critically.

5 Stage  Evaluation

This is the stage when students reach a new level of independence with the subject matter. They are not just able to communicate, use, and organize information provided to them; now they have the ability to use what they've learnt and reorganize the information into new ideas that can be tested, debated, and measured.

As of now it is possible for students to be able to intelligently debate one another over some thesis issue. They are able to come up with fresh ideas or ideas and create tests to assess the effectiveness of their ideas. Students at this stage are so well-informed of their subject, that they should be able to draw on it immediately to engage in spontaneous conversations as well as solve ad hoc problems.

Try it out to the test:

• Put students into groups and hold a debate about a thesis that you have chosen.
• Ask students to create a complete project that will tackle a specific issue. You could create slideshows, a webpage or other type of content to demonstrate their project.
• Invite students to participate to the discussion thread in your community or group site; part of the activity for groups is to participate actively in the discussion on the discussion, and then moderate it and review the details in the comments
• Present students with a problem with a problem, and then ask the students to develop a test to measure or solve that problem. Students can present their solutions in a group similar to presenting in front of a panel. The ability of students to communicate, justify, and defend their solutions will determine the level of understanding of the topic.

Step 6  to Make

The training wheels are gone and the cord has been cut, and the work there is complete. You've taught your students such that they're able to use this information to a myriad of situations and make up brand new materials to inspire and delight others. They've reached the top of Bloom's Taxonomy framework and are prepared to be successful and develop in their own way. Are you proud? That's what you should be!

Test it: test:

• Have students create the following video or blog that uses a fresh approach of their choosing to present the subject in a compelling way
• Students should be put into groups and create and record a set of podcast episodes on the topic. They can work as group to determine what subjects should be included in the series, and each episode may build on prior ones.
• Ask students to design, edit, and make contributions to a Wiki on the subject

How do you apply Bloom's Taxonomy

Be aware of your students. What kinds of questions do they respond to? Which projects or activities do they respond to? Are they motivated enough to take part in class discussions?

When you begin a lesson you should ask questions from range of Bloom's taxonomy levels in order to establish a base of knowledge for your students. Take note of their responses as well as their level of engagement. the students are less interested when you move up the levels they are unfamiliar with, and this will help you determine the extent of their understanding. Now you can build a strategy to help them move up to higher levels.

Determine the cognitive goals of the course. Are you aiming for students to get an overview? An opportunity to revisit previously-studied concepts? Do they have a specific skill that they're required to master or an academic level they need to attain? The Bloom's taxonomies do not all created equal; the application of each level will differ depending on the subject you are studying and the level of expertise you are aiming for.

plan an assessment strategy which helps students go across the various levels of your course taxonomy. After you've decided on the place you'd like to end with, you'll be able to plan your stops on the trip with Bloom's Taxonomy to help you ensure you hit every point.

In a single unit, move from lower order to higher-order thinking questions. This level of inquiry must be a component of your lesson planning, and they could be distributed throughout the lesson. You can start between lower-order and higher-order questions in the beginning of class then moving onto higher-order issues nearer the end in the class. This way, you can determine if your students are staying up with the content, and you have the opportunity to address any obstacles or help struggling learners before moving on to the next level.

Learning outcomes for online course success

Now that you have the pedagogical tools you need to succeed You're now able to create a plan of instruction that packs a punch. There's no difference if you're teaching someone learn to play the piano or start a business of your own Brains learn in exactly the same way and follow the same patterns regardless of the topic. Your ability to leverage this is crucial to building a course which is effective and keep your students coming back for more.

      The article was originally published September 20, 2020. It it was revised by March 2023 in order to make it much more helpful.