Blog #5

Benjamin Bloom's theory "Taxonomy" is quite interesting. The taxonomy theory basically points out how teachers should "categorize test questions" in order for students to think beyond whatever it is they are reading. The theory produced in the year 1956 when Bloom, along with several psychologists, developed a classification of levels for intellectual behavior to learn.
The levels for intellectual behavior are as follows: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Knowledge is the recollection of specific information. Some key words for questions based on knowledge are as follows: define, list, name, order, and many others. Comprehension or understanding is the understanding of what is read. Some key words for questions on understanding are as follows: describe, explain, translate and many others. Application is the converting of abstract content to concrete situations. Some key words for questions on application are as follows: apply, demonstrate, illustrate, interpret, solve, and many others. Analysis is the comparison and contrast of the content to personal experiences. Some key words for questions on analysis are as follows: analyze, compare, contrast, examine, and many others. Synthesis is the organization of thoughts, ideas, and information from the content. Some key words for questions on synthesis are as follows: construct, develop, formulate, write and many others. Evaluation is the judgement and evaluation of characters, actions, and outcomes for personal reflection and understanding. Some key words for questions on evaluation are as follows: argue, predict, support, evaluate, and many others. About 95% of questions that teachers develop are based on recalling information. Therefore, teachers focus on knowledge.
Before reading about Bloom's theory, I honestly did not think there was a way to structure questions in the classroom. Reading about Bloom's taxonomy made me realize that as teachers, one must consider categorizing questions in the way that Bloom suggests. In doing so, students will be able to think beyond their imaginations rather than answering questions based on facts.