Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy, originally developed by Benjamin Bloom and colleagues in 1956, provides a structured framework for categorizing educational objectives. This taxonomy offers six major categories of cognitive processes that form a progression from simple to complex thinking: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. Since its introduction, Bloom’s Taxonomy has become a foundational tool for K-12 and higher education instructors, shaping the ways they design learning goals and assessments.

Original Taxonomy (1956)

The original six levels, arranged from foundational to advanced cognitive processes, are defined as follows:

1. Knowledge – Recall of facts, terms, or structures.
2. Comprehension – Understanding of information to apply it in familiar contexts.
3. Application – Using knowledge in new and concrete situations.
4. Analysis – Breaking down information to understand relationships among parts.
5. Synthesis – Combining elements to create a cohesive whole.
6. Evaluation – Making judgments about the value or effectiveness of ideas or methods.

Revised Taxonomy (2001)

In 2001, a group of experts re-envisioned Bloom’s model with a more dynamic approach, shifting from static categories to active processes, represented by verbs instead of nouns. The revised levels are as follows:

1. Remember – Recognize and recall relevant information.
2. Understand – Interpret, classify, and summarize information.
3. Apply – Execute or implement knowledge in different contexts.
4. Analyze – Differentiate and organize information to understand its structure.
5. Evaluate – Critique or judge based on criteria or standards.
6. Create – Generate, plan, and produce new ideas or products.

The revised taxonomy also introduced a complementary structure for types of knowledge:

1. Factual Knowledge – Basic elements and terminology.
2. Conceptual Knowledge – Classifications, theories, and structures.
3. Procedural Knowledge – Skills, techniques, and methods specific to the subject.
4. Metacognitive Knowledge – Awareness of one’s own cognition and strategies.

Why Use Bloom’s Taxonomy?

Bloom’s Taxonomy offers a clear path for designing courses, setting learning goals, and ensuring alignment between objectives, instruction, and assessments. It helps instructors to:

• Clearly define learning objectives.
• Develop targeted instructional activities.
• Create assessments that reflect students’ levels of understanding.

By using Bloom’s Taxonomy, educators can foster structured, meaningful learning experiences that guide students from foundational knowledge toward higher-order thinking and application.

Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning

Comparing Fink’s and Bloom’s Taxonomies: Expanding the Scope of Learning

Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning differs from Bloom’s by broadening the types of learning goals to encompass not only cognitive skills but also affective, interpersonal, and lifelong learning competencies. While Bloom’s Taxonomy focuses primarily on cognitive processes like knowledge recall, analysis, and application, Fink’s model integrates the affective and relational dimensions of learning.

In Fink’s Taxonomy, cognitive skills are placed alongside goals related to Caring, the Human Dimension, and Learning How to Learn, thereby framing learning as a more holistic and interconnected process. This approach encourages educators to consider not just what students should know but also who they are becoming and how they connect with others.

Using Fink’s Taxonomy to Develop Learning Outcomes

Below are suggested questions for creating learning outcomes across each of Fink’s categories, with examples illustrating each goal:

1. Foundational Knowledge
   • Guiding Questions: What essential facts, terms, or concepts should students understand and retain?
   • Examples: Describe key interactions between atmospheric elements, explain core principles of epidemiology.
2. Application
   • Guiding Questions: What should students be able to do with what they’ve learned? Which critical or creative thinking processes are important?
   • Examples: Evaluate research studies, analyze the impact of social narratives on arts, or perform environmental assessments.
3. Integration
   • Guiding Questions: What connections among ideas should students make within the course, across disciplines, or in their lives?
   • Examples: Synthesize statistical data for informed decisions, describe how cultural factors influence historical trends.
4. Human Dimension
   • Guiding Questions: What should students learn about themselves and others? How can they develop self-awareness or empathy?
   • Examples: Reflect on personal biases, demonstrate respect in team settings, and identify personal growth areas.
5. Caring
   • Guiding Questions: What values or attitudes do you want students to develop? How can students connect their learning to personal or societal issues?
   • Examples: Advocate for environmental justice, deepen appreciation for cultural diversity, or value ongoing engagement with the arts.
6. Learning How to Learn
   • Guiding Questions: What strategies will help students become self-directed learners in this course and beyond?
   • Examples: Create a personal learning plan, develop metacognitive skills, and understand how knowledge is constructed in different fields.

Integrated Nature of Fink’s Taxonomy

Unlike Bloom’s hierarchical model, Fink’s taxonomy views these categories as interconnected. Each type of learning can enhance others: for example, caring about a subject can fuel a student’s motivation to engage deeply, while self-knowledge can improve teamwork skills. This integrated approach encourages teaching that fosters growth across all dimensions, preparing students not only to master course content but also to apply it meaningfully in their lives.