Term: Taxonomy of learning outcomes
« Back to Glossary IndexA taxonomy of learning outcomes is a group of learning outcomes categorised according to the domain of learning and organised according to the depth and type of learning.
Some taxonomies are
- The revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
- Bloom’s digital taxonomy
- Bloom’s taxonomy of the cognitive domain
- Dee Fink’s Taxonomy of significant learning
- Haskell’s taxonomies of transfer of learning
- Mezirow’s taxonomy
- The SOLO taxonomy
- Web’s Depth of Knowledge
Bloom’s Taxonomy – Revised
Here is a version of the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. The first column contains levels of cognitive learning organised from the simplest (remembering) to the greatest depth (creating). The second column contains the definition and the third, action verbs that describe what you could see the students do at each level.
| Cognitive Process | Definition | Relevant Action Verbs |
| Create | Produce new or original work | Design, assemble, construct, conjecture, develop, formulate, author, investigate |
| Evaluate | Justify a stand or decision | Appraise, argue, defend, judge, select, support, value, critique, weigh |
| Analyse | Draw connections between ideas | Differentiate, organise, relate, compare, contrast, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test |
| Apply | Use information in new situations | execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch |
| Understand | Explain ideas or concepts | Classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, locate, recognise, report, select, translate |
| Remember | Recall facts and basic concepts | Define, duplicate, list, memorise, repeat, state |
Adapted from Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved 14-7-23 from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/.
Pitfalls
A quick internet search will turn up other versions of this taxonomy, but with the same verbs at different levels. For example, here, “identify” is associated with “understand”, but in other versions of the taxonomy it is associated with “remember”. To avoid students performing at a lower than required level, you need to ensure they are using the same definitions you are.
Some people assume that the order of the levels of learning in Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy are the same as the order in which learning occurs, so that a student must remember before they can understand, understand before they can apply and apply before they can analyse etc. Students can learn in that order, but it is not necessary, and certainly not desirable as it can slow down learning. Generative learning involves understanding occurring at the same time as remembering.
See Also
- Taxonomies of Learning by Leslie Owen Wilson
- Taxonomies of Educational Objectives | Encyclopedia.com
References
- Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved 14-7-23
- Biggs, J. B., & Collis, K. F. (2014). Evaluating the Quality of Learning: The SOLO Taxonomy (A. J. Edward, Ed.). Academic Press
- Calais, J. (2006). Haskell’s Taxonomies of Transfer of Learning: Implications For Classroom Instruction. National Forum of Applied Educational Research Journal, 20(3).
- Churches, A. (2009). Bloom’s digital taxonomy. Educational Origami, 4, 43.
- Krathwohl, D. R. (2002). A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(4), Article 4.
- “The six facets of understanding” in Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2008). Understanding by design (Expanded 2nd ed). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
- Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning- in Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2015). _Learning assessment techniques: A handbook for college faculty_ [Kindle book]. Jossey-Bass.