libterm.com Anderson and Krathwohl's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy refines the original framework by reorganizing the cognitive process dimension into six categories: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. This revision emphasizes active thinking skills and incorporates a knowledge dimension, enhancing its utility for educators in designing curricula and assessments that foster higher-order thinking. Explore the rest of this article to discover how you can apply these principles to improve learning outcomes.
Table of Comparison
| Aspect | Bloom's Taxonomy (1956) | Anderson and Krathwohl's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (2001) |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Six hierarchical categories: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation | Two-dimensional framework: Knowledge Dimension and Cognitive Process Dimension |
| Cognitive Categories | Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create (original terms differ) | Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create (updated action verbs) |
| Knowledge Dimension | Implicit | Explicit: Factual, Conceptual, Procedural, Metacognitive knowledge |
| Verb Usage | Nouns (e.g., Knowledge, Comprehension) | Action verbs (e.g., Remember, Understand) |
| Order of Highest-Level Cognitive Process | Evaluation is highest | Creation is highest |
| Focus | Static hierarchy emphasizing knowledge types | Dynamic framework integrating knowledge and cognitive processes |
| Application | Widely used in curriculum design and assessment | Enhanced guidance for modern educational objectives and assessments |
Introduction to Bloom’s Taxonomy
Bloom's Taxonomy, originally developed in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom, is a hierarchical framework for categorizing educational goals into cognitive domains such as Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. Anderson and Krathwohl's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy, published in 2001, updated this framework by renaming categories to verbs and reorganizing them as Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating, emphasizing a more dynamic conception of learning processes. This revision enhances clarity and practical application in modern educational settings, promoting active learning and critical thinking skills.
Overview of Anderson and Krathwohl’s Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
Anderson and Krathwohl's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy updates the original Bloom's framework by integrating a two-dimensional model consisting of cognitive processes and knowledge dimensions, offering a more dynamic approach to classifying educational objectives. This revision replaces the original noun-based categories with verbs, emphasizing action and cognitive engagement, and adds the knowledge dimension, which differentiates between factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge. These changes enhance instructional design by providing educators with a structured yet flexible tool to develop learning outcomes, assessments, and activities aligned with varying levels and types of learning.
Historical Background of Both Taxonomies
Bloom's Taxonomy, developed by Benjamin Bloom in 1956, established a hierarchical classification of cognitive skills aimed at enhancing educational objectives. Anderson and Krathwohl's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy, introduced in 2001, updated the original model by incorporating current cognitive psychology research, changing the categories from nouns to verbs to reflect dynamic cognitive processes. The revision also restructured the taxonomy into a two-dimensional framework, including cognitive process and knowledge dimensions, to improve applicability in modern educational settings.
Structural Differences Between the Two Models
Anderson and Krathwohl's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy redefines the original cognitive domain by converting noun-based categories into dynamic verb forms, emphasizing cognitive processes like "Remembering," "Understanding," and "Applying" instead of static knowledge categories. The revised model introduces a two-dimensional framework that distinguishes between the cognitive process dimension and the knowledge dimension, enhancing the clarity of learning objectives and assessment strategies. Structural differences also include the rearrangement of levels with "Creating" positioned as the highest order cognitive skill, replacing "Evaluation" from the original Bloom's hierarchy.
Changes in Knowledge and Cognitive Domains
Anderson and Krathwohl's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy redefines the Knowledge domain as the "Knowledge Dimension," encompassing factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge, compared to the original taxonomy's static categorization. The Cognitive Process Dimension shifts from noun-based categories (e.g., Knowledge, Comprehension) to verb-based ones (e.g., Remembering, Understanding), emphasizing dynamic cognitive activities. This revision enhances clarity and applicability in educational objectives by integrating a two-dimensional framework that better captures the complexity of learning processes.
Action Words: Original vs Revised Taxonomy
Bloom's original taxonomy uses action words like Remember, Understand, and Apply to categorize cognitive skills, emphasizing static knowledge acquisition. Anderson and Krathwohl's revised taxonomy replaces these with more dynamic verbs such as Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create, reflecting a shift towards active learning and higher-order thinking processes. The revised version emphasizes cognitive processes through measurable verbs, promoting explicit instructional design and assessment strategies.
Reordering of Cognitive Processes
Anderson and Krathwohl's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy reorders the original cognitive processes by placing "Creating" at the highest level, reflecting its role in complex intellectual tasks, whereas Bloom's original taxonomy ranked "Evaluation" as the pinnacle. The revised version also changes "Synthesis" to "Creating" and moves "Evaluating" one step lower, emphasizing the construction of new ideas over judgment. This reordering aligns cognitive objectives more closely with modern educational goals and learning assessments.
Applications in Modern Education
Anderson and Krathwohl's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy enhances modern education by shifting from noun-based categories to verb-based cognitive processes, promoting active learning and critical thinking skills. This revision emphasizes applying, analyzing, and evaluating knowledge in real-world contexts, which aligns with contemporary educational goals of fostering problem-solving and adaptability. In contrast, the original Bloom's Taxonomy primarily categorized cognitive domains statically, lacking the dynamic emphasis on application and metacognition crucial for today's curriculum design and instructional strategies.
Advantages of the Revised Taxonomy
Anderson and Krathwohl's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy enhances the original model by incorporating a two-dimensional framework that differentiates between cognitive processes and knowledge dimensions, allowing for more precise instruction design and assessment. The revised taxonomy updates terminology, changing nouns to verbs (e.g., "Knowledge" to "Remembering") to emphasize active learning and better reflect modern educational practices. This framework supports educators in creating clearer learning objectives and promotes critical thinking through its dynamic structure.
Conclusion: Selecting the Right Framework
Selecting the right framework between Anderson and Krathwohl's Revised Bloom's Taxonomy and the original Bloom's Taxonomy depends on instructional goals and assessment needs. The Revised Taxonomy introduces a two-dimensional model with cognitive processes and knowledge dimensions, offering a more dynamic approach to categorizing learning objectives. Educators seeking a nuanced and updated framework that reflects contemporary educational practices often prefer the Revised Taxonomy for its clarity and applicability.
Anderson and Krathwohl’s Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Infographic
