Bloom’s taxonomy has been a part of teacher education for many generations of teachers.  Benjamin Bloom and a group of colleagues first developed the taxonomy in 1956 to describe a hierarchy of educational goals.  The broad base at the bottom of the diagram above represents lower-level thinking.  As you go up the pyramid, the level of thinking increases in complexity and depth.

Understanding the different levels can be a help to parents as they work on activities with kids.

The Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Remember

This is the lowest level of thinking, and involves recalling facts or basic ideas.  If a child has read a story, they might talk about who, what, when, and where things take place.  The child wouldn’t demonstrate depth of understanding, but would just restate what they read.  In math, this could be recalling basic math facts or remembering the definition of a term.

Understand

At this level, a learner explains an idea or concept to demonstrate comprehension.  If they are reading a story, they might be able to discuss characters or explain how and why things are happening in a story.  They could also demonstrate an understanding of a story by summarizing the events.  In math, the learner might be able to use knowledge of a definition to calculate an answer to a problem.

Apply

At this level, the learner applies information they already know to new situations.  They might use prior knowledge to solve a problem or demonstrate an idea. The student might create a model or diorama to show how something works, which is a step beyond simple comprehension.

Analyze

When a child analyzes information, critical thinking truly comes into play.  A child may organize information, compare or contrast, or break down information into parts.  A reader may describe the traits or attributes of a story character.  In math, a child might make inferences or identify patterns.

Evaluate

When a learners operates at this level, they make a decision or take a stand and then defend it with evidence.  A child can look at their understanding of something and weigh its validity.

Create

This is the highest level on the taxonomy, and is the creation of something new and original.  A learner might invent a new product or write a story.

The Practical Uses

If you are a homeschooling parent, you certainly have to begin with the foundational knowledge in the Remember level.  However, you should looks for ways to promote higher-level thinking in your planning.  When you plan activities for your child, think in advance of what you want the outcome to be.  With your child, come up with learning targets for your activities.  A learning target is written in kid-friendly language and starts with the words, “I can…”  I used a form with my students last school year where they recorded learning targets, and then reflected on how well they had reached the target.  More about learning targets later…

Take a few minutes, and watch the following video.  This is a really excellent explanation of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

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