BLOOM'S TAXONOMY

Levels of Thinking

  1. KNOWLEDGE
     Remembering by recall or recognition: requires memory only

Verbs: Define, identify, recall, recognize: Who? What? Where? When?

Example: Define a bight. OR What countries are members of the

   European Union?

Knowledge consists of facts, conventions, jargon, technical terms, classifications, categories, and criteria. Knowledge is necessary but not sufficient for solving problems. The ability to answer questions based in knowledge correlates only with a student's memorization skill.  

2. COMPREHENSION
     Grasping the literal message; requires rephrasing or rewording

Verbs: Describe, compare, contrast, in your own words

Example: What is the difference between site and situation?

Comprehension is the ability to understand the meaning of material, but not necessarily to solve problems or relate it to other material. An individual who comprehends something can paraphrase in his or her own words. Information and experimental data can be interpreted, trends and tendencies can be extended or extrapolated. While comprehension is a higher order skill than knowledge, it appears that knowledge is required for comprehension. Testing for comprehension includes essay questions and the interpretation of paragraphs or data.

3. APPLICATION
     Requires use or application of knowledge to reach an answer or
     solve a problem

Verbs: Write an example, apply, classify

Example: Draw a population pyramid for a country with high birth and death rates? OR Give an example of a Latin American country with a high GNP per capita.

 Application is the use of abstract ideas in particular concrete situations. Many straightforward problems with a single solution and a single part fit into this level. Application usually requires remembering and applying ideas, principles and theories.

4. ANALYSIS
     Separate a complex whole into parts; identify motives or causes;
     determine evidence

Verbs: Analyze, support, draw conclusions

Example: What contributes to low rates of natural increase in Eastern Europe? OR Why would a country NOT want to join the EU? 

Analysis often consists of breaking down a complex problem into parts. Each part can then be further broken down or be solved by application of geographic (or other) principles. In addition, the connections and interactions between the different parts can be determined.

5. SYNTHESIS
     Produce original communication, solve a problem (more than one
     possible answer)

Verbs: Write, design, predict, develop

Example: Propose a realistic and just solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Synthesis involves taking many pieces and putting them together to make a new whole. One problem for the professor in teaching synthesis is that there is no longer a single correct answer. Many students, (particularly at the lower levels in Perry's scheme of intellectual development) find synthesis difficult because the process is open-ended and there is no single answer.

6. EVALUATION
     Make judgments, offer opinions

Verbs: Judge, decide, evaluate, assess

Example: Assess the role of the media on your knowledge of world regional geography? OR Was British colonialism good for India?

Evaluation is a judgment about a solution, process, design, report, material, and so forth. The judgment can be based on external or internal criteria. Is the solution logically correct? Is the solution free from mathematical errors? Is the report grammatically correct and easy to understand? Is the argument properly documented? In many problems the evaluation requires external criteria such as analysis of both economics and environmental impact.