30 January 2010

6 Steps of Learning: Changing the Way We Think.

Bloom's Taxonomy was introduced to me quite a while ago... and I'm sure that it is very common to see the steps being used in the classroom. The problem I always ran into was not what was being done in the classroom, but did students understand why they were doing what they were doing. Learning is not about grasping after ideas, but rather conveying methodology for conceptual enlightenment. This being the case, I considered it my job... obligation to inform my students about the "why" behind the "you will learn!"

Bloom's Taxonomy, when broken down and explained as steps, allows a student to begin to take charge of his or her learning. I must admit that I first introduced Bloom as a five minute "filler" at the end of a class one day, but it turned out to be something much better than staving off a mutiny. Letting students see what the process looks like from the teacher point of view shows them that there is a respect for them as scholars. They will enjoy the trust and dividends will be noticed!

These are 6 fundamental steps to being successful as a student or teacher. They are:

1. Gaining Knowledge

- Gather information from sources.

2. Comprehension

- Make sure that what you're learning makes sense.

3. Analyzing the Importance of what you are Learning

- Investigate and think about the knowledge you are learning.

4. Applying this Knowledge

- Make sure it has a connection to something you're working on.

5. Synthesize

- Create "art" from what you have been studying. Make a product!

6. Evaluate

- Go back and look at the process. See what you did well and think about how it could be better!

1 comment:

  1. There's also an updated version of this taxonomy - written by a former student of Bloom's. I posted a little bit on it on my blog. It's an updated posting from earlier this week, after Dr. Burgos reminded me that I left off a picture within the posting itself. You commented on the original post - but that was before I included the information on the updated theory. Hope you enjoy it.

    ReplyDelete