Bloom's Taxonomy in the Modern Classroom

Bloom's Taxonomy is an innovative and creative tool that can be implemented into a classroom. For a more specific definition, Terry Heick summarizes it "In one sentence, Bloom’s Taxonomy is a hierarchical ordering of cognitive skills that can, among countless other uses, help teachers teach and students learn" (teachthought.com). Bloom's Taxonomy is a pyramid-type assessment that truly enforces and enhances a child's comprehension of classroom material. This approach is extremely helpful in promoting critical thinking, creativity, and retention. 

Bloom's Taxonomy can be used in any type of setting, subject, or educational environment. It has even been adapted to fit today's technologically advanced world. This example is called "Bloom's Digital Taxonomy" and it includes a numerous selection of web 2.0 tools and sites. 

In the blog "How to Use Bloom's Taxonomy & Twitter", Matthew Lynch explains one way to implement a web 2.0 tool and this method of teaching. He discusses the importance of using Twitter to connect with students and make learning assignments relevant and fun to do. Matthew Lynch posted an extremely detailed and helpful chart that describes how teacher's can specifically use Twitter for every level of Bloom's Pyramid scheme! I will post the chart down below! 

This chart makes it extremely easy for teachers and students to not only understand Bloom's Taxonomy, but how to make it align with common teaching practices. I loved this chart because it personally showed me how beneficial social media can be if used correctly. 

Another blog that I found helpful in regards to Bloom's Taxonomy was "K-5 iPad Apps According to Bloom's Taxonomy" by Diane Darrow. This blog is tremendously helpful in adapting Bloom's Technology to match today's digital age. The apps she describe perfectly correlate with each of the levels of the pyramid. Her examples match and exemplify the newly revisioned "Bloom's Digital Taxonomy" pyramid. (shown below)

I will now summarize each level of Bloom's Taxonomy in accordance to the chart above and Diane's blog. Diane describes each level and how these concepts match certain apps. She specifically lists content apps must include to match each level, as well as how to use them. She also lists specific apps for every single level.

The first level of Bloom's pyramid is remembering; facts, information, names, and other basic information. Diane explains how difficult that is for children these days since it seems information is constant and overwhelming. To help students better remember, apps need to define/recite information, allow students to locate/find facts, and offer recognition activities. One example she lists for this level is word BINGO. 

For an app to promote the second level of the pyramid, understanding, it must allow students to summarize information and translate concepts in their own words. As well as giving students the ability to recite information they should still be fun and interactive. A specific "understanding" app she lists is Photostory. 

The next stage is applying. This level takes a bit more effort from the students and really asks for them to use their cognitive thinking skills. For an app to be a good fit for this level of the pyramid it should help students demonstrate, calculate, and produce knowledge, skills, and procedures. An app for this level is a geometrical puzzle called Slice it!

The fourth stage is analyzing. This stage demands an even deeper level of thinking and comprehending from students. Analyzing allows students to compare/contrast, organize information, and dissect and reconnect information. A really cool app for this level is VideoScience, which has hundreds of short videos that implement the scientific method in experiments. 

In the fifth and sixth stages, Diane describes the levels of Evaluating and Creating. These are the final stages in Bloom's Taxonomy and require the most "mental power" and overall comprehension. Evaluating helps kids to interpret and judge information. This gives students independence in how they interpret and accept information. It is during this stage that students decide whether to accept or deny information based on what they already know. 

The final stage of the pyramid is Creating. Creating is the stage that puts all this new knowldge into personal gain and relevance. This stage not only challenges a child's creativity, but allows them to demonstrate what they have learned in their own unique way. A really fun app for this final stage that Diane lists is Book Creator. This app allows students to create their own book and share it with anyone! 

There are a lot of important things that I learned from these blogs and Bloom's Taxonomy in general. This pyramid scheme seems like a really creative and innovative way to help students comprehend and retain information better. The main thing I took away is how flexible this method of teaching is. Bloom's Taxonomy can be used for any subject and I believe all students would achieve something from it. Each level produces a different and new perspective of thinking which I find to be important in a child's education. I would love to implement Bloom's Taxonomy in addition to new web 2.0 tools into my classroom. I find the concept of Bloom's Digital Taxonomy to be very intriguing and relevant to the modern classroom. 

I do not really see a challenge in implementing Bloom's Taxonomy into my school/classroom. I think the pyramid concept is fairly easy to understand and recite to students. I believe any lesson can be taught using this scheme whether you choose to use technology or not.