Bloom's Taxonomy of Cognitive Levels of Learning

BloomsTaxonomyidentifieslevelsofcognitivelearning.Theselevelsarearranged frommentalfunctionsthataresimplertothosethataremorecomplex.Followingeach levelthereareexamplesofthekindsofactivitiesthatinvolveeachleveloflearning.

Knowledge
thelowestleveloflearning,oftenridiculedasbeingboringandoflittle worth;nevertheless,beingabletolist,order,memorize(seehandouton strategies)orrepeatareallbasiccognitivefunctions;inisolationthis kindofcognitivelearningisofquestionableuse;giftedmathstudents showknowledgeofproceduresevenintheabsenceofcontent,an indicationthatknowledgeisanecessaryprerequisitetohigherlevelsof learning;thesamemaybetrueforlanguagelearning:thebasicsof grammarmustbecontrolledbeforeprogressingtohigherlevelsof content;theteachermustlearntopresentthesebasicsinaninteresting waybyembeddingorderlylistsofwordsandgrammaticalparadigmsin acommunicativecontext (listing,memorizing,ordering,repeating)

Comprehension
thislevelofcognitivefunctioningisofconsiderableinteresttofacilitators ofsecondlanguageacquirers(formerlyknownasteachers),butwhile comprehensibleinputisessentialforsuccessfullanguagelearning,the activityisstillatalowcognitivelevel;descriptionsofparagraphlength andnarrationinthepast,present,andfutureareidentifiedbyACTFLas advancedlanguagefunctions (describing,discussing,explaining,identifying,locating, narratingrecognizing,selecting,translating,classifying)

Application
thisinvolvesanumberofcommonlyusedlanguagelearningactivities, especiallydemonstrating,dramatizing(theuseofskitsisatesting techniqueusedduringoralproficiencyinterviews),interpreting,and writingofcompositions;gamesandtestsofteninvolvechoosing; teachersoftenillustratewithpictures;acommontechniquefortesting comprehensionistorequestthatstudentssketch

(applying,choosing,demonstrating,dramatizing,illustrating, interpreting,solving,using,writing,sketching)

Analysis
thisandthenexttwolevelsrequirelanguagethatismorecomplexandis thereforetheactivitieslistedareoftennotfoundinlowerlevelsecond languageclasses;recentstandardsdevelopedbyACTFLencourage contrast,comparison,anddifferentiation (analyzing,appraising,calculating,comparing,contrasting, criticizing,differentiating,experimenting,questioning,testing)

Synthesis
useofcollaborativetechniquescanfacilitatesynthesis;ACTFL performanceassessmentunitsemphasizethesekindsofactivitiesfor languagelearninginacooperativeframework;studentsmaybeaskedto makeaclasspresentationonacountrytowhichtheywanttotravel;in ordertocarryouttheproject,thestudentsmustplanandmanagetheir activities,assembleinformation,andcreateadesignapresentation (arranging,assembling,collecting,composing,constructing, creating,designing,developing,formulating,managing, planning)

Evaluation
thehighestlevelofcognitivelearningpresentsmanyofthehallmarksof languagefunctionatthesuperiorlevel,usingACTFLterminology; learnersatthatlevelmustbeabletousethesecondlanguageto hypothesizeandsupportopinion;thesekindsofcognitivefunction requireirrealismood(subjunctive,potential,hypothetical,and conditionalmoods);evenatasimpleleveloflanguage,however, studentscanusesimpletensestopredictactionsorstatesinthefuture (appraising,arguingassessing,attaching,choosing,comparing, defending,estimating,judging,predicting,selecting,supporting, valuing,evaluating). Aswiththesixskillsandthesevenintelligences,thesixlevelsofthetexonomy provideyouwiththeopportunityforordereddevelopmentovertimewith tremendouspotentialforatremendousvarietyofstudentperformanceinclass.