Creating Learning Objectives Using Bloom's Taxonomy

Growing Your Skill Set

Using Bloom's Taxonomy to lay out Learning Objectives (Not sure what an objective is? Check out this video) for courses is fundamental when your learner's goals require deep learning. In this context, deeper learning is the ability to take skills learned from one topic and apply to various learning situations. This topic requires lots of examples to clarify what will become a simple premise. Bloom's Taxonomy (Need clarification on Bloom's Taxonomy?) can be used to define what skills your learners will gain from the lesson, unit, quiz, simulation, etc.. This model is commonly used in our educational system today. Naturally, the most basic of learning skills is that of recall, which many argue has/is relied heavily upon within our school systems presently. Think, information presentation and quiz format style of education. The further you move into the model the higher the skills needed to accomplish this level of learning are required.

Consider this, if a learner is expected to recall the information and then implement into a scenario, the skills required will be higher; such as applying knowledge or analyzing information in conjunction with remembering. Using Bloom's Taxonomy to create your course Learning Objectives allows the instructor and the student to be aware of the skills needed to perform the objective.

I make it a point to read Learning Objectives at the beginning of every lesson I participate in. It allows me to see into the future so to speak (no crystal ball required). I may not be aware of the information in detail when starting a lesson, but I can gather what skills I will need to accomplish the task. Prime example, I started a course on the History of the Plague recently (I know, I know, I am morbid). The beginning of the course, provided a snapshot of the overall accomplishments I will be able to perform by the end of the course such as, identify when and where the plague originated, how it affected population growth, socialization, religious attitudes, markets, etc.. Then under each individual unit, another set of Learning Objective was given; such as, you will have the ability to discuss the plague in Italy during the fifteenth century. I can ascertain that by the end of the first unit, I can clearly discuss when the plague originated and how it affected Italy during the fifteenth century. The only issue I have is how in the world and who would want to discuss this topic with me? A better objective would state if I were using this new found knowledge in discussion papers (written assignments) or forums or any other form of communication. A good goal is a clear one and the further into a lesson the more detailed the objective.

Sticking with my awesome class on the plague, a well defined set of objectives will allow students to adhere to the standards of the instruction. So far, after completing Unit 1, I should have the skills needed to perform remembering and understanding and most likely applying, by discussing in written form (discussion paper) the plague in Italy up to the fifteenth century. In Unit 1 Part 2 the instruction begins to move further into the skill sets needed for Higher Order Skills, by requiring a research paper. Obviously, the topic is the plague, but from the start of the course I knew I would have to take the remembering and understanding portions and grow upon my skills and to do so the research paper parameters include analyzing and hypothesizing. Simply put, I have to explain how the plague in Italy may have affected the free market during the fifteenth century. After learning the basic information, I am using that knowledge to master differing skill sets and creating a deeper learning experience, which will eventually allow me to use this skill set on almost any learning opportunity.

Let us clarify one tiny, minuscule, little bitty, teeny weensy thing. The skill set is NOT the plague, that is the information. The skill set is how I take the information on the plague and apply different learning tools, such as research papers, discussion forums/boards, presentations, etc. and allow the information to become deeply ingrained in to my brain files ( I always envision my brain as intricate filing systems...it appeals to my love of order).

The ultimate form of learning then becomes teaching. WHHAAATTTT? That's right, once you have mastered those skill sets on any given set of information the ultimate skill is teaching it to someone else and let me go ahead and tell you it is harder than you think. Why, you might ask? Because, you will want to just give them the information, which we have already established does not really embark upon reaching all the skill sets needed for deeper learning.

Creating Learning Objectives can be complicated, even with the assistance of Bloom's Taxonomy. There are a few things you need to focus on to create objectives...

1. Analyze what you want your students to learn and at what level.

2. Focus on each skill set needed to further the skills required to learn.

3. Include action verbs and adjectives to clarify what is needed and expected from learner. All learning objectives MUST be actionable and measurable. Utilizing the word understanding is not a learning objective, because you can not gauge understanding, you can gauge a level of understanding through application verbiage.

4. Be clear and concise - NO ambiguity.

5. Use tools such as, papers, discussions, games, etc, to increase the learner's ability with a particular skill set with the information you want them to learn.

Still confused? Need more examples? Go here. Next time we will take a look at gathering instructional materials.

Citations:

Images:

Bloom's taxonomy. (2017, April 11). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://studyhub.fxplus.ac.uk/what-critical-thinking/2-bloom%E2%80%99s-taxonomy Bloom's Taxonomy. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from http://ezsnips.squarespace.com/blooms-taxonomy/ Why learning objectives matter when designing learning events. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from http://knowledgehub.cef-see.org/?p=476

Videos:

Blooms Taxonomy: Why, How, & Top Examples. (2017, March 28). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOy3m02uEaE

Quick Teaching Tip: Learning Objectives. (2014, June 18). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfBR8qggpY0