"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited" — Plutarch

Bloom's Taxonomy was developed in the 1950s by Benjamin Bloom. It has been revised many times by different people. However, it fundamentally remains the same.

Bloom's Taxonomy is a set of words which describes both higher-order and lower-order thinking processes. It allows us to discuss teaching issues and gives us a foundation for creating teaching material as well as reviewing teaching processes.

Here is a list of terminology, from low-order thinking to high-order thinking:

Knowledge

Select, List, Name, Define, Describe, Memorize, Label, Identify, Locate, Recite, State, Recognize

Comprehension

Match, Restate, Paraphrase, Rewrite, Give examples, Express, Illustrate, Explain, Defend, Distinguish, Summarize, Interrelate, Interpret, Extend

Application

Organize, Generalize, Dramatize, Prepare, Produce, Choose, Sketch, Apply, Solve, Draw, Show, Paint

Analysis

Compare, Analyze, Classify, Point out, Distinguish, Categorize, Differentiate, Subdivide, Infer, Survey, Select, Prioritize

Synthesis

Compose, Originate, Hypothesize, Develop, Design, Combine, Construct, Produce, Plan, Create, Invent, Organize

Evaluation

Judge, Relate, Weight, Criticize, Support, Evaluate, Consider, Critique, Recommend, Summarize, Appraise, Compare

Bloom's taxonomy allows for lesson plans to be created that are suitable for all types of students. Students can start of with tasks that require only lower-order thinking, but progress to higher-order thinking as they are able to. As an example, The Halting Problem has a set of questions which follows this sequence.

Further Reading

• Wikipedia: Bloom's Taxonomy