Bloom & Gagnè

Theories of Learning

Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Cognitive Domain

• Affective Domain

• Psychomotor Domain

Cognitive Domain

• Recall/memorization

• Conceptual thought

• Critical analysis

Affective Domain

• Attitude – choice of action

• Draws from cognitive domain information

• Measurement difficulties

Psychomotor Domain

• Learn skill; Refine it (cognitive)– Breakdown into components– Practice each step until natural

The Memory Process

• Sensory stimulation

• Short-term memory

• Internal operations– Decision to retain– Organization/association

Gagnè’s Learned Capability Hierarchy

Facts

Concepts

Rules (Principles)

Problem Solving

Behavioral Objectives

• Action • Object

Type a report

Write a sentence

Name a country

New Taxonomies

• Proposed in 2007– Robert Marzano and John Kendall

• The New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives– Proposes revising Bloom’s

New Theory

• Separates various types of knowledge from the mental processes that operate on them

• Divided into 6 levels

• Psychomotor and Affective domains are included in the levels of processing

Level 1

• Retrieval (Cognitive system)– Recognition, recall, or execution of knowledge– No in-depth analysis of information

• When presented with statements about specific details, the student validates their accuracy (recognition)

• When asked about specific details, the student produces related information (recall)

Level 1

• When asked, the student performs the mental skill without significant error (example: map reading) (Executing tasks)

• The student performs the psychomotor skill without significant error (Properly stretching muscles) (Executing tasks)

Level 2

• Comprehension (Cognitive System)– Includes the integration and symbolic

representation of more important aspects of knowledge.

Level 2

• The student describes the logic of the steps involved in a mental skill (Integrating tasks)

• The students identifies essential vs. nonessential elements of specific details (Integrating tasks)

– i.e. Identify those events that happened at the Alamo that were critical to its outcome versus those that were not

• The students describes the logic of the steps involved in a psychomotor skill (Integrating tasks)

Level 2

• The student accurately represents the major aspects of details in nonlinguistic or abstract form (Symbolizing tasks)

– i.e. Using the program Inspiration, represent the key events from the play Death of a Salesman

– i.e. Design a graph that represents the generalization that “dictators rise to power when countries are weak by promising them strength”

Level 3

• Analysis (Cognitive system)– Five analysis processes

• Matching, classifying, analyzing errors, generalizing, and specifying

Level 3

• The student identifies errors made during the execution of a mental skill (Analyzing errors)

• The student constructs and defends new generalizations and principles based on specific information (Generalizing)

• The student makes and defends inferences about what might happen or must happen under certain conditions relative to a mental skill (Specifying)

Level 4

• Knowledge Utilization– Used or applied knowledge in specific

situations• 4 Processes

– Decision making, problem solving, experimenting, and investigating

Level 4

• What is the best location of the three provided areas for the new waste disposal plant? (Decision making)

• The school play production has no budget for set materials, only boxes are available for construction. Draw a sketch of the stage for a particular scene and explain your use of the boxes (Problem solving)

• Develop a test hypothesis regarding public transportation vs. individual vehicles (Experimenting)

Level 4 continued

• Identify one of the conflicting accounts of the JFK assassination and investigate what is known about it (Investigating)

Level 5

• Metacognition– 4 categories

• Specifying one’s own goals of understanding

• Process monitoring

• Monitoring clarity

• Monitoring accuracy

Level 5

• Metacognition– Specifying one’s own goals of understanding

• What is a goal you have or might have relative to your ability to use PowerPoint?

– Process monitoring• We have been studying the history of space flight.

Select some aspects that you would like to understand better

Level 5

• Metacognition– Monitoring clarity

• Identify those aspects of using PowerPoint about which you are confused. What is causing confusion?

– Monitoring accuracy• Identify those aspects of using PowerPoint about

which you are sure you are correct. Provide evidence.

Level 6

• Self-system Thinking– 4 aspects

• Examining importance

• Examining efficacy

• Examining emotional response

• Examining motivation

Level 6

– Examining importance• Analyzing the extent in which one believes that

specific knowledge is important

– Examining efficacy• Extent individual can improve understanding,

competence, or effective use of information

Level 6

– Examining emotional response• Analyzing the extent in which one identifies what

emotions, if any, relate to specific knowledge

– Examining motivation• Analyzing overall motivation to improve one’s

understanding of or competence in a specific type of knowledge

Marzano, Robert J., and John S. Kendall. (2007). The New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, 2nd ed. California: Corwin Press.