Bloom's Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives
The Taxonomy
Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive objectives, originated by Benjamin Bloom and collaborators in the 1950's, describes several categories of cognitive learning.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Knowledge | Ability to recall previously learned material. |
| Comprehension | Ability to grasp meaning, explain, restate ideas. |
| Application | Ability to use learned material in new situations. |
| Analysis | Ability to separate material into component parts and show relationships between parts. |
| Synthesis | Ability to put together the separate ideas to form new whole, establish new relationships. |
| Evaluation | Ability to judge the worth of material against stated criteria. |
Note: Many people also call the analysis, synthesis, and evaluations categories "problem solving."
Key Verbs
Below are key verbs associated with each cognitive domain. Using verbs such as these is beneficial to writing effective learning objectives.
| Knowledge | Comprehension | Application | Analysis | Synthesis | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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