Response to Bloom's Taxonomy Article

Throughout the course of my ten years as an educator, administrators have dedicated numerous hours of professional development seminars to the study and implementation of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Lesson plans have been screened for evidence of critical and higher order thinking strategies. At first I wasn’t sure exactly how this applied to the learning process when I first began teaching, however as I grew in experience I came to understand what a pivotal ingredient Bloom’s taxonomy is. In my first graduate level course for a Masters Degree in Education we engaged Bloom’s Taxonomy by creating a sample lesson plan incorporating different levels of the taxonomy to represent higher-order thinking skills. For example, any average lesson can ask students to simply regurgitate information learned. A sample question would be to identify the different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Yet by asking us to create a lesson and then incorporate the taxonomy within that lesson, we essentially moved up to higher levels on the taxonomy such as synthesis and evaluation. Being in collaborative groups was extremely useful because we were able to share our ideas and receive instant feedback to our suggestions.
Churches best sums up the significance of Bloom’s Taxonomy by stating, “You cannot understand a concept if you do not first remember it, similarly you can not apply knowledge and concepts if you do not understand them.” Originally published in the 1950s, Bloom’s Taxonomy begins with the more basic skills related to the learning process by first acquiring knowledge of the topic and gradually building upon that knowledge to participate in the evaluation process. Lorin Anderson updated Bloom’s Taxonomy in the 1990s in order to give educators a better understanding of the learning process and how it applies to individual students. My interpretation of Bloom’s Taxonomy suggests that students need to learn how to obtain knowledge in addition to simply storing facts that have been learned over time. Once a student has learned how to obtain knowledge he has actively participated in the learning process and in essence has served as his own teacher. I find this to serve as an apt comparison with the steps of the scientific method for problem solving, in which the student can propose a hypothesis based upon an initial investigation and gradually form a theory based upon repeated exposure to a topic. The long-term goal of incorporating Bloom’s Taxonomy to the learning process is that students will be able to properly apply these critical thinking methods to everyday situations in an attempt to somehow influence a particular aspect of our ever-changing global society. My current role as both teacher and student has taught me that some students will not find a particular topic very interesting and will require more teacher-directed motivation to ensure a successful exchange of knowledge has taken place. Therefore it is the responsibility of the educator to implement a selection of outside sources to bring a different perspective into a lesson. In my class I have used Internet sources, blogs, Newsweek magazine, Newspaper articles, and primary source documents to promote a more in-depth analysis of course materials rather than simply relying upon the textbook.
Yet despite our best intentions students continue to struggle with subjects they find too challenging. I have had similar experiences with mathematics. Once you feel defeated by the subject or that it is beyond your level of comprehension, it alters one’s ability to continue trying. I said to myself that I cannot have success in math, no matter how hard I try. I had several tutors and my parents even paid my teacher to tutor me straight from the book, but my mind was made up that I could not comprehend math. Now I have written off math, in pursuit of subjects I find stimulating and comprehensive. The point remains that even with the greatest attempt at learning, if a person is affected psychologically in a negative way, than all confidence is lost. During my freshman year of college I was diagnosed with a learning disability that affects my brain’s ability to perform computation and verb conjugation associated with the logical or left brain hemisphere. My only concern with Bloom’s Taxonomy is what modifications should be implemented for special education students? In today’s society with 504’s and IEP’s, school officials must be prepared to implement this for an inclusion as well as traditional classroom environment.