Bloom's Taxonomy

Benjamin Bloom created this taxonomy for categorizing level of abstraction of questions that commonly occur in educational settings. The taxonomy provides a useful structure in which to categorize test questions, since professors will characteristically ask questions within particular levels, and if you can determine the levels of questions that will appear on your exams, you will be able to study using appropriate strategies.

Competence	Skills Demonstrated
Knowledge	observation and recall of information knowledge of dates, events, places knowledge of major ideas mastery of subject matter Question Cues: list, define, tell, describe, identify, show, label, collect, examine, tabulate, quote, name, who, when, where, etc.
Comprehension	understanding information grasp meaning translate knowledge into new context interpret facts, compare, contrast order, group, infer causes predict consequences Question Cues: summarize, describe, interpret, contrast, predict, associate, distinguish, estimate, differentiate, discuss, extend
Application	use information use methods, concepts, theories in new situations solve problems using required skills or knowledge Questions Cues: apply, demonstrate, calculate, complete, illustrate, show, solve, examine, modify, relate, change, classify, experiment, discover
Analysis	seeing patterns organization of parts recognition of hidden meanings identification of components Question Cues: analyze, separate, order, explain, connect, classify, arrange, divide, compare, select, explain, infer
Synthesis	use old ideas to create new ones generalize from given facts relate knowledge from several areas predict, draw conclusions Question Cues: combine, integrate, modify, rearrange, substitute, plan, create, design, invent, what if?, compose, formulate, prepare, generalize, rewrite
Evaluation	compare and discriminate between ideas assess value of theories, presentations make choices based on reasoned argument verify value of evidence recognize subjectivity Question Cues assess, decide, rank, grade, test, measure, recommend, convince, select, judge, explain, discriminate, support, conclude, compare, summarize

* From Benjamin S. Bloom Taxonomy of educational objectives.

取自http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html

Bloom的教學目標，最初是分成認知領域、動作技能領域、情意領域。然後再依據領域分成不同層次。其中認知領域教學目標，由最簡單到最複雜的六個層次，依序為：

1. 知識(Knowledge)
2. 理解(Comprehension)
3. 應用(Application)
4. 分析(Analysis)
5. 綜合(Synthesis)
6. 評鑑(Evaluation)

2001年，Anderson、Krathwohl、Airasian、Cruikshank、 Mayer、Pintrich、Raths與Wittrock主編《Ataxonomy for learning teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives》一書中，修訂Bloom認知分類為「認知歷程向度(Cognitive Process Dimension)」(動詞)、「知識歷程向度(Knowledge Dimension)」(名詞)。

認知歷程向度包括六個層次：

1. 記憶(Remember)
2. 暸解(Understand)
3. 應用(Apply)
4. 分析(Analyze)
5. 評鑑(Evaluate)
6. 創造(Create)

原先的知識層次劃分為動詞層面和名詞層面，動詞層面便是記憶，名詞層面則是知識向度。知識向度又分成四項知識，分別是事實知識(Factual Knowledge)、概念知識(Conceptual nowledge)、程序知識(Procedural Knowledge)、後設認知知識(Metacognitive Knowledge)。

綜觀現今學生學習多重於低層次的記憶與瞭解，為改善學生學習的品質與知識的應用分析與創造，運用PBL(Project or Problem based learning)教學，是可行的教學策略之一。