BLOOM'S DIGITAL TAXONOMY

It is hard to believe, but it has been over sixty years since the publication of Taxonomy of Educational Objectives which were devised "to improve communication between educators on the design of curricula and examinations."(1) Teachers have been using this model to inform instruction based on the levels of thinking, learning and understanding named after Benjamin Bloom. He was actually the chair of the committee that set out to classify learning objectives.

In the 1990's work was done to create a revised edition of Bloom's taxonomy, where the levels were renamed and changed to: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create (rather than Synthesize). But even that revision is now almost twenty years old, a long time in our rapidly changing educational environment.

Many believe that the time has come for the next major revision to include the digital world where most of today's students live and learn. Commonsense Media states, "This updated version aims to expand upon the skills associated with each level as technology becomes a more engrained – and essential - part of learning."

For a fascinating look at the proposed new model and to see how it might inform your instructional strategies, watch this short video --> BLOOM'S DIGITAL TAXONOMY




(1)Bloom et al. 1956, p. 4: "The idea for this classification system was formed at an informal meeting of college examiners attending the 1948 American Psychological Association Convention in Boston. At this meeting, interest was expressed in a theoretical framework which could be used to facilitate communication among examiners.