5 Ways Bloom’s Taxonomy Is Used In Primary Education

Introduction

Bloom’s taxonomy is a proven way to make concepts much more accessible for students in all levels of education. This is applicable to primary, middle, secondary and senior secondary education. Students of all levels of education can benefit from the practice of Bloom’s taxonomy. However, to implement this in the practical curriculum in schools, the support and awareness of teachers is needed. This blog will deal with what Bloom’s taxonomy is, and how it is beneficial in primary education.

As educators, you also have to adjust to the whole idea of e-learning and virtual classrooms. The traditional classroom setup is slowly dismantling, leaving behind a gaping hole between the teacher and the students. Technology helps bridge this gap, connecting students and teachers in a more holistic environment.

If you are a teacher at your wits end with how to adjust to the new norm, then I suggest you browse through a few educational websites and online teaching platforms. They would give you a fair idea about what to expect and how to tackle the obstacles that come your way.

Some of the ways in which Bloom’s taxonomy is used in primary education

Below are listed some of the ways in which you can use Bloom’s taxonomy in education of children of the primary category:

1. Using a range of questioning techniques – Questions must be the sort which help and support student learning. These questions make the students more receptive to their doubts, which in turn, makes them better learners
2. Questions should be asked to stimulate interest – The questions which are asked to students should be to increase the interest in their subject and not to make it boring. The students should like what they’re studying.
3. Questions should be asked to summarise important points – Summarization is an important part of learning. The ability to catch and note important points and leave out the rest should be cultivated
4. Questions must be asked to monitor the class’s progress – Progress must be tracked at all times. This makes the students liable and accountable for their own growth
5. It must be remembered that Bloom’s taxonomy can be used by teachers to support the students to reach higher levels of learning

Everything you need to know about Bloom’s taxonomy and its usage in primary education

What is Bloom’s taxonomy?

When students are exposed to a lot of information at the same time, they tend to forget. This poses a problem to universities where students have to remember a lot of information for their tests, evaluations and further research. Hence, there is a way that universities use to make sure students remember what they learn. This is accomplished by trying to enhance the thought processes of students. The simplest way to do that is to ask them to think beyond what they can imagine. Pushing them to test the limits of their imagination is often the best way to do this. This also has a number of other benefits.

1. It encourages mental health in students
2. It encourages mental growth in students and makes them more susceptible to ideas
3. It encourages students to think more clearly and acquire different levels of thinking

Human thinking is broadly classified into six major categories according to Bloom’s taxonomy. And thanks to technology, teachers can use Bloom’s taxonomy not just in primary education but also in university-level classes.

Knowledge

Bloom’s taxonomy improves cognitive function in students. The first level, Knowledge refers to the ability to recall or remember information that was previously attained in order to use it in a way that might benefit the individual. There are several ways of increasing one’s knowledge. One of the ways is to make sure that the remembering part is made easier by asking questions like What, Where, When, Who, Why and How. These words stimulate the individual into extracting information that might be useful which in turn, helps to recall previously gained information.

Words that should be used:

• What
• Where
• When
• Who
• Why
• How

Comprehension

Comprehension is the ability of the individual to make inferences and draw conclusions from the information that is available at hand. This ability promotes students to convert raw information into data and valuable information that they can use. This is also used to teach them how to convert numbers and statistics into information that they can use practically.

Words that should be used:

• Estimate
• Differentiate
• Describe
• Predict

Application

Using information that is already available to individuals in real-life problems is known as application. Facts and information that has been previously learnt is worthless if it is not applied. Hence, application skills need to be honed in students to promote them to make use of the information they have to bring themselves some advantage.

Words that should be used:

• Demonstrate
• Show
• Solve
• Experiment
• Apply

Analysis

The analysis of information refers to the ability to make sure that the information that is provided is broken down in a way that is useful. Useful breakdowns facilitate the examination and processing of information to convert it into data that can be used in real life. Working on analytical skills is very useful as it helps students make sure that they use whatever they learn in their real lives, and not just on assignments and tests.

Words that should be used:

• Separate
• Explain
• Compare
• Arrange
• Classify

Synthesis

Since not every information is complete, students need to have the ability to combine information from different sources to extract meaning. Hence, the process of synthesizing helps students to make information clearer and enhance comprehension of the data. Observation of patterns is one excellent way to synthesize data that seems meaningless.

Words that should be used:

• Rearrange
• Invent
• Create
• What if
• Design

Evaluation

Lastly, the ability to evaluate information is to work with that data with respect to the kind of criteria that has already been given. Conforming to constraints is very important for students. Hence, this last step helps them to narrow-down the information that they have to suit the criteria they have been provided with. This also enhances an individual’s decision-making abilities.

Words that should be used:

• Assess
• Compare
• Summarize
• Select
• Conclude
• Measure
• Explain

How concept mapping is an effective way to teach children complicated and abstract concepts

An alternative to Bloom’s would be concept mapping that is often used in workspaces to explain and simplify complicated ideas. Concept mapping is a technique that helps students understand abstract ideas in ways that are practical and concrete. It also helps students connect different ideas together in ways that improve their cognitive function.

Here are some of the ways in which concept mapping is beneficial to students who want to learn more about complicated and abstract ideas:

1. Brainstorming – When you are creating a concept map, you need to create ideas that help you explain the concept better. Hence, this helps you combine different diverse threads of understanding to make comprehension easier.
2. Enhanced communication – Communication is key for understanding and concept maps link words which help students with that. Clear communication also promotes doubt clearance and easier understanding of the concept.
3. Evaluation – Evaluation is one of the most crucial parts of information processing. This is needed when a student has to create reports with regard to information that is presented to them in statistical form.
4. Integration – Integration is not just related to acquiring newer concepts. It is also related to linking those new concepts with information that already exists in the students. Linking these concepts makes coherence between thoughts easier. This makes students correlate information in a better way, which helps them to remember knowledge when it is required. Application in real-life is greatly enhanced by this.
5. Learning of new concepts – This is a lifelong activity for students. New concepts are very easy to deal with if they are accompanied with diagrams and examples. This also promotes their analytical skills, which help them become more logic-driven individuals.
6. Gain of knowledge – When the new concepts have been learnt, a student has to accentuate the information with practice and refined thought. This is a long term benefit that can be associated with concept mapping.

How is concept mapping implemented in classrooms?

Concept mapping acts as a strong motivator for students to learn concepts in depth. It also promotes learning that is diverse and related. Coherence established through learning of this sort makes it very easy for primary students to make informed choices and better decisions. Honing their analytical-skills also makes them better decision-makers right from the beginning, which helps students decide for themselves which information they would like to keep and what they would like to discard. Exposing primary children to these advanced education techniques makes them susceptible to better decisions, analytical skills and productive lives.

Author’s bio: As an assignment expert, Jane delivers online sessions at Expert Assignment Help (UK), helping students with writing essays and assignments. She is also one of the co-founders and education consultants at Top My Grades. Beyond work, you can find her at community homework workshops as a volunteer helping students in need of private tutoring with their homework.