In 1956, Benjamin Bloom created a framework for categorizing educational goals, known as Bloom’s taxonomy. Many renderings of Bloom’s taxonomy have been created. My favorites is this depiction in steps whereby verbs to state the outcome are on the bottom of each step and suggested activities to engage the selected proficiency levels are listed on top of each step.

Basically, Bloom’s taxonomy divides proficiency levels into progressively more complex levels, as follows:

• lower levels  (knowledge and comprehension)
• mid levels  (application)
• and high levels (analysis, synthesis, and evaluation).

For example, here is how you could look at an instructional series that goes through the entire range:

• Knowledge: There are 2 life-saving maneuvers you need to know: CPR (to restart the heart and lungs) and the Heimlich maneuver (to unblock airways).
• Comprehension: What are CPR and the Heimlich maneuver? What is similar/different about them? When would you need to use these techniques? Who can perform these techniques? Who can benefit from learning these techniques? Do these techniques differ based on the age of the patient?
• Application: What are the steps to correctly performing CPR and the Heimlich maneuver? (learn to work with infants, children, and adults)
• Analysis: Watch me perform these techniques on a mannequin and tell me what I am doing right, what I need to improve, and how.
• Synthesis: Putting it all together — what, where, when, who, why (e.g., create a flyer teaching others the basics)
• Evaluation: Case studies of CPR and Heimlich maneuver interventions – what worked, what didn’t, and why. What are the emotional aspects associated with these maneuvers for the first-aid giver and receiver? What other first-aid techniques should ___ profession know and why?

Consider the following depictions of Bloom’s taxonomy:

• This illustration captures Bloom’s 6 levels, defines them, lists action verbs, and describes sample behaviors for each level.
• This illustration includes action verbs and matching instructional activities/strategies for each of Bloom’s 6 levels.

The missing step in Bloom’s taxonomy is creation or what I like to call being fully functional. At the creation level, learners understand the process enough to where they can adjust it, duplicate it, and improve it. To continue the example above, the instructional series could be to evaluate the current CPR and Heimlich maneuver handouts and improve them in light of a new style guide or to increase clarity.

I created my own take on Bloom’s taxonomy by using a metaphor for building proficiency, whereby, when creating a learning experience, you ask yourself at what “floor” students are and up to what floor do you wish to take them with your instruction. You also challenge yourself to get out of the “basement”  and get students to do (application level) something with what they learned.