Incorporating Bloom's Taxonomy into your active learning design enhances the learning experience by providing a structured framework to plan, categorise, and validate activities. By aligning activities with the three domains of Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor, and focusing on key Bloom’s learning verbs, instructional designers can create engaging, dynamic, and effective learning experiences that target a variety of skills and outcomes.
Table of Contents:
- Introduction to Bloom's Taxonomy
- What are the 3 domains of Bloom's taxonomy and an explanation of each domain
- What are the 6 cognitive domains of Bloom's taxonomy and why are they so popular?
- Aligning Active Learning Strategies with Bloom's Domains
- Examples of Effective Active Learning Activities
- Validating Active Learning Strategies
- The difference between Bloom's taxonomy and the revisions by Andersons or Krathwohl
- Why Bloom’s Taxonomy Shouldn’t Be Shown as a Pyramid
- Benefits and Risks of Using Bloom's Taxonomy in Active Learning
- One Thing You Can Try Today
- Conclusion
- Try it Yourself
- Related Topics
Introduction to Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom's Taxonomy, developed by Benjamin Bloom in 1956, is a hierarchical classification system for cognitive skills. In simple terms, Bloom's taxonomy has three domains, or areas of focus: Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor. Each domain helps to categorise learning outcomes that help to ensure the learning outcomes address the subject matter and the depth of learning required.
The taxonomy is instrumental for instructional designers seeking to create learning activities that encourage goal alignment, deeper understanding and higher-order thinking. By leveraging Bloom’s Taxonomy, you can design your active learning strategies to ensure comprehensive cognitive development in your learners. Each domain has corresponding action verbs that guide the formulation of educational objectives.
2. What are the 3 domains of Bloom's taxonomy and an explanation of each domain
Bloom’s Taxonomy runs on the idea that we can categorise learning into three distinct areas, with each domain addressing a different aspect of knowledge and skill development.
Cognitive Domain (Thinking) – This domain focuses on intellectual skills and knowledge acquisition. It progresses from basic recall of facts (Remembering) to higher-order thinking skills such as Applying, Analysing, Evaluating, and Creating. It is widely used in curriculum design to develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Affective Domain (Feeling) – This domain relates to emotions, attitudes, and values. It ranges from simply receiving information (Receiving) to developing deep personal commitment and character (Internalising Values). It is crucial in fields like ethics education, leadership training, and emotional intelligence development.
Psychomotor Domain (Doing) – This domain involves physical skills and motor coordination. It moves from basic actions (Imitation) to mastery and naturalisation of complex tasks (Origination). It is essential in hands-on disciplines such as medical training, sports, and technical skills development.
Understanding and integrating concepts from one, two or all three of these domains will help learning designers, trainers and educators, to create well-rounded learning experiences that develop knowledge, attitudes, and practical abilities. Utilisation of each is highly dependent on your learners, the topic and the intended learning outcomes.
3. What are the six cognitive domains of Bloom's taxonomy and why are they so popular?
The Cognitive domain within Bloom's Taxonomy is, unduly, the most widely used framework for both higher education and workplace learning, structuring learning objectives into six hierarchical levels of thinking:
- Remembering – Recalling facts, concepts, or procedures (e.g., memorising industry regulations).
- Understanding – Explaining ideas or concepts (e.g., summarising a research paper or company policy).
- Applying – Using knowledge in real-world situations (e.g., troubleshooting a technical issue).
- Analysing – Breaking down information to understand relationships and patterns (e.g., evaluating business data or research findings).
- Evaluating – Making judgments based on criteria (e.g., assessing the effectiveness of a strategy or argument).
- Creating – Generating new ideas, solutions, or innovations (e.g., designing a new course module or business proposal).
Why is the cognitive domain more prominent?
The cognitive domain dominates both academic and workplace learning because it aligns with knowledge-based assessment methods and skills essential for problem-solving, decision-making, and innovation. In higher education, structured curricula prioritise knowledge acquisition and critical thinking, which are easily measured through assignments, exams, and research outputs. In workplace learning, cognitive skills underpin key professional competencies such as analytical reasoning, strategic thinking, and continuous learning, making them fundamental for career development.
While the affective domain (emotions, values, and attitudes) and psychomotor domain (physical skills and coordination) play crucial roles - particularly in leadership development, teamwork, and technical training - the cognitive domain remains the foundation of most learning strategies due to its measurable outcomes and direct impact on professional and academic success. However, as organisations and universities increasingly prioritise the development of human skills, there is increasing recognition of the need to integrate emotional intelligence and hands-on skill development alongside cognitive growth alone.
4. Aligning Active Learning Strategies with Bloom's Domains
To effectively utilise Bloom’s Taxonomy in active learning, you must align your strategies with an appropriate domains. Within the Cognitive domain here are some examples to consider.
- Remembering use flashcards, rich media, or quizzes.
- Understanding can be bolstered through discussions or concept mapping.
- Applying challenge learners to use their knowledge in practical scenarios.
- Analysing requires breaking information into parts, such as case studies or data analysis works well.
- Evaluating involves making judgments, possibly through discussion or assessments.
- Creating can include projects where learners design or build something new.
This alignment helps ensure that activities cater to varying depths of knowledge and cognitive processing.
5. Examples of Effective Active Learning Activities
Selecting active learning activities that correspond to Bloom’s three domains enriches the learning experience and fosters comprehensive development.
Cognitive Domain
Activities like timed quizzes (Remembering), peer-teaching sessions or summarising articles (Understanding), and interactive simulations or real-world problem-solving tasks (Applying) encourage critical thinking and skill application. Analysing could involve interpreting data sets or conducting comparative studies, while Evaluating might include peer reviews or ethical debates. Creating can shine through tasks like designing a robot, drafting a marketing plan, or prototyping a solution to a community challenge.
Affective Domain
Activities can target emotional engagement and value alignment. For instance, group discussions (Responding), reflecting on case studies (Valuing), or collaborating on a project that connects to societal issues (Organising) help learners connect personally with the material.
Psychomotor Domain
Hands-on tasks like building models, conducting experiments, or practicing physical skills such as calibrating instruments (Imitating, Practicing) align with active learning principles. These activities ensure a well-rounded approach to learning by incorporating thinking, feeling, and doing.
6. Validating Active Learning Strategies
Validation is crucial to ensure active learning strategies effectively address Bloom’s domains. Begin by mapping each activity to its appropriate domain and level (e.g., Remembering in the Cognitive Domain, Responding in the Affective Domain, or Practicing in the Psychomotor Domain). Collect feedback and assess learning outcomes using tools such as pre- and post-assessments. For example, formative quizzes or short reflective writing prompts can measure knowledge and emotional engagement gains, while direct observation can assess skill development in psychomotor tasks.
Incorporate learner feedback and monitor how well activities meet their intended goals. Ask questions such as:
- Did learners engage critically with the material?
- Did they reflect on their values or emotional responses?
- Were physical skills practiced and improved?
Use these data to adjust and refine your strategies, ensuring they balance all three domains and drive meaningful, measurable outcomes in the learning process.
7. The difference between Bloom's taxonomy and the revisions by Andersons or Krathwohl
Bloom’s Taxonomy was developed in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom and colleagues, however, in 2001, Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl revised the framework to reflect modern understandings of learning and cognition.
Key Differences Between the Original and Revised Taxonomy
- Changes in Terminology – The revised version shifts from static nouns to dynamic verbs, better reflecting the active nature of learning. For example:
- Knowledge → Remember
- Comprehension → Understand
- Application → Apply
- Analysis → Analyse
- Synthesis → Create (previously 'Synthesis' and now at the highest level)
- Evaluation → Evaluate (moved down a level)
- Reordering of Levels – The highest-order thinking skill in the original taxonomy was Evaluation, but in the revised model, Create takes the top position. This reflects a modern emphasis on innovation and problem-solving, particularly relevant in today’s knowledge economy and workplace learning.
- Two-Dimensional Model – The revised taxonomy introduces a Knowledge Dimension, distinguishing different types of knowledge (Factual, Conceptual, Procedural, and Metacognitive). This addition allows for a more nuanced understanding of learning, especially useful in fields like instructional design and competency-based education.
Why Was Bloom’s Taxonomy Revised?
The revision acknowledges that learning is more dynamic and complex than the original framework suggested. By shifting to action-oriented verbs and recognising different types of knowledge, Anderson and Krathwohl’s model better aligns with modern educational and professional training needs. It is now widely used in curriculum design, instructional technology, and corporate learning strategies, helping educators and trainers foster deeper learning and real-world application.
8. Why Bloom’s Taxonomy Shouldn’t Be Shown as a Pyramid
Bloom’s Taxonomy is often depicted as a pyramid, implying a strict progression from lower-order to higher-order thinking. However, this can be misleading:
- Learning Isn’t Linear – Learners don’t always master Remembering before moving to Creating. Higher-order thinking can develop alongside basic recall.
- Cognitive Processes Are Interconnected – Understanding, Applying, and Evaluating often overlap rather than occur in sequence.
- All Levels Matter – The pyramid suggests lower levels are less important, but in some fields (e.g., medicine), factual recall is just as crucial as problem-solving.
- A More Flexible Model Exists – Anderson & Krathwohl’s revision presents Bloom’s Taxonomy as a grid, recognising learning as a dynamic process rather than a rigid hierarchy.
A better alternative is to depict Bloom’s levels as a web, spectrum, or matrix, reflecting how learners move fluidly between cognitive processes.
9. Benefits and Risks of Using Bloom’s Taxonomy in Active Learning
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy in active learning brings numerous benefits. It promotes structured learning design, encourages deep cognitive engagement, and caters to a diverse range of thinking skills. However, there are some risks. Over-reliance on taxonomy may lead to rigid plans, limiting the spontaneity of learning. It may also overwhelm educators with the need for intricate planning and require significant adaptation to fit different contexts. Despite these challenges, the structured approach of Bloom’s can significantly enhance the efficacy of active learning strategies.
10. One Thing You Can Try Today
Conduct a quick exercise to integrate Bloom’s Taxonomy into your next learning design:
1. Identify a learning objective for a session.
2. Identify which domain of Bloom's Taxonomy aligns with the objective.
3. Design one active learning task that fits the domain, and an active learning verb that can be applied to a learning activity.
11. Conclusion
Incorporating Bloom’s Taxonomy into your active learning strategies provides a structured and holistic approach to designing and validating impactful educational activities. By aligning activities with the Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor domains, you create a well-rounded learning experience that encourages critical thinking, emotional engagement, and practical skill development. This thoughtful alignment ensures that learners not only think critically and creatively but also connect personally with the material and apply their knowledge in meaningful, real-world contexts.
12. Try it Yourself
To implement Bloom's Taxonomy in your active learning design:
1. Review our Bloom’s Taxonomy action verbs explorer.
2. Review your existing learning designs, mapping current activities to Bloom’s domains.
3. Redesign one learning activity and integrate a Bloom's domain verb from the taxonomy.
13. Related Topics
- Designing Effective Learning Objectives
- Formative and Summative Assessment Techniques
- Enhancing Classroom Engagement with Technology
- Differentiated Instruction Strategies
