Assessment and differentiation with Bloom’s Taxonomy

Developing thinking skills through RE

Cognitive and affective learning

Levels of knowledge and thinking

The levels of thinking: Remembering Recall of information

Understanding Understanding the meaning of this information and stating it in one’s own words

Applying Using this information in a new situation or context.

Analysing breaking the ideas into parts to explore understanding and relationships

Evaluating Making judgments about ideas, choosing a course of action and justifying this.

Creating Generating new ideas or a new product, eg story, song or play, based on the information given.

Questions . . . .

. . . . according to levels

Blooming Questions Your questioning should be purposeful

with well-defined goals. Blooms Taxonomy is a classification

of skills arranged in levels of complexity.

The taxonomy involves all categories of questions.

Typically you would use all levels of question in a single lesson.

Lower and Higher Order Questions

Lower level questions are those at the remembering and understanding and simpler application levels.

Lower level questions would be used for:

Evaluation preparation and comprehension Diagnosing pupils’ strengths and

weaknesses Reviewing and/or summarising lesson

content

Lower and higher Order Questions

Higher order questions require complex application, analysis, evaluation or creation skills.

Higher order questions are useful for: Encouraging pupils to think more deeply

and critically Problem solving Encouraging discussions Stimulating pupils to seek more information

for themselves.

Remembering - recall, restate and remember

Recognising Listing Describing Identifying Retrieving Naming Locating Finding

Remembering questions What happened after? How many? What is? Who was it that? Can you name? Find the definition of . . . Who spoke to . . ? Which is true or false . . ?

(Pohl, Learning to think, learning to learn p12)

Remembering activities

Make a story map Make a timeline of a typical school

day List the keywords that you know

about this topic Make an acrostic about . . . Recite a poem you have learned. Label an illustration

Understanding – explaining ideas

Research Annotate Give examples of . . Paraphrase . . . Label . . Report . . Recognise . . .

Understanding questions

How would you explain . . ? What was the main idea of this story? Why were they told. . . .? Why did they want to . . . .? What kind of person was . . . .? What might have happened next? Who do you think . . ? (Pohl, Learning to think, learning to learn p12)

Understanding - activities

Write in your own words . . Make a colouring book about . . . Write and perform a play based on

this story Make a cartoon strip showing the

events Compare characters Decide why an event happened

Applying – using information in a new situation

Skills include: Manipulating information Interviewing Carrying out Suggest alternatives Suggest changes

Applying - questions

Do you know another example of . . ? Can you group the characters by . . ? Which factors would you change if. . ? What questions would you ask if . . ? From the information given can you

develop a set of instructions for . . ?

(Pohl, Learning to think, learning to learn p13)

Applying - activities

Write a diary entry Make up a puzzle or game about the

topic Continue the story Make a model to demonstrate . . . Explain the topic to your friend Interview a character

Analysing – breaking down information

Compare Contrast Investigate Criticize Group Sequence Survey

Analysing - questions Were all the events possible? How is . . . similar to . . . ? What were other possible outcomes? What was the problem with . . ? Can you distinguish between . . ? Why did . . . . changes occur? If . . . what might the ending have been? What were the motives? (Pohl, Learning to think, learning to learn p13)

Analysing - activities

Use a Venn diagram to show similarities and differences

Classify the actions of the characters Write a biography collect information

to support a particular view Write a review that explains . . . Prepare a report about . . . .

Evaluating – organise thoughts and ideas

Predict Infer Prioritise Defend Justify Debate Recommend Rank Criticise

Evaluating - questions

Is there a better solution to . . ? What was the value of . . .? Do you think . . is a good or bad thing? What are the alternatives? What are the benefits or disadvantages of. . ? What would the consequences be if. . ?

(Pohl, Learning to think, learning to learn p14)

Evaluating - activities

Debate Investigate Persuade Make a puppet out of one of the

characters. Using the puppet, act out his/her part in the story.

Make a diorama of the place where the story took place.

Creating Designing Planning Constructing Producing Inventing Making Imagine Set up

Creating - questions

Why don’t you think of a way to . .? What would happen if . . . ? How many ways can you . . . ? Can you create a new way to . . . ? What could be a new use for . . . ? What do you think the different people

learned? What else could they have learned if. . ?

(Pohl, Learning to think, learning to learn p14)

Creating - activities

Make a film about . . . Write about your feelings in relation

to . . . Write a newspaper article to be read

by . . . Devise a way to . . . Design a DVD cover for . . . Write a jingle to persuade . . .

The story of Siddhartha

Remember – Where did Siddhartha grow up? Who did he live with? What did his father do? Who was Channa? How old was Siddhartha when he left the

palace for the first time? How many palaces did Siddhartha have?

Prince Siddhartha

Understanding Why did his parents not want him to

leave the palace? What kind of person was Siddhartha? What does the story tell us about? Why had he not seen anyone old or

sick?

Prince Siddhartha

Applying Why did Siddhartha want to see the world

outside his palace? How did Siddhartha feel when he saw the

old man? How did Channa know the answer to

Siddhartha’s questions? Do you know another time when . . . ? What questions would you ask Siddhartha?

Prince Siddhartha

Analysing How did Siddhartha react when he saw

unhappiness? How do you react when people you know

are unhappy? What about when people you do not know

are unhappy? How might Channa have felt when

Siddhartha asked to go outside? What was the problem now Siddhartha

knew about suffering?

Prince Siddhartha

Evaluating Do you know any other stories about

someone witnessing suffering? How was Siddhartha like an ordinary

person? How was he different from an ordinary

person? What were his choices when he saw

suffering? How might this story influence us?

Prince Siddhartha

Creating Write the conversation between Siddhartha

and Channa. Write a short play to show what happened

next. List the truths that Siddhartha learned. Write a definition of ‘truth’ In what ways could Siddhartha help old and

sick people?

What is higher order thinking?

Information and ideas are transformed

Facts and ideas are combined and explained

Information is manipulated to solve problems and gain meaning

analysing evaluating creating

Higher order questions . .

Encourage children to think more deeply

Encourage problem solving Encourage discussion Stimulate children to seek more

information independently

www.oir.uiuc.edu/Did/docs.QUESTION/quest1.htm

Different Ways of Using Blooms All children work through

remembering and understanding and then select an activity from another level according to ability group

Different groups work at different levels

Some activities are tagged essential while others are optional

Children select tasks from any level

Based on a presentation by Denise Tarlington, 2003

http://www.kurwongbss.eq.edu.au/thinking/Bloom/bloomspres.ppt