Bloom’s Taxonomy: A Visual Hierarchy for How People Learn

If you’re an educator, you’ve probably heard of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Since its original publication in 1956, the now-famous classification system has been used by countless teachers across the globe to help define learning objectives. Unfortunately, most illustrations of the taxonomy are either limited (they cover only one of the three learning domains) or they’re not attractive enough to want to hang on a wall. And don’t we all want to hang Bloom’s Taxonomy on our wall??

To help solve both problems, I designed a new version for your studying pleasure. Please comments at the bottom of this page so I can know how I did. If you’re unfamiliar with what Bloom’s Taxonomy is, read below the graphic.

Purchase/Download this Graphic at The VCG Shop

So, what is Bloom’s Taxonomy?

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a classification system that was designed to help educators have a method for determining learning objectives for assignments, curricula, and exams. For nearly seven decades, it has been widely used as a tool for identifying appropriate action verbs related to learning in three areas (or “domains”): cognitive (mental); affective (emotional); and psychomotor (physical).

It’s named after Benjamin Bloom, the chair of a committee of researchers who assembled the first volume of the taxonomy, known as Handbook 1: Cognitive. Since its original creation in 1956—which included only the Cognitive Domain—several additions and revisions have been made. The most recent significant revision was made in 2001.

How does the taxonomy work?

The taxonomy is a really cool concept. The idea is that there are three ways people learn: mentally, emotionally, and physically. And, within each of those realms of learning—called “Domains” in the taxonomy—there is a hierarchy or levels in which people learn. Those levels are ordered sequentially, in order from simple (or most fundamental) to complex (or more advanced). When students learn something new, at the most basic level in the cognitive domain, they have to remember it. As they advance in learning, they progress from remembering to understanding, and eventually to evaluating and creating.

Within each of the levels, there are action verbs (or, with some of the levels in the psychomotor domain, adverbs) that are related in nature to that level of learning.

The real value in the taxonomy is that it provides educators an ordered system for determining where their students are at in the learning of a subject. If it’s completely new to students, teachers would likely start at the first level, helping students to achieve that before moving forward to the next level. Perhaps most helpful is the collection of verbs within each level. When teachers look to determine what they want their students to learn from an activity or assignment, they can use the action verbs to state clear learning objectives.

What are the different domains?

Cognitive Domain

If you look at the graphic, you’ll see the Cognitive Domain at the top. This is the most widely used domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy, as it covers the topics most of us learn in school. It relates to cognitive knowledge—stuff we learn in disciplines like history, language, math, science, and so forth. At the most basic level of the cognitive domain, students remember information. Then, they understand it and apply it. As they advance, they learn to analyze the information, evaluate it, and then, at the most advance level, learn how to create their own new knowledge or contribution.

Cognitive Domain Levels and Verbs

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Affective Domain

The Affective Domain covers emotional learning. This is the type of learning where people understand feelings and attitudes, or even social norms and expectations. It’s the area of learning where people grasp concepts like empathy or values. At the most basic level, a student learning in the affective domain simply “receives” or pays attention to what someone is saying. After that, they respond or engage with the person in some way. As they progress, they start to associate value to what they’re learning and feeling, then they organize and compare their experience to other emotional experiences or values. Finally, they “characterize” their learning, or they act consciously and consistently in accordance with the new values they have now internalized.

Affective Domain Levels and Verbs

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Psychomotor Domain

The Psychomotor Domain is physical learning. It’s mastery of motion, as in learning physical movements in a sport or when playing a musical instrument. At the most basic level, a person learning in the psychomotor domain learns to imitate or mimic what someone else is doing. Next, they manipulate the task, meaning they can do it on their own from either basic instruction or memory. As they get more advanced, they learn to execute the skill with more precision and reliability. Then they acquire “articulation,” or the ability to modify the skill to specific situations. Finally, they acquire “naturalization,” or such skill that it becomes automatic and unconsciously applied at a highly skilled level.

Psychomotor Domain Levels and Verbs

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Why should I learn Bloom’s Taxonomy?

While it’s not necessarily a tool you need to memorize, if you’re a teacher, it’s helpful to refer to the taxonomy as you’re putting together a curriculum, course, assignment, or activity. Using the levels of learning and their action verbs within, the taxonomy can help you articulate really clear learning objectives. For example, if you want students to learn the process of photosynthesis, you might start with the “Remember” level. Help students remember terms like “oxygen” and “carbon dioxide.” When you write up your learning objective, you might use related verbs in that level, such as “define”: Students will be able to define oxygen and carbon dioxide. But if students are more advanced, you might want them to “evaluate” photosynthesis. Using the verb “debate” in this level, you might write a learning objective like this: Students will be able to debate, defend, and argue why photosynthesis matters for the health of our planet and how climate change affects the photosynthesis process.

If you’re not a teacher, Bloom’s taxonomy is still helpful for processing where you’re at in a learning stage at any given moment. As you student the levels and verbs, you can determine where you still need to grow and what you need to do to master a new subject.

In summary…

It’s just a great resource. And, strangely, it can be fun to use. If you’re like me—always searching for the right action verb to clearly state what I mean—the taxonomy is a great place to get your wheels spinning.