Bloom´s Taxonomy and Teaching for Understanding

Inspired by Bloom's Taxonomy and Teaching for Understanding, I would like to build a framework that enables students to be more analytical, critical and creative in the classroom. Standardized tests and school quality demands are limiting our students' ability to analyze, create ideas and make projects of their own.

When students answer multiple choice questions correctly, it is believed they fully comprehend the topic studied. However, it is not until they have taken a stand, made a decision or come up with a new idea when they are acquiring skills to cope with future personal and society's demands. At work, for instance, people are not only asked to answer questions, but they must also follow instructions and be accountable for their own productivity. That is how the marketplace works. And, on a personal basis, it is schools' moral responsibility to raise kids and teach youngsters firm critical and creative thinking skills so they are not oppressed with society's ideals. Each man has the right to pursue their own ideas, freed from any impositions. A creative man is a free man, and a free man is a creative man.

Now, some schools focus more on students' work quality than on giving them opportunities to be authentic with their work. It seems appearance is more important than authenticity.

As a teacher, I would like to create teaching materials that support and spread my point of view. I believe students become critical and creative when they are given the opportunities to build their own knowledge. If students can't draw their own conclusions, why do we expect them to be creative and make their own decisions?

Benjamin Bloom and David Perkins' ideas on teaching have shaped the way I see education and life itself. I am taking their ideas to come up with my own. Bloom's Taxonomy and Teaching for Understanding framework can definitely propel schools and classrooms towards critical and creative thinking skills.

I think ideas are worthless until they are taken into action. Then, on my next post, I will write about how we can mix Bloom's Taxonomy and Teaching for Understanding to make a task/project based lesson plan that promotes critical and creative thinking skills.