DOMAINS OF LEARNING
Joseph McNair (revised 2004)
Another important aspect of behaviorist or
objectivist lesson planning is being knowledgeable about the domains of
learning. We identify learning by observing certain kinds of behavior e.g.
certain behaviors indicate that learning has occurred. These behaviors give
evidence of different kinds of thinking (cognitive), the effective use or
control of feelings and emotions and the assimilation/acceptance and espousal
of appropriate attitudes and values (affective), and the performance of skills
and abilities which require the coordination of
mind and muscle (psychomotor).
Biehler and Snowman (1990) abridged the work of Bloom(1956), Krathwohl (1964) and Simpson (1972) on taxonomies of educational objectives in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of learning. Seifert ( 1991) offered clarifying statements to illuminate the general headings. Metfessel, Micheal and Kersner (1969) and Seifert (1991) suggested typical verbs to be used when writing general objectives in each hierarchical category.
Benjamin Bloom
http://oaks.nvg.org/bbloom.jpg
When writing lesson objectives the verbs used to describe behavior usually point back to the specific learning behavior described in oneof the above-mentioned domains of learning. It is critically important that the correct learning behavior is identified and selected in any given lesson objective. Presented below are the taxonomies of Bloom et al and Simpson and the abridgements, of Seifert, Biehler and Snowman. Wherever possible an attempt is made to present and highlight (italicize) the typical verbs used to describe these general objectives.
AFFECTIVE DOMAIN
1.00 Receiving -- The
willingness to receive or attend; the willingness to be sensitive or open to
various kinds of events and activities.
1.10 Awareness
--conscious of a situation, object, and/or state of affairs. Being aware of
distinctive features e.g. listening attentively, concentrating on distinctive
features of complex stimulus; being aware of the basic differences in people (
1.20 Willingness to
receive --giving attention but neutral toward the stimulus. Showing
a willingness to consider various interpretations and the opinions of o t h e
r s, e.g. listening to discussion of controversial issues with an open mind,
respectingthe rights of others (to select, to
identify, to describe, to demonstrate, to differentiate, to accumulate, to
select, to contribute)
1.30 Controlled or selected
attention -- selection of stimuli to be attended to; attention
controlled by the learner. Actively attending to experiences or presentations
of the ideas of others e.g. willingly participating in class discussions,
reading articles that p r e s e n t both sides of a controversial issue.
2.00 Responding. Active
participation indicating positive response or acceptance of an idea or policy;
a desire to actively respond to events and activities e.g. completing
assignments, accepting students who are different into work or social groups.
2.10 Acquiescence in
responding-- compliance or obedience; exhibiting acceptance of
expectations and responsibilities e.g. completing homework assignments obeying
school rules (to demonstrate, to tell, to
perform, to comply (with), to follow, to commend, to approve).
2.20 Willingness to respond --voluntary
response: proceeding from one's own choice; willingly choosing to respond e.g.
willing participating in classroom discussions, voluntarily completing
optional assignments (to volunteer, to discuss,
to practice, to play).
2.30 Satisfaction in response..
behavior accompanied by a feeling or pleasure, zest or enjoyment; experiencing
a sense of satisfaction or enjoyment by responding in a particular way e.g.
showing enjoyment when working on a self-selected project, enthusiastically
participating in group activities
3.00 Valuing. Expressing a belief or attitude about
the value or worth of something; a consistent, sustained feeling or belief in
the worthiness of an object, an idea, or a person or group. Genuine valuing
can only happen if the student has already accumulated knowledge and
experience with what he/she values.
3.10 Acceptance or a value --shown
by consistency or response to the class of phenomena with which a belief or an
attitude is identified; endorsing a basic proposition or assumption e.g.
endorsing the concepts embodied in the Bill of Rights, accepting the idea that
hard work and persistence lead to successful endeavor (to
specify, to explain, to justify, to defend, to demonstrate, to increase
measured proficiency in, to increase numbers or to relinquish)
3.20 Preference for a value--
sufficient commitment to a value so that the individual will pursue, seek out,
want it; expressing willingness to be identified with a value,e.g. expressing
support for a particular point of view, defending an opinion questioned by
another (to assist, to subsidize, to help to
support, to explain, to justify, to defend).
3.30 Commitment
-belief involves a high degree of certainty bordering on faith; includes
loyaltyto a position, group or cause; shown by efforts to convince o t h e r s.
Expressing a strongly held value or conviction e.g. participating in a
campaign to clean up the environment, volunteering on a school committee to
prevent substance abuse among school children
4.00 Organization. Organizing values into an
internalized system. A grouping of values into a pattern that resolves gaps or
conflicts among them. Believing in the need to balance freedom with
responsibility would show organization of values in the sense used here, as
would the belief that "it take all kinds of people to make a world."
4.10 Conceptualization of a
value-- shown by attempts to identify characteristics of an object
or position valued and by expression of judgments about a -value.
Understanding how a value relates to values already held e.g. recognizing the
need to seek a balance between reason and intuition (to
discuss, to theorize, to abstract, to compare, to explain, to defend, to
justify).
4.20 Organization of a
valuesystem -- bringing together a complex of values into an
orderedrelationship; bringing several, possibly disparate values, together
into aconsistent system e.g. recognizing one's own abilities, limitations, and
valuesand developing realistic aspirations (to
balance.to organize, to define, to formulate, to explain, to defend, to
justify)
5.00 Characterization by a value or value complex:
The value system becomes a way of life; the organization of values into
systems that persist over time and across situations that contribute to a
person's overall lifestyle.
5.10 Generalized Set --the
individual acts consistently in accordance with the values he has
internalized; exhibits a predisposition to act.
(Adapted from Krathwohl et al by Seifert [1991, Bichler and Snowman (1991 and Metfessel et al [19691. Text is directly quoted or paraphrased from these sources.)
PSYCHOMOTOR DOMAIN
1.00 Perception --
Using sense organs to obtain cues needed to guide motor activity; the
essential first step; the process of becoming aware of objects, qualities or
relations by way of sense organs.
1.10 Sensory stimulation--
the impingement or a stimulus upon one or more of the sense organs.
Interpreting a sensory stimulus e.g. listening to the sounds of traffic, or
children at play on the playground (to recognize,
to relate, to choose, to defect, to identify, to differentiate, to
demonstrate.)
1.1.1 Auditory
1.1.2 Visual
1.1.3 Tactile
1.1.4 Olfactory
1.1.5 Kinesthetic
1.20 Cue selection
-identification or the cue or cues and associating them with appropriate
behavior or the task to be performed e.g. hearing a particular tone of voice
and realizing its time to change a particular behavior (to
recognize, to relate, to choose. to detect, to identify, to differentiate, to
demonstrate).
1.30 Translation --relating
perception or sensory cues to performing a motor act: the mentalprocess of
determining the meaning of the cues received for action e.g. relating musical
tempo and rhythm to dance forms (to recognize, to
relate, to choose, to detect, to identify, to differentiate, to demonstrate).
2.00 Set -- a preparatory
adjustment or readiness for a particular kind of action or experience;
being ready to perform a particular act. A student shows a "set"
when he assumes the batters stance during a softball game. The stance implies
physical and mental readiness (the student is thinking about the game) as well
as emotional readiness (he is willing to swing at the ball when it comes his
way).
2.10 Mental set --readiness
in the sense of having made the anatomical adjustments necessary fora motor
act to be performed; being mentally ready to perform e.g. know the steps and
sequence to perform a series of actions
2.20 Emotional set
..readiness in terms of attitudes favorable to the motor acts; being willing
and eager to perform e.g. showing an eagerness to perform dance steps (to
begin, to proceed, to start, to volunteer, to show, to demonstrate, to
display).
3.00 Guided response
--Performing under the guidance of a model. An early step in the development
of skill; actions taken during the early stages of learning that skill which
include limitation of an instructor (the instructor demonstrates fundamentals)
and trial and error attempts by the student (practicing the "splits"
for the first time in a dance routine). Emphasis is on the abilities which are
components of the more complex skill.
3.10 Imitation -
the execution of an act as a direct response to the perception of another
person performing the act; copying the performance of someone else e.g.
performing a pirouette just after observing an expert (to
show,to demonstrate, to perform, to manipulate).
3.20 Trial and error --trying
various responses, usually with some rationale for each response, until an
appropriate response is achieved e.g. experimenting with singing a particular
musical phrase to evoke a certain emotional response from the listener (to
show, to demonstrate, to perform, to manipulate).
4.00 Mechanism -- the
habituation of a learned response; actions that are relatively specific but
also habitual and automatic. At this level, the learner has achieved a certain
confidence and degree of skill in performance of the act e.g. the basketball
player can hit seven out of ten free throws, the long jumper can hit the board
squarely in the middle on take off at full speed; the student violinist can
perform an arpeggio (to show, to
demonstrate, to perform, to manipulate).
5.00 Complex overt response -- sequences of action
that have become somewhat automatic or habitual and that combine a number of
mechanisms. The individual can perform a motor act that is considered complex
because of the movement pattern required; a high degree of skill has been
attained; the act can be carried out smoothly and efficiently e.g. typing all
kinds of business letters and forms quickly and with no errors.
5.10 Resolution of
uncertainty --the act is performed without hesitation; the
individual knows the sequencerequired and so proceeds with confidence (to
show, to demonstrate, to perform, to manipulate).
5.20 Automatic performance --the
individual can perform a finely coordinated skill with a great deal of easeand
muscle control (to show, to demonstrate, to
perform, to manipulate).
6.00 Adaptation - using previously learned skills to perform new but related tasks; sequences of action have become so thoroughly automatic that the student can change them spontaneously to fit changing circumstances e.g. using skills developed in learning to use an electric typewriter to operate a word processor (to alter, to vary, to review).
7.00 Origination -- creating new performances after having developed skills; the devising of new motor patterns to respond to a novel situation or to solve an unusual problem e.g. creating a new form of popular dance or drill team routine (to originate, to compose, to construct, to devise).
(Adapted from Simpson (1972) by Seifert [1991],Biehler
and Snowman [1990]). Text's directly quoted from sources.
COGNITIVE DOMAIN
1.00 Knowledge - recall
of specifics, patterns, structure, etc.; remembering previously learned information.
The ability to remember or recognize facts or ideas.
1.10 Knowledge of specifics --specific
bits of information.
1.1.1 Knowledge of
terminology- the ability to remember or recognize the terms and
symbols requisite in a class a course or the entire spectrum of "cultural
literacy” e.g. nouns, verbs, + , -, =
etc.
1.1.2 Knowledge of specific
facts-- the ability to
remember or recognize specific facts e.g. the names or
the capital cities of the states, the properties of CrO2,the powers of the
presidency (to define, to distinguish, to
acquire, to identify, to recall, to recognize. to identify, to name, to
state).
1.20 Knowledge of ways and
means of dealing with specifics … organizing.
1.2.1 Knowledge of
conventions --usages, styles practices, forms; the ability to
remember or recognize different sets or rules e.g. school rules, rules of
punctuation, Robert's Rules of Order etc. (to
define, to distinguish, to acquire, to identify, to recall, to recognize, to
identify, to name, to state).
1.2.2 Knowledge of trends and
sequences - with respect to time; the ability to remember, to
recognize or to identify trends and sequences e.g. the changes in attitudes
towards abortion, women's rights, the role of women and minorities in American
society (to define, to distinguish, to acquire,
to identify, to recall, to recognize, to identify, to name, to state).
1.2.3 Knowledge of
classification and categories .. arrangements, classes; the ability
to recognize, identify and remember classifications and category schemes e.g.
types or literature, types of government, racial groups, social strata etc.
1.2.4 Knowledge of criteria --judging
facts, principles, opinions, standards of performance; the ability to
remember, recognize, or identify sets of factors to consider in the process of
judging or decision-making e.g. what makes a work of art a good work of art,
what makes a performance a good performance (to
define, to distinguish, to acquire, to identify, to recall, to recognize, to
identify, to name, to state).
1.2.5 Knowledge of
methodology --techniques, methods of inquiry; the ability to
remember, recognize or identify appropriate methods to apply to performance or
problem-solving e.g. the ways to solve math problems, the ways to set up
experiments, the way to analyze asocial problem (to
define, to distinguish, to acquire, to identify, to recall, to recognize, to
identify, to name, to state).
1.30 Knowledge of universals
and abstractions -- theories and generalizations.
1.3.1 Knowledge of principles
andgeneralizations -- knowing particular abstractions; the ability
to remember, to recognize or identify principals and generalizations needed in
a class, a course or the entire spectrum of "cultural literacy e.g. law
of supply and demand, the law of
gravity (to define, to distinguish, to acquire,
to identify , to recall, to recognize, to name, to state).
1.3.2 Knowledge of theories
and structures -- body of principles, range of specific systematic
view; the ability to remember, to recognize or identify the general theories
needed in a class, a course or the entire spectrum of "cultural literacy
e.g. theory of evolution, the theory of natural law (to
define, to distinguish, to acquire, to identify, to recall, to recognize, to
identify, to name, to state).
2.00 Comprehension --
grasping the meaning of information; relating knowledge to other material or
seeing the full implication.
2.10 Translation
--paraphrasing or restructuring ideas; the ability to put communicated information
into another form e.g. stating a problem in one's own words, reading a musical
score, translating words and phrases from a foreign language, interpreting a
diagram or grasping and explaining the meaning of a political cartoon (to
translate, to transform, to give in own words, to illustrate, to prepare, to
represent, to change, to rephrase, to restate, to convert).
2.20 Interpretation --summarization,
reorganization; the ability to reorder ideas and comprehend interrelationships
e.g. giving own interpretation of a poem or lyric, gathering data from a
variety of sources, and preparing an organized report
2.30 Extrapolation --extension
of trends beyond given data; the ability to theorize about what might happen
if... to draw conclusions from given sets of data, to predict trends
3.00 Application - use of abstractions in concrete
situations; applying knowledge to actual situations. The ability to use
general ideas or principles in particular situations e.g. taking principle
learned in math and applying them to laying out a baseball diamond, applying
principles of civil liberties to current events
4.00 Analysis - the breaking down of information
into its elements; the breaking down of objects or ideas into simpler parts
and seeing how the parts relate and are organized. The ability to distinguish
among the elements of an idea or passage and to examine each one individually.
4.10 Analysis of elements--
the ability to look at elements in isolation; distinguishing facts from
theories or hypotheses e.g. looking at the elements that combine to form a
molecule (to distinguish, to detect. to identify,
to classify, to discriminate to recognize, to categorize, to deduce, to
compare, to contrast)
4.20 Analysis of relationships-- the ability to identify, recognize connections and interactions of elements or parts of an object, a system, a mechanism, an idea or structure of knowledge e.g. to see how the gears in an old fashioned clock mesh to make the clock work, to see how various ingredients in a recipe blend to create a distinctive taste (to distinguish, to detect. toidentify, to classify, to discriminate to recognize, to categorize, to deduce, to compare, to contrast)
4.30 Analysis of
organizational principles -- organizational systematic arrangement;
to see how the parts of a system or organization are related and contribute to
the purpose of the system (to distinguish, to
detect, to identify, to classify, to discriminate, to recognize, to
categorize, to deduce, to compare, to contrast, to infer, to diagram to
explain).
5.00 Synthesis -- putting together parts and
elements of information, often in new and unique ways, to form structure. The
ability to combine elements into a new whole e.g. writing a comprehensive term
paper, putting together previously unrelated facts to draw new conclusions.
5.10
5.20
5.30 Derivation of a set or
abstract relations - formulating hypotheses, theories or
propositions (to design, to organize, to
rearrange, to compile, to modify, to create to distinguish, to detect, to
identify, to classify, to discriminate, to recognize, to categorize, to
deduce. to compare, to contrast, to infer, to diagram to explain).
6.00 Evaluation - quantitative and qualitative
judgments, using standards of performance or appraisal; the ability to judge
how well ideas, materials and people satisfy certain criteria.
6.10 Judgment in terms of
internal evidence -- logical accuracy, internal consistency
e.g.detecting inconsistencies in the speech of a politician, editing a term
paper
6.20 Judgment in terms of external criteria -- evaluation of external data in relation to outside influences and selected criteria e.g. comparing an individual's performance to an average group performance (to appraise, to compare, to contrast, to discriminate, to criticize, to detect).
(Adapted from Bloom n al ~ 1956) by Seifert [ 1991, Biehler and Snowman [ 1990)and Metfessel et al (1969).