Blooms Taxonomy

In 1948, psychologist Benjamin Bloom, along with his peers, created Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Taxonomy is a classification into ordered categories. Eponyms is word based on or derived from a person's name.

In academia, Bloom’s Taxonomy is often used by educational institutions and educators across the board. This framework is a tool that acts as an aid in the learner’s comprehension of concepts that are introduced in the classroom. The premise of this hierarchical model is to start at the bottom and to work up to the top. In this article, medical terminology is used to illustrate how this model can work.
The term abnormal means: not normal, average, typical, or usual; deviating from a standard:

in relation to the medical field abnormal results are an indicator that there is something wrong with a part of your body system.

ab ● norm ● al

In the first row of the Bloom’s Taxonomy model the verb REMEMBERING is used. The student has already been given the word abnormal and the definition. The goal is to get the student to remember the word and its meaning and how the elements of the word play a part in medical terminology. The other goal is to get the student to understand how the word is broken into parts. The introduction of the prefix ab, word root norm and suffix al. To get the student to remember, the instructor may require that flashcards are made for each word that is introduced. On one side of the flashcard the word is broken down and labeled while on the other side of the flashcard the word is defined. Exercises that can be given to the class for remembering is to group the students so they can practice memorization, definition, and recalling, as well as repetition with their peers. This practice will also incorporate reciprocity and cooperation among their peers, and encourage active learning.

In the second row of the Bloom’s Taxonomy model the verb UNDERSTANDING is used. The student now has the meaning of the word abnormal and has memorized the elements of the word as it is broken into parts. Now this is where the student can recognize, describe discuss and explain the word abnormal. This is also an opportunity for the instructor to reintroduce repetition which is reiterating and using the first hierarchal part of Bloom’s model. The student at this point should be able to explain the word abnormal and how it is broken into the elements of prefix, word root and suffix. An example of the students’ understanding would be to explain the word and how it might be used in the healthcare workplace that they will be entering. In addition, this also encourages contact between the faculty and students as there is room for discussion.

In the third row of the Bloom’s Taxonomy model the verb APPLYING is used. At this point the student should be able to use the word abnormal in a sentence as well as interpret the word. A great way for the instructor to introduce workplace concepts would be to bring in a sample of a lab result that has abnormal values. Now the students have a visual in which they are applying the word that they have learned to a concept related to their intended workplace.

In the fourth row of the Bloom’s Taxonomy model the verb ANALYZING is used. The instructor can now introduce the word normal, and the student can compare the word abnormal to the word normal. This is when the instructor can ask the students to give an example of the difference between abnormal and normal. This is when the students are comparing between the two words normal and abnormal.

In the fifth row of the Bloom’s Taxonomy model the verb EVALUATING is used. Following this simple concept, an instructor can prompt the student to decide about the word abnormal based on a question or set of questions that are asked:

What would happen if you removed the prefix ab from the word abnormal? Can you identify the different elements of the word abnormal?

How can you relate the word abnormal to the medical field?

Now the student can feel empowered by being able to converse and expound on a concept that has been introduced.

In the sixth and final row of the Bloom’s Taxonomy model the verb CREATING is used. With this part of the model the student can use the word abnormal and explain in a medical terminology format how the elements of that word are broken into separate parts. They can also write out how this concept will be utilized in their chosen medical field.

In conclusion, the model of Bloom’s Taxonomy is just one piece of several teaching methods that should be employed in the classroom experience. In future articles I will be writing regarding these other concepts and teaching methodologies. Once all of these are mentioned I will show how they are intertwined and contribute to the entire effective classroom experience