Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
Another tool for the Tutors’ toolbox (September 2006)
Use Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
to Create Effective Assessments, Courses, Lesson Plans, Examinations.
Contrary to popular belief,
assessments are valuable for far more than a simple measure of students’ acquired level of knowledge. Assessments serve a variety of
functions including directing attention, focus, highlighting conceptual errors,
motivating students’ interaction with
course material, and, finally, determining students’ grades.
The importance of
assessments is often overshadowed by the time and energy invested into
classroom activities; but, "what students learn depends as much on your
tests as your teaching". Ideally,
an effective assessment will reflect the educational goals in relationship to
the content areas of a designated course.
As highlighted in the
Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Bloom), learning goals vary according to
the level of understanding and/or skill desired. Consequently, learning
begins at the bottom of the hierarchy (with simple knowledge) and cumulatively
builds toward a deep understanding (as evident through the ability to
evaluate information).
While many instructors
have the goal of promoting higher-order cognitive abilities, such
as critical thinking, problem-solving, and novel application, typical
assessments are often unable to effectively measure these skills.
Research has repeatedly
found that students’ attention and
focus are driven by the assessment measures not the educational goals of a
course. Thus, if assessments focus primarily on the correct identification of
factual information, students will devote their time and effort toward the
shallow memorization of facts and definitions. On the other hand, if
assessments require students to demonstrate a more complex understanding,
students will concentrate their effort on acquiring the relevant skills. This
leaves the instructor with the task of implementing measures that accurately
reflect the desired educational objectives.
When designing
assessments, instructors are faced with the dilemma of coordinating
educational goals with an acceptable test format. While open-ended items, such
as essay and fill-in-the-blank questions, often promote higher-order thinking,
they are time-consuming to grade and are often not feasible for
large-enrollment courses. Conversely, response-limited items, such as
true-false and multiple-choice, can be easily graded but may limit the ability
to assess higher-order learning.
The variety of question
types available allows educators to implement structured assessments that
reflect their true learning goals. Key to the effective application of
these various question types, is the instructional design of the questions.
While learning goals and the taxonomy of learning provide an excellent
structure for designing assessment items, the educational impact of any
assessment still rests in the content of individual questions.
The aim for the Tutor is
to use all three domains when planning, teaching and testing courses. The tree domains are Affective (response),
Cognitive (understanding) and Psychomotor (Skills). Here the key words/verbs are listed to assist you write the ‘specific’ objectives, and
allocated, to the correct level.
AFFECTIVE DOMAIN
Receiving Level 1:
Awareness, willingness to hear, selected attention.
Examples: Listen to others with respect. Listen for and remember the name
of newly introduced people.
Key Words: asks, chooses, describes, follows, gives, holds, identifies,
locates, names, points to, selects, sits, erects, replies, uses.
Responding Level 2:
Active participation on the part of the learners. Attends and reacts to a particular environment.
Examples: Learning outcomes may emphasize compliance in responding,
willingness to respond, or satisfaction in responding (motivation). Participates in class discussions. Gives a low level presentation. Questions in order to fully
understand. Know the safety rules and practices them.
Key Words: answers, assists, aids, complies, conforms, discusses, greets,
helps, labels, performs, practices, presents, reads, recites, reports, selects,
tells, writes.
Valuing Level 3:
The worth or value a person attaches to a particular object, environment, or behaviour. This ranges from simple acceptance to the more complex state of
commitment. Valuing is based on a set
of specified values, while clues to these values are expressed in the learners
overt behaviour and are often identifiable.
Examples:
Demonstrates belief
in the coaching process. Is sensitive towards individual and cultural differences (value
diversity). Shows the ability to solve problems. Proposes a plan to group improvement and follows through with commitment. Informs
management on matters that one feels strongly about.
Key Words: completes, demonstrates, differentiates, explains, follows,
forms, initiates, invites, joins, justifies, proposes, reads, reports, selects,
shares, studies, works.
Organization Level 4:
Organizes values into priorities by contrasting different values,
resolving conflicts between them, and creating an unique value system. The emphasis is on comparing, relating, and synthesizing values.
Examples: Recognizes the need for
balance between freedom and responsible behaviour. Accepts responsibility for ones behaviour. Explains the role of
systematic planning in solving problems. Accepts professional
ethical standards. Creates a life plan in harmony
with abilities, interests, and beliefs. Prioritizes time effectively to meet
the needs of the organization, family, and self.
Key Words: adheres, alters, arranges, combines, compares, completes,
defends, explains, formulates, generalizes, identifies, integrates, modifies,
orders, organizes, prepares, relates, synthesizes.
Internalizing values (characterization) Level 5:
Has a value system that controls their behaviour. The behaviour is pervasive, consistent, predictable, and most importantly, characteristic
of the learner. Instructional objectives
are concerned with the student's general patterns of adjustment (personal,
social, emotional).
Examples: Shows self-reliance when
working independently. Cooperates in group
activities (displays teamwork). Uses
an objective approach in problem solving. Displays a professional
commitment to ethical practice on a daily
basis. Revises judgments and changes behaviour in light of new
evidence. Values people for what they are, not how they look.
Key Words: acts, discriminates, displays, influences, listens, modifies,
performs, practices, proposes, qualifies, questions, revises, serves, solves,
verifies.
COGNITIVE DOMAIN
Knowledge Level 1:
Knowledge involves the remembering
of terminology, facts, and methods. Typical knowledge assessments ask learners
to
Key Words: define, describe,
identify, label, list, match, or name.
Comprehension Level 2:
Comprehension requires an understanding of the meaning of conceptual information. An assessment of comprehension requires students to
Key Words: classify, convert, describe, discuss,
estimate, generalize, or give examples.
Application Level 3:
Application involves the
use of previously learned information in novel situations. To measure
application knowledge, an instructor might ask students to
Key Words: chart, compute,
construct, develop, implement, or predict.
Analysis Level 4: The ability to
understand the organizational structure of information is referred to as
analysis. Typical analysis assessments ask students to
Key Words: break down information into component parts,
develop divergent conclusions, or make inferences.
Synthesis Level 5:
Synthesis involves the
creative application of prior knowledge and skills to produce an original
entity. An assessment might ask…
Key Words: measure, synthesis,
understanding, learners to adapt, create, design, generate, or revise.
Evaluation Level 6:
Evaluation is the ability
to judge the relative value of information based on prior knowledge. An
evaluative assessment involves the ability to
Key Words: compare, contrast,
criticise, critique, defend, or
judge.
A chart of the key words
are listed on next page…
PSYCHOMOTOR
DOMAIN
Perception
Level
1:
The ability
to use sensory cues to guide motor activity. This ranges from sensory stimulation,
through cue selection, to translation.
Examples: Detects non-verbal communication
cues. Estimate where a ball will land after it is thrown and then moving to the
correct location to catch the ball. Adjusts safety mats on the end decks (to
cover all metal aspects). Adjusts the direction of the ‘push
on’ mat so that it lands under the
falling performer.
Key
Words:
chooses, describes, detects, differentiates, distinguishes, identifies,
isolates, relates, selects.
Set Level 2:
Readiness
to act. It includes mental, physical, and emotional sets. These
three sets are dispositions that predetermine a persons response to different
situations (sometimes called mindsets).
Examples: Knows and acts upon a sequence of
steps in a manufacturing process. Recognize ones’
abilities and limitations. Shows desire to learn a new process (motivation).
NOTE: This subdivision of Psychomotor is closely related with the
"Responding" subdivision of the Affective domain.
Key
Words:
begins, displays, explains, moves, proceeds, reacts, shows, states, volunteers.
Guided
Response Level 3:
The
early stages in learning a complex skill that includes imitation and trial and
error. Adequacy of performance is achieved by practicing.
Examples: Performs a mathematical equation as
demonstrated. Follows instructions to build a trampoline routine. Responds
hand-signals of instructor while learning to operate at training sessions.
Key
Words:
copies, traces, follows, react, reproduce, responds.
Mechanism
Level
4:
This is
the intermediate stage in learning a complex skill. Learned
responses have become habitual and the movements can be performed with
competitive confidence and
proficiency.
Examples: Use a personal computer. Repair a
fault. Apply correct about of force in order to complete a skill/move.
Key
Words:
assembles, calibrates, constructs, dismantles, displays, fastens, fixes,
grinds, heats, manipulates, measures, mends, mixes, organizes, sketches.
Complex
Overt Response Level 5:
The
skillful performance of motor acts that involve complex movement patterns. Proficiency
is indicated by a quick, accurate, and highly coordinated performance,
requiring a minimum of energy. This category includes performing
without hesitation, and automatic performance. For example, players are often utter
sounds of satisfaction or expletives as soon as they hit their best and most
difficult routine, because they can tell by the feel of the act what the result
will produce.
Examples: Manoeuvres back to the centre cross on
a trampoline. Operates a trampoline rig accurately. Displays competence while
operates the rig.
Key
Words:
assembles, builds, calibrates, constructs, dismantles, displays, fastens,
fixes, grinds, heats, manipulates, measures, mends, mixes, organizes, sketches.
NOTE:
The Key Words are the same as Mechanism, but will have adverbs or adjectives
that indicate that the performance is quicker, better, more accurate, etc.
Adaptation
Level
6:
Skills
are well developed and the individual can modify movement patterns to fit
special requirements.
Examples: Responds effectively to unexpected
experiences. Modifies instruction to meet the needs of the learners. Perform
a task that was not originally intended to do (performer is not in danger and
there was no danger in performing the different task).
Key
Words:
adapts, alters, changes, rearranges, reorganizes, revises, varies.
Origination
Level
7:
Creating
new movement patterns to fit a particular situation or specific problem.
Learning outcomes emphasize creativity based upon highly developed skills.
Examples: Constructs a new theory. Develops a
new and comprehensive training programming. Creates a new gymnastic routine.
Key
Words:
arranges, builds, combines, composes, constructs, creates, designs, initiate,
makes, originates.
Key
Verbs Part 1….
Part Two…
Key notes about
Objective Item Writing.
The objective must:
ü be ‘student/pupil
based’.
ü be ‘testable’ or
included in a ‘pupil
test’.
ü Be able
to ‘stand
alone’ without
supporting statements.
ü Contain
a ‘Key Verb’ taken
from ‘Educational
Taxonomy’.
ü Contain
a ‘Stem or
Performance’
statement.
ü Contain
a ‘Condition’
statement.
ü Contain
a ‘Standard’
statement.
Introduction to the ‘Objective Database’ for Tutors.
On screen buttons….
[ Print Preview ] Will display a screen of objective in the format for printing.
[ Save CSV ] Will download, to your computer, a text file, in data-list
format ready to install into your own database.
[ Filters ] The most useful button, where you can search and arrange all
objectives listed by course and filter the list by ‘practical’, ‘examination’, ‘subject’, ‘conditions’ and ‘performance’.
[ Reset Filters ] When clicked, will cancel the effects of the filter.
[ Quick Search ] [ Find it ] Helps you locate all the
objectives with specific words associated to the search. ie. search for ‘Mechanics’ and all
courses, with bio-mechanical objectives, will be listed.
[ GO TO TABLE ] This ‘drop
down’ menu
will help you switch between the tables ‘objectives’ and ‘Key Verb’. You can also click back to the homepage.
[ Previous ], [ Next ] or [ go to page] all assist with page navigation and page
displays All these buttons are located
at the bottom of the list of objectives screen.
To EDIT the objective database, use the mouse to scroll
down (or use the sliding bar) and you will find an Detail View and EDIT
Box. All that you need to do is
click on an objective, from those listed, and it will fill-in all the data
field boxes.
|
|
[Save Changes] click to save (live
on-line) any changes that you make. [Save New] saves the new objectives
to the database. This is a great function that will save you hours of
typing. ie. all that you need do to
allocate this objectives to a course is click the button listed at ‘course’ and
click [Save New]. |
You have permissions to edit the ‘objectives database’ but you can not edit the
Key Verbs. This is because the verbs
have been allocated by educational professionals.
More help call 07976
216464
Email: objectives@micro-quiz.co.uk
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