Is Bloom's Taxonomy Still Relevant Today?

This week's article summary is It May Be Time to Dump Bloom's Taxonomy.

I vividly remember in graduate school discussing ad nauseam the classroom uses of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

You probably remember the basic idea behind the taxonomy: different kinds of teacher questions (Bloom's verbs) result in different levels of student thinking from the simplest (remembering, understanding) to the most complex (applying, analyzing, evaluating, creating). When I taught World History to 8th graders, I used Bloom’s verbs to make sure test questions challenged students with different levels of thinking.

Even though my teaching was influenced by Bloom, I was a never a total zealot to the taxonomy. As with any idea in education, I use what I think makes sense to me but rarely adopt all aspects of it. One negative of the taxonomy was the idea that thinking is one-dimensional and progressive when we all know thinking is much more multi-dimensional and complex.

I’ve seen a lot of educational fads and trends come, go, and then return again (often re-packaged with new terminology to make the old seem new): curriculum mapping, right/left brain use, class management systems, learning styles, 21st century skills, problem-based learning, design thinking, reading/writing workshop. My bookshelves are filled with educational books that promised to revolutionize the art and science of teaching; they all had kernels of good advice yet fell short of dramatically changing how we teach or how students learn.

As we know from experience, most ideas in education have some attributes while also containing some detriments. 

As educators, we all continue to further hone our teaching philosophy and skill set. We take a little from various education ideas but should always be skeptical of the promise of one perfect solution for the multitude of individuality we meet—and celebrate—in the classroom.

Joe

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Over my 40-year career in education, I have come to recognize that what I was taught back in college about being an effective teacher is not necessarily true today. 

It’s not just because times have changed (they have), students have changed (they have), or the world has changed (it has). It’s because, over the past 30 years, more research has been done on what works best in teaching and learning than in all the years before that. And the results of all of that research are startling, to say the least. One of the most astonishing findings has to do with the value of following Bloom’s Taxonomy.

The taxonomy was created in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom and some of his colleagues as a way to leave behind behaviorist theories of learning that were being used at the time (memorization, rote learning) and embrace higher-order thinking skills. They incorporated aspects of cognitive, affective, and psycho-motor domains into the taxonomy to make it more all-encompassing. It was a radical change in how educators were taught to teach. 

Bloom’s Taxonomy is easy to implement. We are all familiar with the “verb chart” that lets us select the level of thinking we want our students to work at. We pick a content standard, decide what level it is best learned at, find a verb at that level in the chart, create the learning activity, and we’re done. But is this approach still valid today?

The first reason to reconsider using Bloom’s Taxonomy in the classroom has to do with how the brain works. Thinking does not operate within hierarchies (as outlined in the taxonomy). All of these “levels” happen simultaneously in a variety of places in the brain.

The second reason to stop relying on Bloom’s is that it was created before rigorous research into its effectiveness was put in place. At more than 60 years old, the taxonomy is simply not supported by any empirical research on learning. The only piece of this hierarchical approach that is validated today is the existence of factual-conceptual knowledge, often called prior knowledge. But there is no clear research on its basic assumption that there are lower- and higher-order thinking skills. The brain doesn’t look at a problem to be solved and decide that it only needs a lower-order process.

The third reason Bloom’s may not be the approach you want to follow in your classroom has to do with new research on the social relation of persons in the creation of knowledge. The taxonomy does not consider the learner and the differences that each learner brings to the table. Motivation, their intellectual values, their past experiences with the content, their differences in cognitive processing: none of these are considered. The approach is based on the belief that all learners are at the same place in their learning, which is inherently false. In short, Bloom’s Taxonomy focuses on abstract cognitive domains and not on the individual learner. It is teacher-centered and not student-centered.

We need to put time, effort, and focus into instructional strategies and approaches that we know will work best for our students. And I believe that we must stay current with what the latest (and verified!) research says in order to do so. Be open to new ideas and new ways to help your students master the content. Question the strategies that are your “favorites” and ensure that they are based on valid, current research. And talk with your colleagues and administrators about professional learning and research on the most effective teaching methods.

The Challenges for Today's Colleges and Universities

 This week's article summary is Has Higher Education in the US Lost Its Way? and it's an apt follow-up to last week's article Happiness and Success that focused on the disconnect between what parents say they want for their kids (happiness) and the message they too often send to their kids (the better college you attend, the better job you get, the more successful you’ll be, and success leads to happiness).

This week’s summary calls this the difference between viewing college as a ‘transactional’ endeavor, i.e., ‘I go to college to get a high-paying job after graduation’ versus a ‘transformational’ one, i.e., ‘I attend college to learn how to think, better communicate, and mature physically, intellectually, and social-emotionally.’

The article below explains that as colleges today market themselves more from a transactional angle, they have fallen prey to mission sprawl in that they promise many different things to many different people. The problem with this is it dilutes a school’s reason for existing. It reminds me of the ancient Greek parable about the hedgehog (that can do one big thing) and the fox (that can do many things); often it’s best to stay true to what you can do well.

The past two articles remind me of why I so prefer working in an elementary independent school where we’re able to remain laser focused on our mission: We cherish childhood as we develop in our students a strong academic and character foundation they will use in middle school and beyond. 

Our focus is clearly transformational, not transactional.

Joe

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 For their book “The Real World of College,” Wendy Fischman and Howard Gardner spent five years visiting 10 college campuses, carrying out many interviews with students, alumni, faculty, administrators, parents, trustees, and others. What they found challenged characterizations in the media: Students are not preoccupied by political correctness, free speech, or even the cost of college. They are most concerned about their GPA and their resumes; they see jobs and earning potential as more important than learning. Many say they face mental health challenges, fear that they don’t belong, and feel a deep sense of alienation.

The authors’ regretful conclusion: Many, perhaps most, U.S. colleges have lost — or lost sight of — their principal reason for being. “By virtue of the many activities available on campus, motivations for attending college, often unhelpful expectations generated in secondary school, and the myriad of mixed messages on traditional media and social media,” the authors write in the book’s introduction, “colleges are overwhelmed by mission sprawl.” They contend that to remedy this, schools must focus sharply on their core educational mission.

Below is a summary of the Q and A we had with the authors:

How did you decide to embark on this comprehensive study of the state of higher education?

For a quarter of a century, both of us have been studying the nature of good work (see thegoodproject.org). When we worked with young people, we found that they typically knew what good work was and admired it from afar. But they felt that they could not afford to do good work, because if they behaved properly, they would be scooped by peers who cut corners. Good work was “for later” in life, after success had been assured.

Of course, this disturbed us. 

What was the most unexpected thing you learned?

First, students have similar goals and concerns and even use the same words to describe their experiences. We find few, if any, differences based on background or where they currently attend school. Second, what you read about in the news is not on the minds of most students — free speech, political correctness, and even the cost of college rarely came up. Rather it was issues of mental health, and a sense of belonging or alienation. The exceptions to the point about free speech occurred right before or after a controversial speaker came to campus. We have continued to interview students after our study was completed — and it is true that at select schools, students sometimes feel silenced, afraid to say what they think. They are afraid that they will be misinterpreted, judged, and cancelled. We find that, on the whole, students are uncomfortable discussing ethical issues.

In terms of the cost of college, this rarely came up organically as a topic of concern among students (adults assume that this is more of a concern for students). The cost of college was indeed a determining factor for students in deciding where to enroll (once they received their acceptances and learned about financial assistance decisions), but once they were in college, it did not seem to come up much for them. The only exception is when some students talked about tension with students from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Lastly: the misalignment between students and parents on the one hand, and faculty and administrators on the other. It is striking that students are mostly in agreement with the adults with whom most of them do not see on a daily basis, whereas they differ greatly from those with whom they are in contact. For example: the bulk of students are transactional (they see college as a means to an end) while almost all faculty and administrators are transformational (they see college as an opportunity to reflect, grow, and possibly change). 

Your study focuses heavily on nonvocational higher education, a sector associated with general education and the liberal arts. Why did you choose to focus on these schools, and what is the use of this type of education in the 21st century?

The genius of American education has been the college — an institution which purports to present a broad general education, giving students the knowledge and understandings that will serve them no matter what work they do. This form of education is vital for any democratic society. Alas, this form of education is in jeopardy in this country, largely because of the signals given by many parents, many teachers, and the broader society. We believe it would be tragic should this tradition be undermined. We have no objection to vocational education. However, if a student chooses a liberal arts and science school or program, they ought not to be focused simply on jobs or vocation. Note that all over the world, other countries are trying to implement liberal arts education. They admire what our country risks losing.

You propose two general approaches to improve nonvocational higher education: onboarding and intertwining. Can you describe these terms?

Onboarding is the concept we use to describe how to get all students aligned with the goal of the college or university, higher learning. From the first interaction on campus — whether this be at an admissions tour, orientation, or the first day of class, the mission of the institution needs to be clearly conveyed. Too often, students (and their parents) know more about internships, jobs after college, study abroad programs, residence and dining halls, and the gyms on campus.

What are the biggest challenges facing schools and students today?

Unfortunately, there are many challenges. For students, the two main challenges they speak about are mental health (now deemed a “crisis”) and lack of belonging. We also see other challenges for students, mainly the preoccupation with achieving “external measures of success” (grades, acceptances, jobs) over learning. In other words, students feel it is more important to get an A or to build their resume to get a particular job than it is to be exposed to new, different, or challenging content material — or even to do their own work (cheating is rampant on the college campus and by all accounts has intensified post-COVID because of online tests and exams). This “uber transactionality” has been instilled in students early on their education. Therefore, some of the biggest challenges colleges face is not with just college itself, but also with the high schools and parents where these students come from. In terms of the institution, challenges include: misalignment between faculty and administrators and the “customer,” prioritizing the mission of higher education (and not the fancy buildings or athletic departments on campus), and justifying the value of higher education to students and their parents who worry about their “return on investment” (the number of college students is declining, as is the number of male students).

 

Happiness and Success

This week's article summary is Kids Are Getting the Wrong Message About Happiness, written by William Stixrud who also wrote The Self-Driven Child.

For a number of years, Stixrud has been a strong proponent of not putting too much pressure on high school students to focus on getting accepted into the highest-rated college/university possible. 

While the majority of parents in America espouse that they want their kids to be happy above all else, most of us also want them to maximize their opportunities by applying to and ideally getting into a ‘reach’ school. Many parents see graduation from an elite college as the connection to a successful, well-paying first job professional which then lead to their child’s happiness.

The problem with this is we as adults often erroneously think that success leads to happiness while in fact happiness actually precedes success.

Additionally, when we focus too much on the future (which I am guilty of), we neglect to savor the present moment and the up-and-down journey toward our future. 

Stixrud suggests that what makes all of us the happiest are strong, deep, trusting relationships and meaning and purpose (both personal and professional). This is why family and friends are ultimately so important to most of us.

Especially since the Great Recession of 2008, there has been more pressure (overt and covert) on high schoolers to choose a college and major that provides immediately marketable skills and entry to a great job.

When most of think back to when we teenagers, we hadn’t yet found our meaning and purpose in ourselves or in a profession; in fact, most of us—definitely me--probably struggled with self-doubt. It was during those college years when most of us gradually became more independent and confident and started to figure out how we would make a difference in the world. It wasn’t until almost by happenstance that I took a job as a middle school English teacher and coach right out of college (ostensibly a gap-year before heading off to law or med school) that my professional epiphany occurred and I knew teaching was my calling. A good example of happiness preceding success: if I hadn’t found meaning, purpose, and happiness in teaching, I don’t think I would have worked hard to further learn and hone my craft.

I know we live in a more competitive world yet we adults need to help our students and children enjoy the moment more, be less focused solely on the future, and take the time to find purpose and meaning in their lives and profession.

Joe

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When we ask parents what they want for their kids’ futures, most answer: “I want them to be happy.” 

But if you ask most kids what they think their parents want for their future, the answer is usually something like “To get into a good college.” 

It seems like a disconnect, but it’s not. Many parents we meet in the course of our work with kids believe that acceptance to a good college will lead to a good job, financial security, and happiness ad infinitum. Their kids come to believe this, too. The problem is that we tend to be very poor predictors of what actually makes us happy.

Research tells that we’re happier if we prioritize having time more than things, giving more than getting, and appreciating what we have more than trying to get what we don’t. When we equate academic achievement and career success with happiness, we do so potentially at the cost of our kids’ well-being. 

While no one wishes mental health issues on their kids, some parents think that if their child is exhausted and miserable in high school in order to earn a coveted admission spot, and adolescence isn’t expected to be a happy time. 

Our response is threefold: 

First, we’ve lowered the bar too far when it comes to the adolescent and teen years, thinking of them as merely a time to endure and get through safely, rather than a time to enjoy. Even adolescents feel happiness when they act kindly, get enough sleep, are physically active, do things for others, focus on the positive things in their lives, and spend time in nature. 

Second, young brains that are stressed, tired, and unhappy all the time can get wired in a way that makes them more vulnerable to anxiety and depression and thus unable to appreciate the success they’ve worked so hard for. 

And finally, happiness begets success. So by focusing on happiness, you’re actually making it more likely that your kid achieves whatever he or she wants.

A wealth of research offers insight about what does bring happiness. And there’s broad agreement that in any happiness equation, what happens to you—which includes a letter of admission to that coveted school—matters surprisingly little. Two of the things that do matter a lot: 1) strong relationships, and 2) a sense of meaning or purpose. And yet we so seldom talk with our kids about either.

On the relationships front, a recent study found that teens are experiencing a dramatic increase of loneliness around the world. And yet we meet parents all the time who say things like, “What’s hanging out with friends going to get her?” Or, “I know she has a great friends at her current school, but this other school will put her in a more competitive stance for college.” The importance of kids’ relationships continues to be downplayed throughout college. When a friend of ours spoke on a panel offering career advice to undergraduates, she was afraid to share her most important insight—that in her early twenties, she prioritized jobs where she could be near her boyfriend, who is now her husband of almost twenty years. It’s not a message she felt was safe to express, but she went for it. “I’d tell my younger self I was right to make career decisions based on my relationship. Because the truth is that nothing has mattered as much to my happiness as the person I chose to go through life with.” Something has gone awry in our world when a statement like this feels risky. It is a problem if parents and other adults so prioritize career and the success trajectory for their kids that they leave the people part out of the conversation altogether, or when they prioritize learning advanced math but don’t teach how to resolve conflict in relationships.

The remedy is simple. Talk to your kids about the relationships in your life that have contributed to your happiness, and how you’ve made decisions around those relationships. And talk to them about how they feel around others—how their relationships contribute to their happiness. Ask questions like, “Who do you feel most close to on this planet?” “Who do you feel like you can be yourself the most with?” “What would happen if you put more time and energy into these relationships that make you feel good?”

A happy life also benefits purpose and meaning. We need to tell kids the truth: that there are many ways to contribute in this world, and many ways to be happy that do not involve making a lot of money or achieving every brass ring. We can also help our children see that what they do doesn’t have to be meaningful to everyone. While many kids find tremendous meaning through involvement in bigger movements like environmental or social activism, many find meaning in smaller communities like their church or school clubs. Or to think even smaller, for most kids, meaning is tied to a few people—their friends, or in volunteering at an animal shelter or helping their elderly grandparents.

In the end, the most important rule of thumb for talking to kids about happiness is to talk about happiness. But these conversations aren’t explicit nearly as often as you would think. It just doesn’t come up, and so kids form their impressions about happiness from listening to their parents emphasize the importance of grades and building a résumé for college. They supplement this with messages from their peers, teachers, or from the culture around them, which, by and large, increasingly promotes competition and materialism. So if you do nothing else, break these dangerous assumptions down, one conversation at a time. If we truly want our kids to grow into happy, fulfilled adults, we have to tell them the truth.

What to Say to Your Kids Instead of 'Good Job'

This week's article is What to Say to Your Kids Instead of 'Good Job'.

Whether at school with our students or at home with our kids, most teachers and parents are prone to overuse the compliment ‘good job.’ I’ve caught myself saying ‘good job’ over and over to my granddaughters for simple things like pouring milk into a glass without any spillage just like I did with my boys when they asked me to watch them practice diving (mostly cannon balls) into a pool.

We’re way past Christmas, so I’m not going to be the Grinch (like Alfie Kohn below) and recommend we adults completely stop using the term ‘good job’ with our students and children. Yet just like last week’s article summary on how embracing a growth mindset can support student writing, the same holds true for limiting our praise to our kids for expected behaviors and actions. (I was somewhat stunned by the University of Florida research below that shows too much praise for expected behavior in the classroom can lead to less student academic risk-taking.)

The more we can help our kids be more self-reflective and evaluative of their efforts, the more they will embrace a growth mindset and strive to be better at what they’re doing.

The alternatives below to the generic ‘good job’ are great ways for us adults to help kids continue to learn and grow and, most important, improve.

Joe

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We’ve all said it. When our child climbs a rock wall for the first time, does a cartwheel, or brings home some less-than-stellar art, it’s almost instinct to toss out an enthusiastic, “Good job!” And while it seems like we’re doing the right thing—offering encouragement and positive reinforcement—parenting experts caution that over time, a litany of knee-jerk, non-specific “good job” comments can do more harm than good.

Parenting author and lecturer Alfie Kohn states: Rather than bolstering a child’s self-esteem, praise may increase kids’ dependence on us. The more we say, “I like the way you….” or “Good job,” the more kids come to rely on our evaluations, our decisions about what’s good and bad, rather than learning to form their own judgments. It leads them to measure their worth in terms of what will lead us to smile and dole out some more approval.

Kohn points out that the phrase, while well-intentioned, can unwittingly be used to control our kids’ behavior, exploit their desire for approval, and eventually help create praise junkies who perform tasks only for accolades. In the long run, this reliance on external motivation and approval can dilute their joy and cause them to lose interest in activities they previously enjoyed.

Mary Budd Rowe, a researcher at the University of Florida, also found that students who received lavish praise from their teachers responded more cautiously and presented their answers in a questioning tone of voice. Fearing failure, they did not share their ideas or persist with difficult assignments as readily.

Kohn concludes, “In short, ‘Good job!’ doesn’t reassure children; ultimately, it makes them feel less secure.” 

So what can we say instead? Here are some alternatives.

Describe what you see: While it may feel awkward at first (we are so used to praising, after all), try a simple statement free from any evaluation or judgment. Phrases like, “You brushed your teeth by yourself!” or “You did it!” let your child know you noticed their achievement and invite them to take their own pride in it.

State the features of their work: When a child shows you their art, comment on the colors they used or any dominant features. “That sun is wearing sunglasses!” or “Wow, I see you used a lot of blue today.”

Ask questions: While a genuine “I love this! It’s so beautiful,” is certainly not going to scar our kids for life, it’s beneficial to incorporate questions as well. “What was the hardest part of making this Lego structure?” or “How did you choose this color for the house?”

Praise effort, not results: Praising results can lead a child to believe the only thing that matters is the outcome of their work. Offering acknowledgement of their effort, however, leads to what Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck calls a “growth mindset;” the belief that persistence and practice will allow them to do hard things. Observations like, “You are really concentrating” or “You ran so hard to score that goal” both fall under that umbrella.

Point out their effect on other people: If your child does something kind-hearted for another person, rather than emphasizing how we feel about it (“I’m so happy you did that”), shift their attention to the effect their caring act had on someone else. “Wow, Max looks so happy you shared with him!” This leads them to notice and appreciate how their actions positively impact others.

A short list of additional phrases:

• You worked so hard on that
• You are getting really good at...
• That is so creative / That took a lot of imagination
• I noticed your bed was made so neatly today
• You look excited
• What is your favorite part of what you made?
• Thank you for being so patient
• That was very thoughtful/brave
• That took a lot of strength
• I can see you are really trying to make a good choice
• You put so much effort into this
• I couldn’t have done this without you
• You did that all by yourself

It’s important to keep in mind, of course, that a few “good jobs” aren’t going to permanently damage our kids. We don’t need to approach our children like emotionless androids, either. But if we focus on their effort, personal qualities, and making non-evaluative observations of things they do, they may be better equipped to feel independent, secure, and confident in their talents, whether they gain approval or not.