Bloom’s Taxonomy And The Purpose Of Education
Modern education has become something entirely different from what it once was. Past teachers and researchers argued that education was a comprehensive and far-reaching concept. However, in today’s world, school merely consists of college and real-world preparation.
Benjamin S. Bloom was an examiner at the University Of Chicago who made it his mission to define a teacher’s objectives. His research and knowledge led to the development of Bloom’s taxonomy, which outlined the most critical and integral educational goals.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Of Educational Objectives
This taxonomy included six main categories of objectives in the cognitive domain:
- Knowledge – this category includes the knowledge of specifics and the knowledge of means and ways to deal with these specifics.
- Comprehension – this refers to the ability of a student to translate, interpret and extrapolate information.
- Application – the information and knowledge that a student procures in school would be useless without applying it in everyday situations. For this reason, students should be taught how to use the work that they learn in the real world.
- Analysis – this includes being able to analyze a group of elements, relationships, and organizational principles.
- Synthesis – this includes the production of a unique communication and plan. More so, it refers to the ability of a student to derive a set of abstract relations.
- Evaluation – this refers to the judgment of internal and external evidence and criteria.
The Purpose Of Education
As we have already mentioned, the purpose of education has changed dramatically since the world has become more advanced and modern. In the past, the focus of school used to be on creating and developing flourishing human beings. In other words, the cultivation of wisdom and virtue were the main priorities of educators.
However, teachers nowadays focus more on preparing the students for college and getting the job done than spreading useful knowledge. For this reason, Bloom’s taxonomy should be used by modern-day teachers to establish important goals and aspirations.
If all educators stuck by the principles discussed in this taxonomy, the world would be met with a group of flourishing and knowledgeable students that could work towards making it a better place.
Concluding Thoughts
As the world becomes a more modern place, education has begun to change. In the past, spreading useful knowledge used to be the main priority of teachers. However, educators focus more on merely preparing the students for college nowadays.
Bloom’s taxonomy is a document that outlines the most important goals that a teacher should have. All modern-day educators should refer to this taxonomy to improve their teaching style and motivation.