Bloom’s Taxonomy is a framework for classifying educational objectives and is often used to guide the development of curriculum and assessments in traditional educational settings. However, it can also be a valuable tool for homeschooling.
Applying Bloom’s Taxonomy in a Homeschooling Environment
- Remember (Knowledge):
- Help your child acquire basic knowledge through reading, research, and instruction.
- Use textbooks, educational websites, and resources to ensure a strong foundation of facts.
- Encourage memorization and recitation.
- Understand (Comprehension):
- Encourage your child to comprehend and explain the information they’ve learned.
- Ask open-ended questions to check their understanding.
- Discuss concepts and ideas to ensure they can grasp the material.
- Apply:
- Provide opportunities for your child to apply what they’ve learned to real-life situations.
- Assign practical tasks, projects, or experiments that require them to use their knowledge.
- Encourage problem-solving and critical thinking.
- Analyze:
- Promote critical thinking by asking your child to analyze information, concepts, and ideas.
- Have them compare and contrast different elements of a topic.
- Encourage them to break down complex issues into smaller components.
- Evaluate:
- Encourage your child to make judgments, decisions, and choices based on their understanding of the material.
- Have them assess the quality of information and arguments they encounter.
- Assign projects that require them to defend their opinions.
- Create (Synthesis):
- Foster creativity by asking your child to synthesize information and ideas.
- Assign projects where they can create something new based on what they’ve learned.
- Encourage them to write, design, build, or compose.
How It Works
The framework moves from the simple to the complex within the process. First, it is necessary to master the lower levels (remembering, understanding, and applying) before being able to master the higher levels (analyzing, evaluating, and creating). Then students become more knowledgeable, more skilled, and develop an improved understanding of the content they are learning.
When you use the outlined verbs in your lesson plans, you can align your learning activities with the different levels in the taxonomy and help your students master objectives and standards. Occasionally, you may need to spend longer on the lower levels of the taxonomy and not scale multiple levels in a single lesson. It may take a few lessons covering the same content to achieve mastery.
When homeschooling, you can use Bloom’s Taxonomy to design a well-rounded curriculum that promotes a deeper understanding of the material. Ensure that your child progresses through these cognitive levels as they learn. Adapt your teaching methods and materials to match your child’s age, abilities, and interests. Tailoring your homeschooling approach using Bloom’s Taxonomy can help your child develop critical thinking skills, problem-solving abilities, and a deeper appreciation for learning.
