Mary Pat WenderothDepartment of Biology

University of Washington

Bloomin’ Biology

National Research Council 1999

1. Address student’s preconceptions.

Three major findings:

2. Build BOTH a deep foundation of factual knowledge & strong conceptual framework.3. Enhance student’s ability to monitor their learning.

(metacognition)

How Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning& Blooming Biology Tool can

1- Take the mystery out of learning for students

2- Enhance student metacognition

3- Help YOU align your teaching and testing

Evaluation- critique

Synthesis - create

Analysis- compare and contrast

Application-- solve

Comprehension-- define

Knowledge-- facts

Bloom, B.S., Krathwohl, D.R., and Masia, B.B. (1956)

Bloom, B.S., Krathwohl, D.R., and Masia, B.B. (1956)

KnowledgeKnowledge

ComprehensionComprehension

ApplicationApplication

AnalysisAnalysis SynthesisSynthesis EvaluationEvaluation

Higher Order

Lower Order

Evaluation

Synthesis

Analysis

Application

Comprehension

Knowledge

Bloom, B.S., Krathwohl, D.R., and Masia, B.B. (1956)

---------------------Graduate

--------------------Graduate

--------------Sr

-----------Jr.

------So.

Fr.

Fr.—So.—Jr.—Sr.--Graduate

Fr.—So.—Jr.—Sr.--Graduate

Fr.—So.—Jr.—Sr.--Graduate

Fr.—So.—Jr.—Sr.--Graduate

Fr.—So.—Jr.—Sr.--Graduate

Fr.—So.—Jr.—Sr.--Graduate

Colleague’s (Scott Freeman) query

Does the MCAT hinder efforts to introduce critical thinking into Introductory Biology courses?

•Team of 3 faculty (Alison Crowe, Clarissa Dirks, MP Wenderoth)

•Design a rubric based on Bloom’s Taxonomy

•Rank 700 exam questions

How the Blooming Biology Tool was created

1st year Medical School

MCAT

GRE Biology

Undergraduate Introductory Biology courses

High school AP Biology courses

Scored 50 questions

Need a more Biology specific Tool!

Physiology: Cardiac Output (MP Wenderoth)

Cell Biology: Nuclear transport (Alison Crowe)

Immunology: Virology (Clarissa Dirks)

Physiology: cardiac outputKnowledge

Which two variables determine cardiac output for an animal?

ComprehensionDefine cardiac output and why it is significant.

ApplicationLance Armstrong has a normal resting cardiac output 6L/min yet his resting heart rate is only 40 beats/min. What is his stroke volume?

Analysis

Compared to a normal resting male of the same height and weight, Lance Armstrong’s stroke volume is greatly increased. Provide a physiological explanation for a large stroke volume.

EvaluationIf an enlarged heart was observed on a CT scan of patient, how would you determine if this enlarged heart was pathological or not?

SynthesisCreate a summary sheet that is a pictorial depiction/ flow diagram of how changes in cardiac output influence mean arterial blood pressure.

•Calculations

•Concept maps

•Diagnoses

•Graphing

•Hardy-Weinberg analysis

•Molecular techniques (reading gels, microarrays)

•Phylogenetic trees

•Punnett Squares/ Pedigree Analysis

Bloom’s level GRAPHING

Knowledge Identify the parts of graphs and recognize different types of graphs (e.g., identify the X axis, identify a histogram)

Comprehension Describe the data represented in a simple graph

Application Draw a graph based on a given set of data; predict outcomes based on data presented in graph

Analysis Read and interpret a complex graph having multiple variables or treatments and explain biological implications of data

Synthesis Create a graphical representation of a given biological process or concept

Evaluation Assess the relative effectiveness of different graphical representations of the same data or biological concept

Crowe, Dirks & Wenderoth 2008. CBE- Life Science Education 7:368.

Find HIGHEST Bloom level

How we “Bloom” a How we “Bloom” a question.question.

Compared to a normal resting male of the same height and weight, Lance Armstrong’s stroke volume is greatly increased. Provide a physiological explanation for a large stroke volume.

EvaluationSynthesisAnalysisApplicationComprehensionKnowledge

✔✔✔

✔

Interesting side-effect of developing these rubrics!

We each started changing the way we taught.

10 min of class

Homework:

Bloom’s mnemonic

Purpose: All questions are not created equal! Help students monitor their learning.

Discuss mnemonic

“Bloom the question”

In all subsequent

classes

C

AN

K-C

AP

C

Bloom’s distribution of exam questions

Helps me align my teaching & testing

Help students set appropriate expectations of test

Learning Goals Class Activities Assessment

Lack of Alignment

Student frustration

Learning Goals Class Activities Assessment

Misalignment

Students

Learning Goals Class Activities Assessment

Make Alignment EXPLICIT

Avg= 70

Bloom’s

Distribution

Grade

Distribution

Students access their Bloom scores via on-line grade reporting tool (Dave Hurley)

Bloom’s-based Learning Activities for Students

“BLASt”

Crowe, Dirks & Wenderoth 2008. CBE- Life Science Education 7:368.

PRE- Bloom’s “But I studied so hard!”POST- Bloom’s “I need help with analysis level questions”

“I remember initially thinking, “Why are we wasting valuable class time on Bloom's taxonomy?” I felt that Bloom's taxonomy was a burden, but I now use Bloom's taxonomy unconsciously to attack many problems. It is a method used to help organize my thoughts before I act.”

Recap

1 - Introduce Bloom’s FIRST day of class

2 - “Bloom” in-class questions ( for practice)

3 - “Bloom” old exam ( to set expectations)

4 -”Bloom” new exams ( to check my alignment)

5 - Show “Bloom” distribution of exam performance

6 - Provide individual “Bloom”exam performance scores

7 - Give students BlAST- learning guide

CAUTIONS

1.Do not have students “Bloom” exam during exam– takes too much time

2.Best to work as a team when Blooming questions ( for you and your students)

3.Don’t worry about “splitting hairs” on application vs analysis level questions.

CBE-Life Sciences Education 7:368-381, 2008

Zheng et al. (2008). Science 319

GRE2.32

Undergrad 2.43

AP Bio 2.35

Med 1.93

MCAT2.57

K C Ap An S E

•1st yr Medical School

•MCAT

•GRE Biology

•Intro Biology courses

•AP Biology courses

National Research Council 1999

1. Address student’s preconceptions

Three major findings:

2. Build BOTH a deep foundation of factual knowledge AND strong conceptual framework.3. Enhance student’s ability to monitor their learning (metacognition

)

Thank you PearsonforThe sunThe sandThe food & drinkThe opportunity to “talk teaching”

“To achieve these ambitious goals, we will need much more emphasis on both science education and the “science of education”.

Science Jan 2, 2009