Blooming Your Learning Objectives

Patrice Ludwig, James Madison UniversityCarol Hurney, James Madison University

Janet Branchaw, University of Wisconsin – MadisonKristina Obom, Johns Hopkins University

Need to know

How students learn

Thought BIGSituational factors

OBJECTIVES

Need to know

• Yesterday, many of us found that our BIG ideas did NOT align with our syllabus objectives. •We tended to think at different cognitive

levels than our syllabus stated. • Need to know what cognitive level we’ve

written our objectives so we can figure out whether or not we’ve aligned objectives and assessments.

Bloom: Old New

Learning Taxonomies

Try it• Demonstrate what Goldilocks would use if she came to your

house• Judge whether Goldilocks was good or bad. Defend your

opinion. • Compare this story to reality. What events could not really

happen. • List the items used by Goldilocks while she was in the Bear’s

house. • Propose how the story would be different if it were Goldilocks

and the Three Fish• Explain why Goldilocks liked Baby Bear’s chair the best

Learning Taxonomies

Learning TaxonomiesAnderson and Krathwohl, 2001

Example A&K

Taxonomy of Significant Learning – Dee Fink

SOLO (Biggs and Collis 1982)

Application• Which learning taxonomy appeals to you?• Which learning taxonomy aligns with the big learning goals of

your course?• Discuss with your BAT team• Use your preferred taxonomy and “taxonomize” your learning

objectives that you generated yesterday.