Critical and Creative Thinking - Bloom's Taxonomy

What are critical thinking and creative thinking?
 
What's Bloom's taxonomy and how is it helpful in project planning?
 
How are the domains of learning reflected in technology-rich projects?

Benjamin Bloom (1956) developed a classification of levels of intellectual behavior in learning. This taxonomy contained three overlapping domains: the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. Within the cognitive domain, he identified six levels: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. These domains and levels are still useful today as you develop the critical thinking skills of your students.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking involves logical thinking and reasoning including skills such as comparison, classification, sequencing, cause/effect, patterning, webbing, analogies, deductive and inductive reasoning, forecasting, planning, hypothesizing, and critiquing.

Creative thinking involves creating something new or original. It involves the skills of flexibility, originality, fluency, elaboration, brainstorming, modification, imagery, associative thinking, attribute listing, metaphorical thinking, forced relationships. The aim of creative thinking is to stimulate curiosity and promote divergence.
 
While critical thinking can be thought of as more left-brain and creative thinking more right brain, they both involve "thinking." When we talk about HOTS "higher-order thinking skills" we're concentrating on the top three levels of Bloom's Taxonomy: analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Knowledge

collect	describe	identify	list	show	tell	tabulate
define	examine	label	name	retell	state	quote
enumerate	match	read	record	reproduce	copy	select

Examples: dates, events, places, vocabulary, key ideas, parts of diagram, 5Ws

Comprehension

associate	compare	distinguish	extend	interpret	predict	differentiate
contrast	describe	discuss	estimate	group	summarize	order
cite	convert	explain	paraphrase	restate	trace

Examples: find meaning, transfer, interpret facts, infer cause & consequence, examples

Application

apply	classify	change	illustrate	solve	demonstrate
calculate	complete	solve	modify	show	experiment
relate	discover	act	administer	articulate	chart
collect	compute	construct	determine	develop	establish
prepare	produce	report	teach	transfer	use

Examples: use information in new situations, solve problems

Analysis

analyze	arrange	connect	divide	infer	separate
classify	compare	contrast	explain	select	order
breakdown	correlate	diagram	discriminate	focus	illustrate
infer	outline	prioritize	subdivide	points out	prioritize

Examples: recognize and explain patterns and meaning, see parts and wholes

Synthesis

combine	compose	generalize	modify	invent	plan	substitute
create	formulate	integrate	rearrange	design	speculate	rewrite
adapt	anticipate	collaborate	compile	devise	express	facilitate
reinforce	structure	substitute	intervene	negotiate	reorganize	validate

Examples: discuss "what if" situations, create new ideas, predict and draw conclusions

Evaluation

assess	compare	decide	discriminate	measure	rank	test
convince	conclude	explain	grade	judge	summarize	support
appraise	criticize	defend	persuade	justify	reframe

Examples: make recommendations, assess value and make choices, critique ideas

Affective Domain

Domain Attributes: interpersonal relations, emotions, attitudes, appreciations, and values id

accepts	attempts	challenges	defends	disputes	joins	judges
contributes	praises	questions	shares	supports	volunteers

 

Resources on Bloom's Taxonomy

Bloom's Taxonomy: An Overview from Family Education Network's TeacherVision

Learning Skills Program: Bloom's Taxonomy from University of Victoria - This page lists the six levels of the cognitive domain with examples.

Other Sites

Designing and Managing MCQs from University of Cape Town, South Africa

Major Categories in the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives by G. Krumme, University of Washington, Seattle

Critical Thinking

Free Brainstorming Training from Infinite Innovations Ltd - Learn basic and advanced techniques for brainstorming.

Mission: Critical from San Jose State University - This website provides an advanced look at critical thinking and specifically analysis of arguments and persuasion.

 

Examples and Applications of Critical Thinking 

Evaluating Primary Sources from Library of Congress's American Memory - This website does a great job providing an example of using Bloom's Taxonomy for evaluating primary resource materials.

Integrating Critical Thinking Skills Into the Classroom by A. Buchanan - This article defines critical thinking and provides steps for integrating the ideas into the classroom. 

Layered Curriculum by K.F. Nunley - The Layered Curriculum approach focuses on increasing levels of complexity. Explore some of the many examples. 

Creative Thinking

Creativity Links by C. Osborne - This page links to great resources on creative thinking.

Edward de Bono's Methods & Concepts of Lateral Thinking - This page provides an overview of deBono's ideas about creativity.

Introduction to Creative Thinking by R. Harris from VirtualSalt - This page compares critical and creative thinking and discusses the myths of creative thinking.

Tutorial on Creativity, Brainstorming and Innovation from Infinite Innovations Ltd. - This tutorial provides basic information about creativity, brainstorming, and innovation. It also provides ideas and activities.

Creativity Pool - This is a database of creative and original ideas. Submit your own or check to see if someone else has thought of the same thing.

Build A Project

Select a topic and a technology. Brainstorm examples of outcomes at different levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.

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