Bloom's Taxonomy in High School

When I think back to high school learning, my first thoughts are of cramming for tests and quizzes the night before, on the bus in the morning, and even the period before. While I didn’t think about it then, reflecting on these “cram” sessions leads me to think that many of my assessments were testing more basic levels of Bloom’s taxonomy – remembering and understanding. I remember reviewing French vocab words and historical dates and battles and amendments. I remember flashcards for mythological characters and common SAT words. I remember learning the periodic table and geometry proofs. And for the most part, I could recall these facts on my tests and quizzes. However, if I had to take the same tests again tomorrow, I would have to cram all over again…

While many of my experiences in high school were based on the lower level of the taxonomy, I also had some assignments where I created projects, presentations, or essays that I both enjoyed and can remember more in-depth today – my research papers on CS Lewis, Little Women, and The Sound and The Fury, and my public speaking class with speeches on the Bengal Tiger, a childhood role model, and soccer positions. Interestingly, the assignments that I best remember and that asked me to evaluate and create my own products also directly tie in with my college major (English) and my current profession (High School English).

I think creating assignments at higher levels of the taxonomy is very challenging and takes active participation from the learner as well as the teacher. So I’m not surprised that so many of my learning experiences in high school were based on the lower half of the spectrum. Honestly, I think I received a very strong secondary education, even if many of the assessments focused on more basis recall skills and even if I don’t remember everything I learned. The facts and skills that I learned served as a foundation for me to build on throughout high school and college and as I began to focus on English, I didn’t need to remember all of the other facts…Overall, in high school, I think I learned to think critically and how to be a self learner throughout the rest of my life which definitely represents the goal of Bloom’s taxonomy.