Bloom's Taxonomy
One of the primary differences between literacy and 21st century literacy is the higher order cognitive processes that 21st century literacy requires. In other words, literacy is no longer the ability to read and write, it is the ability to remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. These processes make up Bloom’s Taxonomy. Lee Crockett, author of Literacy is NOT Enough, states that "in this new digital reality, the application of higher order thinking and independent cognitive skills in the context of real-world, real-life, and real-time taskks is of critical importance" (23). Both the standards of Common Core and the characteristics of the 21st century literate from the National Council of Teachers of English explicitly incorporate the terms used in Bloom’s taxonomy to draw a direct connection to 21st century literacy and higher order thinking.
As students move away from simply remember and understanding information, more meaningful connections and knowledge is gained. As shown in the triangle below, retrieved from Old Dominion University, the most difficult processes are evaluating and creating. Glen Bull, co-director of the Center for Technology & Teacher Education in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, argues that "progressive education emphasizes learning through experience, the unique qualities of each learner, and the critical role of education in a democratic society" (What Do We Mean When We Say 21st Century Learning?). In order to achieve this, higher levels in Bloom's taxonomy must be emphasized to inspire greater student interaction in academics and deeper connections between schema. The “Standards” page on this website draws a direct connection between each Common Core Standard and a level on Bloom’s taxonomy. For instance, the standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7 “Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words” directly relates to the level “evaluating” in Bloom’s Taxonomy. Additionally, the characteristics described by NCTE also describe higher order processes. For instance, “manage, analyze, and evaluate multimedia texts” implies that the 21st century literate must be processing at the 4th and 5th level in the taxonomy. Therefore, 21st century literacy directly relates to Bloom’s Taxonomy as the characteristics of 21st century literate and the state standards that 21st century literacy implies both use the terms that define higher order thinking.
For information on each level of Bloom's taxonomy, watch the video below by LSU Center for Academic Success. The video describes each level of classification and how it relates to the college setting. If teachers are to prepare students for college and life skills, then Bloom's taxonomy should be incorporated into the elementary school.
One of the primary differences between literacy and 21st century literacy is the higher order cognitive processes that 21st century literacy requires. In other words, literacy is no longer the ability to read and write, it is the ability to remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. These processes make up Bloom’s Taxonomy. Lee Crockett, author of Literacy is NOT Enough, states that "in this new digital reality, the application of higher order thinking and independent cognitive skills in the context of real-world, real-life, and real-time taskks is of critical importance" (23). Both the standards of Common Core and the characteristics of the 21st century literate from the National Council of Teachers of English explicitly incorporate the terms used in Bloom’s taxonomy to draw a direct connection to 21st century literacy and higher order thinking.
As students move away from simply remember and understanding information, more meaningful connections and knowledge is gained. As shown in the triangle below, retrieved from Old Dominion University, the most difficult processes are evaluating and creating. Glen Bull, co-director of the Center for Technology & Teacher Education in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, argues that "progressive education emphasizes learning through experience, the unique qualities of each learner, and the critical role of education in a democratic society" (What Do We Mean When We Say 21st Century Learning?). In order to achieve this, higher levels in Bloom's taxonomy must be emphasized to inspire greater student interaction in academics and deeper connections between schema. The “Standards” page on this website draws a direct connection between each Common Core Standard and a level on Bloom’s taxonomy. For instance, the standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7 “Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words” directly relates to the level “evaluating” in Bloom’s Taxonomy. Additionally, the characteristics described by NCTE also describe higher order processes. For instance, “manage, analyze, and evaluate multimedia texts” implies that the 21st century literate must be processing at the 4th and 5th level in the taxonomy. Therefore, 21st century literacy directly relates to Bloom’s Taxonomy as the characteristics of 21st century literate and the state standards that 21st century literacy implies both use the terms that define higher order thinking.
For information on each level of Bloom's taxonomy, watch the video below by LSU Center for Academic Success. The video describes each level of classification and how it relates to the college setting. If teachers are to prepare students for college and life skills, then Bloom's taxonomy should be incorporated into the elementary school.