Teach Secondary Issue 13.4

More ‘brain space’ Bloom’s Taxonomy still has a place in our teaching, even amid the current vogue for cognitive load theory. It’s helpful for students to know that practising the quick and accurate recall of facts will gift them increased ‘brain space’ with which to tackle more difficult challenges. Rapid recall can, for example, reduce the cognitive load of exam questions that involve evaluation or determination. The integration of spaced, interleaved retrieval practice in lessons is largely based on a 2013 meta study by Dunlosky et al . (see bit.ly/ ts-dunlosky). Yet while this practice caters well for the bottom two tiers of Bloom’s Taxonomy, there’s still a need for further innovation around developing higher order teaching strategies. Happily, however, Dunlosky et al points the way there too. Their study highlights two potentially effective solutions – Elaborative Interrogation (a method of explaining why we know a thing to be true), and Self Explanation (a method of explaining to oneself the cognitive route we took to solving a problem). Bloom’s Taxonomy has been the single most influential theory of my classroom career. I’ve used it to adapt activities and questions inmy lessons to the objectives of each group. It’s enabled my students to better discern between one lesson element and another, and it’s helped them feel more comfortable with tackling those bits of the curriculum they find more challenging. Some questions are meant to be harder! They’re designed that way! The more opportunities students have to work at this higher level, the quicker they can switch into actively and regularly working at this level. That’s incredibly important, given that within even the same exam question, students may have to constantly shift between describing, explaining, applying, evaluating and suggesting. Ahallmarkof excellence An application of Bloom’s has underpinned virtually all of what I do in schools. It’s a subtle hallmark of an excellent lesson, but conspicuous by its absence to trained observers. As a leader, I’ll always include a Bloom’s scale of challenge in any lesson objectives I give candidates at interview.When planning, I’ll always try to think at the evaluative and creative level of the taxonomy. Inmeetings, I’ll try to make myself more useful by working at the highest level of the taxonomy. And inmy writing, I’m always trying to give the reader my high level thinking, as that’s the stuff that’s the most valuable. An understanding of Bloom’s is a high utility form of knowledge, whatever stage of the teaching journey you’re at. If you’re a trainee just starting out, and feeling overwhelmed by the barrage of well-meant advice you’re receiving, let me assure you this is one of the most important pieces of advice you’ll hear. Perhaps you’re in a TLR post, busily quality assuring a set of resources. Look at your lessons through the lens of Bloom’s Taxonomy – rest assured, your students will thank you for their eventual grades if you do. Or youmight be a senior leader, planning out a new term of CPD and learning across your school or trust. Make Bloom’s a priority, and make it clear to your staff how fundamental a concept it is in teaching, learning and assessment. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kit Betts-Masters is a lead practitioner for science, a former head of physics and of science; he is also the author of several physics education books, and produces physics, education and technology videos for YouTube under the username @KitBetts-Masters. For more information, visit evaluateeverything.co.uk READY FOR ACTION Five ways in which you can start using Bloom’s Taxonomy in school tomorrow... Match command words to assessment objectives, and notice how they fit within Bloom’s Taxonomy structure. Then explicitly teach Bloom’s Taxonomy in relation to assessments. Use mark schemes to analyse which Bloom’s level each mark is assessing. Use this to help students match their test performance against assessment objectives in a spreadsheet. Structure lesson questions using command words from the exam board, in ascending order of Bloom’s Taxonomy levels. Analyse lesson elements as you plan, then consider if the balance of Bloom’s levels is right for your class and content. Allow more independent learners to learn facts on their own for homework, and reserve their classroom time for the practice of higher order skills. Collaborate on paired observations focused on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Analyse how much time each class spends working at each Bloom’s level, then check whether this was appropriate for the target level of the group. Create Evaluate Analyse Apply Understand Remember Verb Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy 2021 Lower to higher order thinking skills 75 teachwire.net/secondary P E D A G O G Y