Week 4 Reflection

Week 4 Reflection

Bloom's Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a pyramid that displays the hierarchy used for teaching and learning. There are 6 levels beginning with remember, which is the most basic form of understanding, to evaluate, which is when students have the most comprehensive knowledge base about a topic. When students are first introduced to the topic, they start at the bottom of the pyramid. The cognitive level needed to accomplish assignments and assessments increase as students move up the pyramid.

Depth of Knowledge

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is a range of levels of complexity and depth of understanding that are needed for an assessment. There are four levels of Depth of Knowledge that vary from students being able to complete basic tasks all the way to students being able to use extended thinking skills. 

How are they different?

Bloom's Taxonomy focuses on the level of knowledge that a student must possess in order to be able to successfully complete an activity or assessment. Depth of Knowledge refers to the rigor or level of complexity of the thinking required to complete an assessment.

How will I use these in future instruction?

I will use Bloom's Taxonomy to structure my activities and assessments based on how well students are doing with the content. I know that students need to begin at a lower level when they are first introduced, but also that in order for students to master the content they need to be able to create and produce their own work to demonstrate adequate understanding. I will use DOK in order to ensure that how I assess my students meets the appropriate complexity level. For example, I might begin assessing students on new content with a multiple choice exam, however when they have mastered the content I will assess them through extended thinking activities such as short answer and essay questions and group discussions.