Thinking Skills in the Language
Classroom
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy for Learning Activities
Do we often teach our students to process the information
we provide critically? This is not a question for language teachers; it is a
question for all educators. And all of us –no matter where we teach- will agree
that our students need to develop their thinking skills to be better prepared
in their future working environments. Haynes (2009) suggests that …
Haynes (2009) also suggests that Bloom’s Taxonomy can be
used to cater for those cravings for thinking skills. Activities, tasks,
exercises, and the like can be designed to promote critical thinking among
pupils, although their language is not fully-developed. If we keep in the
lookout Krashen’s maxim of i + 1 at its best, without leaving aside the
CEF levels of language proficiency, language practices can be well-designed and
thought-provoking.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level 1: Knowledge
Sample Listening Exercise
Sample Listening Exercise
When working at this level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, teachers
mostly focus students’ attention on the explicit information in a text. This
is probably the most common type of questions prepared by language instructors.
From a syntactical point of view, these questions are –on the one hand- yes/no
questions that can be simply answered affirmatively or negatively, -on the
other hand-, teachers ask for either/or questions.
1
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Does the train go to National Airport?
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2
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Does the train go to Gallery Place?
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3
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Does the man transfer to the Yellow Line at National
Airport?
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4
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Does the man have to take the Red Line or the Yellow
Line?
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5
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Is the woman sure about the number of stops?
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Bloom’s Taxonomy Level 2: Comprehension
Reading
Comprehension Exercise
In contrast to level 1 where information is explicit, in
level 2 the teacher has to have students work with implicit information
and inferences. Comprehending the data within a text can allow the students to
interpret facts in order to compare, contrast, illustrate, and classify
information.
1
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What’s the philosopher’s attitude towards the boatman?
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2
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What does the philosopher value in life?
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3
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Why does the scholar look down on the boatman?
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4
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What’s the boatman’s philosophy of life?
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5
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What does the boatman teach –in his final moments- to
the philosopher?
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Exercises for Blooom’s Taxonomy Level
2 / Prof. Jonathan Acuña’s docx
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Bloom’s Taxonomy Level 3: Application
Finding
Solutions
At the application level, teachers have a great range of
possible activities for their students and language skills. One of these
possibilities is problem-solving tasks based on a situation where the student
tries to find (a) solution(s) that can satisfy the requirements of the people
who are part of the “problem.” Of course, comprehending and knowing the
situation also allows the student to find a sensible solution with higher
critical thinking skills.
Finding
Solutions: The Chen’s Family Hunting for an Apartment
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E
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Situation
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E
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Mr. Chen and his family are looking for a new
apartment since they live in a cramped place. The Chen Family has only $1,200
to spend on rent monthly. Because they are five people, they want a 4-bedroom
place, but if not, a 3-bedroom apartment is ok for them, too. Help them find
a place by checking the ads in the classified section of the newspaper.
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E
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They want a place that needs to be close to a school
because their children are in primary school.
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Exercises for Blooom’s Taxonomy Level 3 / Prof. Jonathan Acuña’s docx
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Bloom’s Taxonomy Level 4: Analysis
Short
Story Analysis: Younde Goes to Town
At level 4 the teacher can have students work –for instance-
with short stories to identify the real sequencing of events in it. Another
possible task is to have students, as suggested by Haynes (2009), is to have
them compare characters at the beginning of the story and then at the end.
Students can really analyze what really happened in a story chronologically
speaking and can analyze the evolution of a character’s psyche.
Short
Story Analysis: Younde Goes to Town
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1
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Sequencing of events: Read the story and number the
events in a chronological way.
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Younde thinks the market is bigger than his village.
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Younde feels sorry for the dead man and his fortune.
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__
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Younde prepares a trip to Accra.
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__
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Younde asks for the owner of the sailboats.
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Younde arrives in Accra.
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__
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Younde finds a funeral on his way back home.
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Younde is surprised by the big buildings in the city.
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Younde runs into a boy taking care of a lot of cattle.
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2
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Why is this misunderstanding happening?
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3
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Is there a difference in Younde if compared to the
beginning and the end of the story?
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4
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Why do you think Younde never realized what was
happening?
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Exercises for Blooom’s Taxonomy Level
4 / Prof. Jonathan Acuña’s docx
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Bloom’s Taxonomy Level 5: Synthesis
Giving
an Opinion: Varokaa heikkoa jäätä
According to Haynes (2009), “Synthesis …
By means of synthesis, the teacher can have students
combine data from various types of texts to produce new information based on
their opinions and understanding. Students can also come up with “alternative”
solutions by synthetizing data and apply into new higher thinking combinations.
Info
Synthesis: Varokaa heikkoa jäätä
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1
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What can be the meaning of varokaa heikkoa jäätä?
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2
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How would one “survive” without friends?
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3
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What would change in the video to make it more “powerful?”
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4
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Are there characters in the story that are not
relevant?
Would you eliminate any character?
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5
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What may happen with you if you are careless walking
on thin ice?
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Exercises for Blooom’s Taxonomy Level
5 / Prof. Jonathan Acuña’s docx
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Bloom’s Taxonomy Level 6: Evaluations
Evaluating
the content of a song: The Logical Song
At this point, the teacher has to be yielding opinions
and judgments from his/her students. Information has to be used to provoke some
more higher critical thinking to have students defend a position with solid
arguments while using the data provided by the text.
Evaluation:
The Logical Song by Supertramp
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1
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What do you think the singer is trying to tell you
about education?
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2
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What don’t you like about our educational system?
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3
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Do you think education in our country is good? Why or
why not?
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4
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What part of the lyrics do you like best? Why?
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5
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Why do you think the singer decided to share this
song?
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6
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If you could, what would you do to change our
educational system?
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7
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Are there songs that give similar criticism towards
education? Are they better than “The Logical Song?”
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8
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Why do you think this song was entitled “The Logical
Song?”
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Exercises for Blooom’s Taxonomy Level
6 / Prof. Jonathan Acuña’s docx
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To sum up, Bloom’s Taxonomy is alive in education. As
language instructors is our task to fully take advantage of it to teach
critical thinking skills to our students to have them be better prepared for
their future professional world where critical thinking is highly valued. By
choosing activities that range from level 1 to 6, we can provide students
variety to really engage them in their learning and in their development of
thinking processes.
ETo
fully develop and comprehend this teaching issue, it’s advisable to research
and expand these areas:
1
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Bloom’s
Taxonomy in ELT
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2
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Critical
Thinking in Language Learning
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3
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Meaningful
Learning Tasks
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4
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Hierarchical
Thinking in ELT
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5
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Learning
Outcomes via Bloom’s Taxonomy
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Professor
Jonathan
Acuña-Solano
ELT
Instructor & Trainer based in Costa Rica
Freelance ELT Consultant four OUP in Central America
For
further comments or suggestions, reach me at:
@jonacuso –
Twitter
Other blogs and sites I often write for my students at
the university are:
Frankel, I & Victoria
Kimbrough (1998) Gateways 2 [Audio CD1, track 30] Produced by The Sun Group for
Oxford University Press
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Haynes, J. (2009) Bloom's taxonomy
and English language learners,
published by everythingESL.net
at http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/
blooms_taxonomy_language_learn_16902.php
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Hodgson, R. (1979) The Logical Song [by Supertramp], Audio track from the album Breakfast in America
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Mickwitx, C. (2006) Varokaa heikkoa jäätä [Video] Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpjR5a7IXUU
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Sunday, February 24, 2013
