Going Deep, Bloom's Taxonomy, Introductory/Group Lesson

Opening Prayer:

Opening Story:             

              There was a period of time when I considered the field of psychology and one of those reasons was Benjamin Bloom’s theory about Mastery Learning. Even as a high schooler, his pyramid of classifications gripped me. He was under the assumption that all questions were not created equal and certain verbiage required deeper thought. Imagine my surprise when I entered the college of education and I learned even more about Bloom’s Taxonomy.

              According to Bloom, there are three domains of educational objectives: Affective, Psychomotor, and Cognitive. The affective domain consists of skills that describe how a person responds emotionally. The psychomotor domain consists of skills that show how a person uses their motor movements and physical comprehension. Finally, there is the cognitive domain of how a person takes in and comprehends information. This is where we will land.

              Bloom broke up the cognitive domain into six categories and explained how one level had to be laid for successful mastery of the next. The first level is called Knowledge. This level is where a teacher introduces concepts, teaches basic facts, and the student is able to regurgitate those facts. Memory recall, rehearsal, and memorization are performed at this bottom level.

              The second category is known as Comprehension. At this level, students use knowledge they have already obtained to organize, categorize, or describe. This would be simple word problems in math, finding the main idea of a paragraph, or classifying elements in science class.

              Next is Application. This category shows that students understand and comprehend previously taught material by applying those skills, rules, formulas, and understanding to new material and situations. This level is similar, but not as advanced as the fourth category, Analysis. This is where inference comes in. Students read new material and can identify motives and causes by using context clues. They analyze relationships and form assumptions based on evidence that is gathered.

              The next two categories represent the highest levels of knowledge mastery on the taxonomy: Synthesis and Evaluation. When two things are synthesized, they are brought together to create a brand-new creation, and that’s what happens at this mastery level. Students create new proposals or plans based on the evidence and knowledge they have collected. Which leads to the highest level of taxonomy, Evaluation. This is when students are able to make evaluative judgment calls because they not only understand the material, but they have mastered it. At this level they can not only make critiques or evaluations, but they can teach the material to others in a variety of methods.

              This week we will take a deep dive into these six levels of content mastery, but for today, I want to finish our lesson with taking a look at how Bloom’s Taxonomy connects to our walk with Christ. I’ve often wondered how a person can come to church every Sunday for twenty years but never grow in their walk with Christ. In my opinion, they are stuck at the bottom level of Bloom’s taxonomy. They simply know, but there has been no reason to regurgitate the information in a comprehensive way or apply their knowledge. If we read the Bible but never reach the application level, we will remain babies for the rest of our lives.

              But wait, there’s more. If we never take what we learn and use the Bible as a basis for the rest of our life, then we won’t grow. At some point we have to analyze our motives, feelings, and choices. We have to make judgment calls and evaluate the way we are living our life. And then, we lead others to do the same. Bloom’s taxonomy is an outline for the Christian life, including discipleship. How exciting is that?

This week, as we look at how to use Bloom’s Taxonomy in our classrooms, we will also learn how to apply it in our spiritual walk. Are you ready to make giant leaps this week? Come grow with me.

(https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Benjamin_Bloom#google_vignette)

Scripture Reading:

Read 2 Samuel 12:1-14 (NIV)

And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds,  but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

                  Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.”

Discussion

1.      Which levels of Bloom’s taxonomy are present in this story about David and Nathan? Explain how you know?

2.      Are you teaching  in such a way that your students will reach the precipice of the taxonomy? How do you know?

3.      Describe how a Christian can analyze scripture and apply it to their life.

4.      Examine your walk with Christ. Are you keeping things at the knowledge level? Or going deeper and to the highest levels? If you aren’t growing and going deep, what needs to change?

Homework

              Read James 1 and think about wisdom. Where do James’ thoughts from that chapter land on Bloom’s Taxonomy?

Personal Reflection

              Take a look at the way you teach material. Do you scaffold all the way up the pyramid of the taxonomy or do you keep things at the basic level? Now, take a look at your quiet time with God. Are you diving deep each day, asking yourself and God hard questions? Or are you going through the motions and checking off the fact boxes? We will never grow if we stay at the knowledge and comprehension levels, we must apply the instructions and follow up with follow-through. Do you want to grow in your walk with Jesus?