Exactly how you can leverage the power of knowledge and comprehension in your lesson planning and make effective use of the first two levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Taxonomy and Lesson Planning

Knowledge and comprehension are well-suited to being used in the first half of lessons.

This is because they can provide a framework on top of which more complex tasks can be placed – those involving the other four levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.

As a reminder, here’s the taxonomy in full:

Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation

And here are a set of keywords for our first two levels:

Knowledge Keywords

Arrange, Define, Describe, List, Match, Memorise, Name, Order, Quote, Recognise, Recall, Repeat, Reproduce, Restate, Retain.

Comprehension Keywords

Characterise, Classify, Complete, Describe, Discuss, Establish, Explain, Express, Identify, Illustrate, Recognise, Report, Relate, Sort, Translate.

If we see the lesson as an upward climb towards mastery, then the beginning will always have to contain at least some element of knowledge and comprehension, except for when this has been done previously (but even here, we still have the split wherein knowledge and comprehension come first).

Here, are five examples of how you can use knowledge and comprehension in the first half of lessons.

Method One: Divide the Lesson in Two

We may decide to divide our lesson in two.

In part one, we introduce learners to the content, help them to memorise it and become familiar with it, then give them an activity or two through which to develop their understanding.

In the second part of the lesson, we turn to application and analysis, or go further on towards synthesis and evaluation.

Here, learners must solve a series of problems, make judgements, or create something new, all of which are based on what they learned in the first part of the lesson.

This classic structure perfectly demonstrates how knowledge and comprehension can act as the building blocks for deeper thought.

Method Two: Start with a Range of Content

Another common approach is to present learners with a range of content and to then give them the first half of the lesson to work though this.

For example, in a History lesson we might give learners a selection of sources and ask them to read through and make notes on these, with their notes being structured in accordance with a set of questions (Who? What? When? Where? Why?).

In the second half of the lesson, we might ask learners to start interpreting the sources by looking at how they relate to each other.

As part of this, we would ask them to assess the reliability of the various sources, and how useful they are for understanding the topic.

Again we see the benefits that can accrue when we use knowledge and comprehension as a starting point from which to build.

(One caveat here regards more-able learners. When planning like this we need to be aware that they may get through the knowledge and comprehension more quickly than their peers. Or, in some cases, won’t need to do it at all. This means we need to be flexible and recognise when these learners already have the foundations and can therefore move onto higher levels of the taxonomy sooner than their peers.)

Method Three: A Three-Section Lesson

If we prefer a higher degree of structure we might divide our lesson into three and assign each pair of taxonomy levels to each section.

We start with knowledge and comprehension, then move to application and analysis before, in the final part of the lesson, asking learners to synthesise and/or evaluate the material about which they have been learning.

This approach sees mastery condensed into a single lesson and again demonstrates how starting with the foundations lets us move on to higher-order thinking.

Method Four: From Demonstration to Independence

Another option is to begin the lesson with a demonstration or some teacher modelling.

Learners then copy this and have their understanding questioned by the teacher through the course of the first half of the lesson.

For example, we might show learners how to draw perspective, ask them to imitate our model, circulate and question them for understanding, then lead a discussion examining why this aspect of drawing is effective.

In the second half of the lesson we would invite learners to apply their knowledge and understanding by creating an image of their own, containing perspective (here, application, analysis and synthesis are all rolled into one).

Method Five: Knowledge Starter then Comprehension Discussion

Finally, we might begin the lesson with a knowledge-based starter activity before moving into an exploratory discussion concerning the topic of study and various things connected to it.

The point of this discussion would be to broaden and deepen learners’ understanding of the lesson content.

After this, we might challenge learners to create a product, like a speech or presentation, rooted in their understanding of the content.

This would build on the comprehension developed through the discussion, with application and analysis added in (and possibly evaluation as well).

In each of these examples we can see how starting with knowledge and comprehension allows us to put learners on the path to mastery.

The aim is to build a foundation that sets them up for more challenging, higher-order thinking.

Using Knowledge and Comprehension at the Start of Activities

Our final section looks at a slightly different approach.

Constructing multi-part activities in which knowledge and comprehension form the start.

The first rung on the ladder, as it were.

Here are three examples to illustrate:

Multi-Part Activity: Example One

Watch the video clip showing the experiment in action then answer the questions about what happened and what caused it.
Next, try to work out what might happen if the experiment took place under different conditions.
Think about the potential impact of changes in temperature, the presence of a catalyst, and if there was a different ratio of elements in the compound.
Finally, assess what the experiment reveals to us about the nature of the compound as well as what it doesn’t reveal.
If possible, suggest how we could gain access to more information about the nature of the compound.

Multi-Part Activity: Example Two

Discuss the definitions with your partner.
Do they make sense?
Can you explain how you would use the words in a sentence?
When you are happy that you understand the meanings of the words, go online and identify two recent news stories to which we could apply some of the terms.
For example, you might find a story about police attitudes towards young people and then apply ‘labelling’ to it.
Finally, assess whether or not all of the words are equally useful.
Ask yourself what makes a concept useful to a sociologist and to what extent each of these words meets those criteria.

Multi-Part Activity: Example One

Watch me as I show you how to strike the ball correctly.
Get into pairs and practice copying what I’ve shown you.
After that we’ll get back together and discuss why this is the best way to strike the ball.
Then, we’re going to have a go at a pass and shoot activity where I want you to try to apply the technique at speed.
Finally, we’ll go into a series of 3 vs 3 games and I want you to focus on identifying when you should strike the ball in this way and when you should pass up the opportunity.
You’ll have to assess your options and aim to play the percentages as effectively as possible.

In each of these examples we have a series of sub-tasks bound together into a single activity.

They can be viewed as lessons in miniature, or you could have a lesson built around two or three of these types of activities.

You’ll notice in each case that we begin with knowledge and comprehension before moving up the taxonomy.

As with the previous section, the aim in each case is to quickly build a base of knowledge and understanding that learners can then call on to learn more and make progress.

An example of mastery learning in action.