Blooms Taxonomy

Question

According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, what are the questions which require higher order thinking skills?

Answer 1

According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, these questions require higher order thinking skills. Such questions require the learner to:

Analyze: examine the theme, character, or plot as component parts of a whole

Synthesize: mentally connect separate dimensions of the text to form a composite

Evaluate: make personal judgments about the actions or motives of the characters

These questions generally begin with stems such as:
“What if....?”
“Why do you think/feel...?”
“How would things change if...?”

Research has confirmed, though, that these kinds of questions are seldom used by teachers (Newton & Newton, 2000). This is due, in part, to the difficulty in constructing such questions. It is often helpful to develop questions before engaging children in grand conversations. Click this link to view a list of open-ended questions that are suited to grand conversations. As you read these questions, try to categorize them as requiring analysis, synthesis, or evaluation on the part of the learner.