Week 4 Reflection

 

             
             We discussed Bloom's Taxonomy and Webb's Depth of Knowledge this week. Bloom's taxonomy is structured as a hierarchical pyramid and contains six different levels. In order, the list includes; remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. The idea of this pyramid is that students start demonstrating learning by first recalling information until they can create new work. The higher you go up the pyramid, the harder the cognitive tasks become for students. However, students do become more knowledgeable about concepts after completing all six levels. Bloom's taxonomy would be a great tool to reference when planning instruction for my future classroom. I can create objectives using each level to help all my students think critically about current topics. I will be able to assess if my students understand material by having them demonstrate each step of the pyramid, only moving up a level once they have shown they are ready. This will also help my students recognize what they should be learning.

              Webb's Depth of Knowledge is not hierarchical but is focused on the thinking process. It is a four-step process used to examine how deeply a student learns and applies material. The steps of DOK include recall & reproduction, skills & concepts, strategic thinking, and extended thinking. Students can begin the DOK process with something simple like calculations but should work their way up to more challenging activities such as debating a topic or organizing an event. Students should also move fluidly through all these steps as they learn. In my future instruction, I want to ensure that I propose questions and create activities that allow students to experience all steps of DOK equally. My students will not benefit from just recalling information all year but will also be unable to immediately engage in activities requiring extended thinking.