1: Understanding the Learning Process

Bloom’s Taxonomy 

Different professors and different courses expect different types of learning from you. Figuring out how you need to learn the material and how you will be tested on it will help you succeed.

If you want some insight into the types of learning you will do in college, you will want to get to know the work of Dr. Benjamin Bloom, an educational psychologist best known for his classification of different levels of learning, and the concept called Bloom's Taxonomy.

The bottom two levels, Remember and Understand, are called "lower levels” of Bloom's because they often take less effort than the others, and they are seen as foundational to the learning process.

The remaining levels are considered "higher levels” of Bloom's because you need to understand the information and do something with it.  Some examples include: applying it to a new situation, analyzing its parts, evaluating its strengths and weaknesses, or creating something new from your knowledge. 

Not all of your learning in college and the workplace will be at the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, but as you gain more knowledge and develop more sophisticated academic and workplace skills, you will move beyond merely remembering information.

The first and lowest level is “Remember.” At this level, you are attempting to recall information, such as definitions of terms or steps in a process. You don’t have to really understand (that will come next) the concepts at this level. For example, you may be able to memorize the steps of the Krebs Cycle by naming them in order, but that doesn’t mean you truly understand the processes involved and the effects of each step.

The second level is “Understand.” This is the stage in which you can explain or describe a concept in your own words. If you can restate a definition, concept, or process in your own words, you have a basic understanding of it. These lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy are the fundamental first steps.  You need to "Remember" and "Understand" before you can move higher up on the taxonomy.

The next level is “Apply,” which shows that you know the concept well enough to use it in a new context. In math classes, you need to remember and understand the steps of a formula.  When you apply your knowledge, you know when and how to use that formula to solve a new problem.

When you “Analyze” and “Evaluate,” you can examine the concepts deeply. For example, you can compare and contrast a concept with another concept (Analyze) or choose the best concept among others (Evaluate). 

The final level is “Create,” which, according to Bloom, is the pinnacle (peak, top-most level) of learning: If you can create (or recreate) something new based on what you have learned, you have demonstrated understanding of a concept, idea, or skill.

You can read articles and take notes during the professor’s lectures. This will help you remember information for later. This is a good first step to the learning process, but as you will see later, that is not the only or final step to learning.