Bloom's Taxonomy Of The Cognitive Domain Essay

For many years the standard for evaluating knowledge has been through cognitive evaluation. This style of assessment focuses on one’s ability to retain knowledge and take a test, answering questions. There are other types of assessment included in cognitive testing including written works and critiques. Regardless of the type of assessment, the standard has been some sort of cognitive exam or assessment to a particular topic. This style of assessment begins at a young age. When children begin schooling, they are tested on their ability to memorize and regurgitate information. From spelling tests to math tests and most of the other tests children must take throughout their basic education. Many states have forms of standardized testing to assess the knowledge of students. These tests are cognitive. As people get older they must take the SAT. This test, originally developed in the early 1900s as a test for scholarships, has become the standard for college admission (Frontline). We have become very reliant on cognitive evaluation for evaluation of …show more content…
The oldest researched domain is the cognitive domain. This domain focuses on thinking. The foundation of the cognitive domain, referred to as “Bloom 's Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain,” was researched throughout the 1940s and 1950s (Huitt). This taxonomy allows educators to format information into different levels to allow students to learn in a stepwise fashion. Bloom’s levels of the cognitive domain are: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (Huitt). These levels are designed for a student to go from simply being able to memorize and recite information to being able to critique and justify that same material. This has been the standard for creating educational standards, exams, lesson plans and almost everything within standardized educations. Knowledge is what is assessed and this is the base of the