what are the levels of critical thinking

Learning Leap Consultants

In conclusion, Bloom’s Taxonomy is a valuable tool for educators to create effective learning experiences for their students. The six levels of the taxonomy, which include remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating, provide a framework for designing curriculum, assessments, and teaching strategies. By understanding and utilizing the different levels of the taxonomy, educators can encourage deeper thinking, critical analysis, and creativity in their students. It is important to note that the levels are not linear but instead represent a hierarchy of cognitive complexity. As such, educators must carefully consider the level of thinking required for each learning objective and design activities and assessments that align with that level. Overall, Bloom’s Taxonomy is a powerful tool that can help educators create engaging and meaningful learning experiences that prepare students for success in their academic and professional pursuits.

Related Posts:

Thinking Humanity

• Home Thinking Humanity - Freedom of Speech, Human Values, Human Rights and Justice! Topics about Science and Technology, Energy and Sustainability, Consciousness and Philosophy, Truth, Awareness, Self-Improvement and the Universe. Health, Education, Documentaries, Humanism & Activism, Photography, Arts and more!
• Global News The latest interesting news from around the globe.
• Environment Our beautiful Earth provides us with an environment full of beautiful, extraordinary animals and landscapes. Let's explore nature together!
• Justice Justice is essential for the whole of humanity.
• Truth The word "truth" in Greek is translated as "αλήθεια," which means anti + oblivion.
• Documentaries Documentaries, thought-provoking movies, and films to expand your mind on many different topics.
• History A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.
• Philosophy The word philosophy derives from the Greek words "φίλος" + "σοφία," which mean the friend of wisdom. Try to be knowledgable and teachable, never losing the willingness to improve your self.
• Photography Photographs and pictures for various topics.
• Quantum Physics A light touch on Quantum Physics and Metaphysics.
• Quotes Thought-provoking and mind-stretching quotes by various great personalities of the past and of the present, to enhance your brain.
• Spirituality Spirituality is the way to look yourself internally, find your inner powers, and help yourself achieve what you really want in your life.
• Art “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” -Pablo Picasso
• Human Intelligence Human intelligence and human ingenuity are the drivers of humanity to a brighter future!
• Self Improvement “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” -Ernest Hemingway
• Relationships “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” -Carl Gustav Jung
• Quizzes & Tests Quizzes, tests, brain games & puzzles to boost your brain.
• Technology Technological innovations for various and essential aspects of our lives.
• Sustainability Sustainability and Environmental Awareness, the keys to thriving on our wonderful planet Earth.
• Do it Yourself (DIY) When you really want to achieve something, you might as well do it yourself!
• Coronavirus (CoVid-19) Useful information about the Coronavirus (CoVid-19), an infectious disease. The disease causes respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as a cough, fever, and in more severe cases, difficulty breathing. You can protect yourself by washing your hands frequently, avoiding touching your face, and avoiding close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with unwell people. Coronavirus disease spreads primarily through contact with an infected person when they cough or sneeze. It also spreads when a person touches a surface or object that has the virus on it, then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth.
• Cures A light touch on some cures for various illnesses.
• Nutrition Proper nutrition, healthy foods, and a good lifestyle for long life.
• Shop Thinking Humanity Store, T-shirts, Hoodies, Mugs, Bags, Leggings, stickers, beach towels, and more!

Header$type=social_icons

• facebook|6.6M|Likes|Like
• instagram|155K|Followers|Follow
• twitter|7K|Followers|Follow

How Should We Think: The 6 Stages Of Critical Thinking

Photo:Graph: Paul Ratner. Credit: Elder / Paul

Most of us over the last year have had our strongest will tested and our endurance pushed to its limit. But it hasn't only been our emotions that have been getting pulled through ordeals, our minds have also been pulled like never-before, and sadly many of us have fallen for elaborate conspiracy theories without any evidence, and for other fake-news regarding the pandemic.

The key to searching for truth, even in the most extreme dilemma, is to engage in ' critical thinking '. This means that we can evaluate evidence and what people tell us objectively and reach a more accurate conclusion about a situation.

Two psychologists, Linda Elder and Richard Paul , have now devised a 6-stage-pyramid of critical thinking that lets individuals assess just how good a critical thinker they are, and therefore how they can improve their critical thinking going forward. It starts from the bottom rung ' the unreflective thinker ' and moves all the way up to ' master thinker '.

Stage One: The Unreflective Thinker

In this stage, people are pretty much automatons. They act on instinct and take what is told to them at face-value. The have high levels of prejudice and jumbled thinking or thinking that is based on very faulty logic.

It shouldn't be thought though that these people are all uneducated, as Elder and Paul state :

"It is perfectly possible for students to graduate from high school, or even college, and still be largely unreflective thinkers."

Stage Two: The Challenged Thinker

At this stage, people do actually think about issues and scenarios in some depth, they also know that logical flaws in thinking can result in very negative consequences for themselves and others. However, like the unreflective thinker, they are also affected by personal biases, though they may be able to recognise that they do possess these biases in the first-place.

In that stage, it is very hard for the individual, even if they understand that an argument is poor, to be able to specify where the flaw lies in the logic behind it. They know something isn't right, but they can't quite work out why.

Stage Three: The Beginning Thinker

People in that stage have begun to apply critical thinking across their daily lives. They can see that many people use faulty logic and can even point-out in some cases what these faults actually are. They are also more self-aware than the 'challenged thinker'. They can understand that they can be wrong about things and are able to question the truth behind information being fed to them from different sources.

These individuals have started to put reason before emotion and sometimes won't believe in something just because they want to believe it to be true. Critical thinking is still a challenge though for the 'beginner thinker'.

Stage Four: The Practicing Thinker

This is now the level where reasoning skills begin to play a significant role in the day-to-day lives of the individual. They can evaluate not only the validity of an argument but can also understand the 'soundness' of the logical system being put into practice.

These people are also often being self-challenged. Instead of hoping for something to be true, they attempt to use logic and rationality as their guide.

Stage Five: The Advanced Thinker

The psychologists believe that this stage is found mostly as a result of higher college or university education. These individuals fully submit themselves to the law of reason and actively fight their own prejudices, putting rational thought above other considerations.

They also have intellectual empathy, which means that they are able to begin to understand why other people think the way they do but at the same time can easily identify flaws in the structure of the arguments made by those with whom they disagree. Importantly, they are able to identify why arguments are wrong, which is often far more difficult than identifying why arguments are correct.

Stage Six: The Master Thinker

This individual is very rare. These people have put logic above all else and are able to deal with every argument and problem critically. They consistently push themselves to reach new levels of critical thinking and are able to do that even in cases where it is deeply uncomfortable.

They have passed aside their ego in the search for validity and truth. They search for weaknesses and biases even in their own thinking and may question the very nature and axioms of knowledge and logic itself.

The question is though, how do we elevate ourselves and others to the next level? It is most certainly a difficult task precisely because we have to identify and put aside our own prejudices, hopes and fundamental beliefs. The authors of the study emphasise that :

"We must teach in such a way that students come to understand the power in knowing that whenever humans reason, they have no choice but to use certain predictable structures of thought: that thinking is inevitably driven by the questions, that we seek answers to questions for some purpose, that to answer questions, we need information, that to use information we must interpret it (i.e., by making inferences), and that our inferences, in turn, are based on assumptions, and have implications, all of which involves ideas or concepts within some point of view."

It is crucial then that we learn how to evaluate fundamental assumptions before reaching a conclusion if we want to have our will to be governed by logic rather than ignorance.

Subscribe to our mailing list

Visit our new shop.

Our Social Networks$type=social_counter

• facebook|7.2M|Likes|Like
• instagram|360K|Followers|Follow
• pinterest|17K|Followers|Follow
• reddit|1.8K|Redditors|Join
• youtube|Subscribe
• telegram|Follow

/fa-clock-o/ WEEK TRENDING$type=list

RANDOM$type=list-tab$date=0$au=0$c=5$src=random-posts

• Consciousness
• Do it Yourself
• Documentaries
• Environment
• Human Intelligence
• Inspirations
• Inspiring Stories
• Mental Health
• Photography
• Quantum Physics
• Quizzes & Tests
• Relationships
• Self Improvement
• Spirituality
• Sustainability

/fa-fire/ MONTHLY POPULAR$type=one

• Privacy Policy/Cookies

$type=social_counter

Higher Order Thinking: Bloom’s Taxonomy

Many students start college using the study strategies they used in high school, which is understandable—the strategies worked in the past, so why wouldn’t they work now? As you may have already figured out, college is different. Classes may be more rigorous (yet may seem less structured), your reading load may be heavier, and your professors may be less accessible. For these reasons and others, you’ll likely find that your old study habits aren’t as effective as they used to be. Part of the reason for this is that you may not be approaching the material in the same way as your professors. In this handout, we provide information on Bloom’s Taxonomy—a way of thinking about your schoolwork that can change the way you study and learn to better align with how your professors think (and how they grade).

Why higher order thinking leads to effective study

Most students report that high school was largely about remembering and understanding large amounts of content and then demonstrating this comprehension periodically on tests and exams. Bloom’s Taxonomy is a framework that starts with these two levels of thinking as important bases for pushing our brains to five other higher order levels of thinking—helping us move beyond remembering and recalling information and move deeper into application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and creation—the levels of thinking that your professors have in mind when they are designing exams and paper assignments. Because it is in these higher levels of thinking that our brains truly and deeply learn information, it’s important that you integrate higher order thinking into your study habits.

The following categories can help you assess your comprehension of readings, lecture notes, and other course materials. By creating and answering questions from a variety of categories, you can better anticipate and prepare for all types of exam questions. As you learn and study, start by asking yourself questions and using study methods from the level of remembering. Then, move progressively through the levels to push your understanding deeper—making your studying more meaningful and improving your long-term retention.

Level 1: Remember

This level helps us recall foundational or factual information: names, dates, formulas, definitions, components, or methods.

Level 2: Understand

Understanding means that we can explain main ideas and concepts and make meaning by interpreting, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and explaining.

Level 3: Apply

Application allows us to recognize or use concepts in real-world situations and to address when, where, or how to employ methods and ideas.

Level 4: Analyze

Analysis means breaking a topic or idea into components or examining a subject from different perspectives. It helps us see how the “whole” is created from the “parts.” It’s easy to miss the big picture by getting stuck at a lower level of thinking and simply remembering individual facts without seeing how they are connected. Analysis helps reveal the connections between facts.

Level 5: Synthesize

Synthesizing means considering individual elements together for the purpose of drawing conclusions, identifying themes, or determining common elements. Here you want to shift from “parts” to “whole.”

Level 6: Evaluate

Evaluating means making judgments about something based on criteria and standards. This requires checking and critiquing an argument or concept to form an opinion about its value. Often there is not a clear or correct answer to this type of question. Rather, it’s about making a judgment and supporting it with reasons and evidence.

Level 7: Create

Creating involves putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole. Creating includes reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure through planning. This is the highest and most advanced level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Pairing Bloom’s Taxonomy with other effective study strategies

While higher order thinking is an excellent way to approach learning new information and studying, you should pair it with other effective study strategies. Check out some of these links to read up on other tools and strategies you can try:

• Study Smarter, Not Harder
• Simple Study Template
• Using Concept Maps
• Group Study
• Evidence-Based Study Strategies Video
• Memory Tips Video
• All of our resources

Other UNC resources

If you’d like some individual assistance using higher order questions (or with anything regarding your academic success), check out some of your UNC resources:

• Academic Coaching: Make an appointment with an academic coach at the Learning Center to discuss your study habits one-on-one.
• Office Hours : Make an appointment with your professor or TA to discuss course material and how to be successful in the class.

Works consulted

Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D.R., Airasian, P.W., Cruikshank, K.A., Mayer, R.E., Pintrich, P.R., Wittrock, M.C (2001). A taxonomy of learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York, NY: Longman.

“Bloom’s Taxonomy.” University of Waterloo. Retrieved from https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/planning-courses-and-assignments/course-design/blooms-taxonomy

“Bloom’s Taxonomy.” Retrieved from http://www.bloomstaxonomy.org/Blooms%20Taxonomy%20questions.pdf

Overbaugh, R., and Schultz, L. (n.d.). “Image of two versions of Bloom’s Taxonomy.” Norfolk, VA: Old Dominion University. Retrieved from https://www.odu.edu/content/dam/odu/col-dept/teaching-learning/docs/blooms-taxonomy-handout.pdf

If you enjoy using our handouts, we appreciate contributions of acknowledgement.

Make a Gift

Critical thinking and Information Literacy: Bloom's Taxonomy

• A Note on Critical Thinking
• Critical Thinking
• Bloom's Taxonomy
• Christopher Dwyer's Critical Thinking

What is Bloom's Taxonomy and why is it relevant to Critical Thinking

Bloom's Taxonomy and Critical Thinking go hand in hand.  Bloom's taxonomy takes students through a thought process of analyzing information or knowledge critically.  Bloom's taxonomy begins with knowledge/memory and slowly pushes students to seek more information based upon a series of levels of questions and keywords that brings out an action on the part of the student.  Both critical thinking and Bloom's taxonomy are necessary to education and meta-cognition. 

Practical Applications:

• Th e Idea of “dialogue” with a “text” and on of  filling gaps or silences in the what you are  reading in order  so that you can contribute to any conversation, in particular when writing a research paper is primordial.
• Teaching students extrapolation- The concept that they are in charge of answering their own questions. "effects" of something must be determined by my own findings!
• The more “content” background knowledge we have the more critical our engagement.

Why Use Bloom's Taxonomy?

Why Use Bloom's Taxonomy?

Source below Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching- Patricia Armstrong-  Bloom's Taxonomy

• Objectives (learning goals) are important to establish in a pedagogical interchange so that teachers and students alike understand the purpose of that interchange.
• Teachers can benefit from using frameworks to organize objectives because
• Organizing objectives helps to clarify objectives for themselves and for students.
• “plan and deliver appropriate instruction”;
• “design valid assessment tasks and strategies”; and
• “ensure that instruction and assessment are aligned with the objectives.”

See also, Anderson, Lorin W., et al.  A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing : A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives / Editors, Lorin W. Anderson, David Krathwohl ; Contributors, Peter W. Airasian ... [et Al.].  Complete ed., Longman, 2001.

The Revised Taxonomy 2001

• Recognizing
• Interpreting
• Exemplifying
• Classifying
• Summarizing
• Implementing
• Differentiating
• Attributing

"In the revised taxonomy, knowledge is at the basis of these six cognitive processes, but its authors created a separate taxonomy of the types of knowledge used in cognition:  Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching- Patricia Armstrong-  Bloom's Taxonomy

• Knowledge of terminology
• Knowledge of specific details and elements
• Knowledge of classifications and categories
• Knowledge of principles and generalizations
• Knowledge of theories, models, and structures
• Knowledge of subject-specific skills and algorithms
• Knowledge of subject-specific techniques and methods
• Knowledge of criteria for determining when to use appropriate procedures
• Strategic Knowledge
• Knowledge about cognitive tasks, including appropriate contextual and conditional knowledge
• Self-knowledge

Critical thinking Bloom's Taxonomy

Image source: Google Images Search:  WellsAcademicSolutions-

In Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (1956), Bloom outlined  six hierarchical and interconnected:

• Comprehension
• Application

Bloom Taxonomy Example

Here is an example of Bloom's Taxonomy in use:

• << Previous: Critical Thinking
• Next: Christopher Dwyer's Critical Thinking >>
• Last Updated: Mar 22, 2024 10:50 AM
• URL: https://bcc-cuny.libguides.com/criticalthinking