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Opinion piece in 500 words or less, explain how Blooms taxonomony (and any other appropriate alternatives) is important in planning a lesson. Source appropriately.

Blooms taxonomony and solo taxonomony are a set of objectives and educational goals that were introduced to improve communication between educators on the design of curricula and examinations. Benjamin Bloom chaired a committee of educators in 1956 who introduced blooms taxonomony, the aim of blooms taxonomony was to divide educational objectives into three different domains, Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor. These objectives were to create a more holistic form of education. Blooms taxonomony was the first attempt to try and classify learning, since this was introduced, there was an attempt in the late nineties by Wiggins and McTighes Six Facet of Understanding (1998) and Finks taxonomony of significant learning (2003). John B.Biggs and Kelvin Collis introduced solo taxonomony in 1982. Structured of Observed Learning Outcome (solo taxonomony) is a more recent attempt to classify learning, this is done by using a model that describes levels of increasing complexity in a students understanding of subjects. Incorporating Blooms taxonomony into education and lesson planning enables the teacher to give a varied lesson and encourages thinking at different levels. Blooms taxonomony is split up into six different levels starting with lower order thinking skills going up to higher order thinking skills:

(revised blooms taxonomony Loris Anderson and David Krathwohl 2001) In planning a lesson incorporating the first stage of Blooms taxonomony remembering and using blooms verbs such as tell, state and describe will enable the teacher to measure firstly what the student can recall from the topic taught. Using the second stage of Blooms taxonomony Understanding will enable the teacher to question the understanding by getting the student to explain, describe and interpret their understanding on the topic. Using these first stages of Blooms taxonomony in planning a lesson and delivering a lesson will enable the teacher to see if the student has met the first stage of the learning outcome set for the lesson. Depending on the topic that is being taught, it will not always be possible to use all six stages in Blooms taxonomony for example, if the topic of the day is a theory based, the teacher will not always be able to incorporate Create into the students learning. Solo taxonomony enables the teacher to plan a lesson in a structured, clear and purposeful way. As with blooms taxonomony it is broken into different stages, a little more complex that Blooms taxonomony.

Solo Taxonomony Structure Pre-structural Unistructural Multistructural Relational Extended abstract If a teacher is planning a lesson on spreadsheets, using the Solo taxonomony structure above will enable the teacher to teach the topic and measure the students learning at the same time. Students can also be involved in Solo taxonomony to measure their understanding of the topics taught. Solo taxonomony aides teachers in lesson planning as it allows for topics to be introduced in different ways and for students to understand the topic from different angles. It also enables the students to think outside of the box and gain a perspective on topics taught. There are many theories and papers written on how to teach and different teaching methodologies, Blooms and Solo taxonomony gives teachers a starting point and allows for students and teachers to measure learning as its progressed.

References Dalton, J. & Smith, D.. (1986). Extending Childrens Special Abilities Strategies for primary classrooms. Available: http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/researchskills/dalton.htm#Evaluation. Last accessed 06/10/2012. J Biggs. (2012). Structured of Observed Learning Outcome. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_of_Observed_Learning_Outcome. Last accessed 7/10/2012. Professor of Massey University. (2009). Blooms Taxonomony. Available: http://tdu.massey.ac.nz/Learning_Technologies_Online/design_114/html/course_files/3_10.html. Last accessed 05/10/2012. Miguel Guhlin, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach. (2010). Bloom's Digital Taxonomy. Available: http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom's+Digital+Taxonomy. Last accessed 05/10/2012. Atherton J S. (2011). Solo Taxonomony. Available: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/solo.htm. Last accessed 06/10/2012. Olenka Bilash. (2009). Blooms Taxonomony. Available: http://www2.education.ualberta.ca/staff/olenka.Bilash/best%20of%20bilash/bloomstaxonomy.html . Last accessed 07/10/2012. Darren Mead. (2012). Sharing Pedagogical Purposes. Available: http://pedagogicalpurposes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/solo-lesson-outcomes-and-formative.html. Last accessed 05/10/2012.