What are the three types of learning?

Benjamin Bloom was the head of a committee of colleges in 1956; they came up with the idea that there are three basic domains or areas of learning. This is known as Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains.

Each category or area has certain skills, and each skill must be learned before you can move on and learn the next one; in other Words, you have to learn each set of skills in order.

Under each category, there will be a list of "Key Words" which will give you clear examples of what sort of behavior fits into each one; these can also be used as behavioral objectives when you are teaching these skills.

Cognitive Domainthis area involves knowledge and the development of intellectual skills. This area has six major categories.

Knowledge - being able to recall facts and information; being able to memorize

1. Key Words: defines, describes, identifies, knows, labels, lists, matches, names, outlines, recalls, recognizes, reproduces, selects, states

Comprehension - being able to understand meanings, translate, interpolate, and interpret instructions and problems; being able to state something in your own Words

Key Words: comprehends, converts, defends, distinguishes, estimates, explains, extends, generalizes, gives Examples, infers, interprets, paraphrases, predicts, rewrites, summarizes, translates.

Application - being able to use a concept in a new situation; being able to take what you learned in school and use it in real life

Key Words: applies, changes, computes, constructs, demonstrates, discovers, manipulates, modifies, operates, predicts, prepares, produces, relates, shows, solves, uses.

Analysis - being able to separate material or concepts into component parts so that you can understand the organizational structure; being able to tell the difference between facts and inferences or hypotheses

Key Words: analyzes, breaks down, compares, contrasts, diagrams, deconstructs, differentiates, discriminates, distinguishes, identifies, illustrates, infers, outlines, relates, selects, separates

Synthesis - being able to take different facts and ideas and create a structure or pattern; being able to build a structure or pattern from parts

Key Words: categorizes, combines, compiles, composes, creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies, organizes, plans, rearranges, reconstructs, relates, reorganizes, revises, rewrites, summarizes, tells, writes.

Evaluation - being able to make logical judgments about the value of ideas or information

Key Words: appraises, compares, concludes, contrasts, criticizes, critiques, defends, describes, discriminates, evaluates, explains, interprets, justifies, relates, summarizes, supports.

Affective Domain

this area involves emotions and the way that we handle them. There are five categories of emotional learning.

Receiving - being aware, willingness to take in information, and able to pay attention

1. Key Words: asks, chooses, describes, follows, gives, holds, identifies, locates, names, points to, selects, sits, erects, replies, uses.

Responding - being an active participant; being willing to respond to things

Key Words: answers, assists, aids, complies, conforms, discusses, greets, helps, labels, performs, practices, presents, reads, recites, reports, selects, tells, writes

Valuing - being able to attach worth or value to things; this ranges from just accepting things all the way to being totally committed

Key Words: completes, demonstrates, differentiates, explains, follows, forms, initiates, invites, joins, justifies, proposes, reads, reports, selects, shares, studies, works.

Organizing - being able to make priorities, resolve conflicts, and create a value system

Key Words: adheres, alters, arranges, combines, compares, completes, defends, explains, formulates, generalizes, identifies, integrates, modifies, orders, organizes, prepares, relates, synthesizes.

Internalizing - having your own internal value system which controls your behavior; your value system must be consistent, predictable, lasting, and unique to your own mind

Key Words: acts, discriminates, displays, influences, listens, modifies, performs, practices, proposes, qualifies, questions, revises, serves, solves, verifies.

Psychomotor Domain

(not actually included in Bloom's original work, but created in 1972 by E.J. Simpson) - this area involves physical movement, coordination, and motor skills. These skills can all be measured in terms of speed, precision, distance, procedures, or techniques in execution. There are seven categories.

Perception - being able to use your senses to guide your movements; being aware of the world around you as you move

1. Key Words: chooses, describes, detects, differentiates, distinguishes, identifies, isolates, relates, selects

Set - being ready to act; this includes your "mindset," which means physical, mental, and emotional readiness

Key Words: begins, displays, explains, moves, proceeds, reacts, shows, states, volunteers.

Guided Response - practicing the skills by imitation and trial and error; this is the early stage of learning a physical skill

Key Words: begins, displays, explains, moves, proceeds, reacts, shows, states, volunteers.

Mechanism - being able to perform skills by habit, with confidence, and proficiently; this is the intermediate stage of learning a physical skill

Key Words: assembles, calibrates, constructs, dismantles, displays, fastens, fixes, grinds, heats, manipulates, measures, mends, mixes, organizes, sketches.

Complex Overt Response - skillful performance of complicated movements; proficiency is indicated by a quick, accurate, and highly coordinated performance, requiring a minimum of energy. This category includes performing without hesitation, and automatic performance.

Key Words - the same as for Mechanism, but with adverbs or adjectives that indicate you have become faster or better

Adaptation - being skillful enough to adapt the movements to your own body or style; being able to modify movements to suit your specific needs

Key Words: adapts, alters, changes, rearranges, reorganizes, revises, varies.

Origination - creating new movement patterns to fit a specific problem or situation; being creative and using highly developed physical skills

Key Words: arranges, builds, combines, composes, constructs, creates, designs, initiate, makes, originates.

And if that's not enough information, here are two additional sets of learning skills to think about:
from R.H. Dave, 1975

• Imitation: Observing and patterning behavior after someone else. Performance may be of low quality.
  
• Manipulation: Being able to perform certain actions by following instructions and practicing.
• Precision: Refining, becoming more exact. Few errors are apparent.
  
• Articulation: Coordinating a series of actions, achieving harmony and internal consistency.
• Naturalization: Having high level performance become natural, without needing to think much about it

and from Anita Harrow, 1972

• Reflex movements - Reactions that are not learned.
• Fundamental movements - Basic movements such as walking, or grasping.
• Perception - Response to stimuli such as visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or tactile discrimination.
• Physical abilities - Stamina that must be developed for further development such as strength and agility.
• Skilled movements - Advanced learned movements as one would find in sports or acting.
• No discursive communication - Effective body language, such as gestures and facial expressions.