The document discusses how the revised Bloom's Taxonomy (RBT) promotes meaningful learning beyond just knowledge acquisition. RBT includes six cognitive process categories that move from retention to transfer of knowledge: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. These categories represent a fuller range of cognitive processes compared to just focusing on memorization. The goal of education should be both retention of material as well as transfer of knowledge to new situations. RBT helps teachers foster learning objectives and assessments that promote both retention and transfer.

1. RBT Workshop- Learning material.
Prof. Dr. V. Job Kuruvilla
How Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy fosters Meaningful Learning.
1. Introduction
The most accepted view of Learning is “ Acquisition of knowledge” . If this view is predominant in
the Teaching- learning process,the teachers will adopt a strategy of presenting the information to
learners in the same way that most of the text books do. The assessment or testing also will be
confined to evaluation of how much of the presented material students can remember.
However , the revised Taxonomy is based on a broader vision: it includes not only acquiring
knowledge, but also fosters the the ability of the students to use the knowledge in a variety of
new situations. If teachers take the “knowledge acquisition view of learning, they emphasise only
one kind of cognitive processing instruction and assessment:Remembering. However, meaningful
learning transcendence this narrow view of learning, it covers a fuller range of cognitive processes.
Two of the most important goals of education are to nurture retention and to promote transfer.
Retention is the ability to remember material at a later time in almost the same way that it was
presented during instruction. Transfer is the process by which the learner is able to use what was
presented to face new situations or solve new problems. frame and answer new questions or
facilitate learning new subject matter. Hence , transfer makes sense of and be able to use what the
students have learned. Or stated differently “retention focus on the past and transfer emphasises
the future”. A focus on rote learning is consistent with the view of learning as knowledge
acquisition in which students seek to add new information to their memories, while in meaningful
or constructivist learning , students mentally organise incoming information into coherent
representation, and integrate it with existing knowledge .
The revised Taxonomy includes six cognitive process categories- one closely related to retention
(Remember) and the other five increasingly related to transfer .(Understand,Apply,Analyse.
Evaluate,and Create). On these six categories , 19 specific cognitive processes have been selected
by the original team of RBT authors. We will now briefly outline and define the six categories and
the sub categories of the cognitive process.
2.How RBT represents the full range of students’ cognitive activities.
2.1 Remember.
The Cognitive process to promote retention of the given material in the same way presented is
Remember . When we use the knowledge for more complex tasks, remembering it is essential for
meaningful learning. For example , in science, remembering terminologies like density,
momentum, inertia, etc is essential for picking up higher levels of knowledge like chemical
reaction, fossil energy etc. But focusing on remembering alone will result in fragmenting
knowledge. When meaningful learning is the goal, the remembering becomes a means to an end ,
rather than the end itself.The two associated thinking process are recognising and recalling.
Recognising (also called identifying) involves locating knowledge in longterm memory.
( Refer separate note on Cognitive Science for an idea on different types of memory). For example ,
in physics, statement of Newton’s 3 laws of motion can be stored in the same manner in which a
text book has presented . These laws can be presented in different ways , and some students carry
the law in mathematical form like F= ma, without bothering much about the intrinsic meaning.
Most of the MCQ questions fall into this category. The students are given a list ( say ,four) of
choices , and the chance of finding the right answer is more because the task is limited to
recognising the right answer from a group of four.Even a good guess may fetch success
Recalling (also called retrieving) involves a bit more difficult task. Out of a sea of
information , the students will have to find the right candidate that fit the context or criterion. A

2. question like who is the author of ‘A Tale of two cities’ will have only one answer , but a probe on to
recall who invented (discovered) radio (waves) may require more subtle and specific information;
was it Marconi as 90 % may say or Tesla as 5 % of the students may answer
From the given examples it is clear that between the two cognitive tasks , Recalling is relatively
difficult compared to Recognise.
2.2 Understand.
When the goal of instruction and learning changes to promoting transfer, the focus also shifts to
the other 5 cognitive process categories. viz : Understand , Apply , Analyse Evaluate and
Create.
Out of these , the largest category of transfer- based educational objectives is Understand.
Students understand when they could construct meaning from instructional modes- oral , written,
graphic , digital media , books or any other means.
Students understand when they build connections between new knowledge being gained and their
prior knowledge. If C+ programming is to be taught , it is better to tell the students how it has
evolved from C programming . Theory of relativity should start from associating it with Newton’s
concept of matter and motion.
Cognitive process in the category of Understand include interpreting, exemplifying, classifying,
summarising, inferring,comparing and explaining. (IEC S ICE )
i. Interpreting- (also called clarifying, paraphrasing, or representing)- occurs when a student
is enabled to convert information from one form of representation to another. In mathematics,
if a statement ascertains that current is linearly related to change in voltage , a graphic
representation (geometry) or an algebraic expression for the relationship can be made using
mathematical concepts.
ii. Exemplifying- (also called illustrating) occurs when a specific example can be found to
convey the concept to be learned. The difference between the behaviour of current passing
through a high resistance (to give more heat) and low resistance ( to give more light) can be
explained , using Electric iron Box and Incandescent lamp.
iii. Classifying. (also called categorising or subsuming)- occurs when a student determines that
something belongs to a particular category. Classification is a strong tool for understanding.In
classification of conductors, if we say copper is a good conductor and diamond is a good
conductor of heat and a bad conductor of electricity , students can debate why diamond is not a
good conductor of electricity.
iv. Summarising. (also called abstracting ) occurs when a student is able to narrate the key
concepts involved in a written or oral presentation an abridged format , retaining the salient
features , but devoid of details. A typical need is giving an abstract of a project presentation in a
short paragraph, which gives the evaluator a fairly good idea on the objectives and conclusions
of a project work.
v. Inferring. (also called concluding,extrapolating or predicting) occurs when a logical
conclusion is drawn from the presented material. An example is : conducting chemical tests in a
lab to identify an unknown compound, and based on the results , infer the chemical
composition of the material .
vi. Comparing(also called contrasting,mapping, or matching) involves identifying similarities
and differences between two or more objects, events, ideas , situations, or problems.
vii. Explaining. (also called constructing models) occurs when a student mentally constructs and
uses a cause-and effect model of the subject under review. For instance observation of different
currents in an RLC circuit and RL circuit with same active components in an electric circuit will
lead to different explanations from the students which can finally converge into a single
acceptable view based on cause and effect.
2.3 Apply.
Apply involves using set procedures to perform tasks connected with live- world problems.
The problems should be related to real world situations. These problems can be of repetitive
nature , where solutions can emerge in the from of application of known solutions , like applying a
known mathematical formula in arriving at a solution.

3. Two aspects of cognitve process in this dimension are evident:
i. Decision to be made based on information really available :
Example - For deciding on purchase of a new car, factors like economy, comfort,resale value,
prestige etc are used by applying appropriate available norms. In such cases , the word executing
(or carry out ) can be used
ii. It can be a problem , not dealt with in a routine manner in the past (to the best of the
knowledge of the student.). A totally new approach is required to solve the problem. In this context,
the word implementing ( also called using ) can be used.
Example - Designing a LPG gas burner for incinerating the waste of a municipality , for which no
previous data from other Municipalities in the state could not be used.
Yet another simple example is using multimedia for presentation of the salient features of an
environmental project in a school.
2.4 Analyse.
Analyse involves breaking material into its constituent parts and determining how these parts are
related to the overall structure.This category includes differentiating,organising and
attributing. Learning to analyse is not an end by itself, but an extension of Understanding or a
prelude to Evaluation or Creating.
Differentiating ( also called discriminating, selecting, or distinguishing),occurs when a student
discriminates relevant from irrelevant information .
Organising( also called finding coherence , integrating, outlining, parsing, or structuring)
involves determining how elements fit or function within a structure.
Example : In economics , various data on inflation, GDP , interest rate, capital investment,
unemployment etc could be analysed for finding the cause of stagnation of economy.
Attributing - occurs when a student is able to determine the point of view, biases, or ethical values
underlying presented data.
Example : If a decision is to be made on construction cost of a bridge , tangible factors like cost of
materials and labour may be available without much disagreement , but opportunity cost factors
like alternate site, environmental impact , attitudes etc requires screening of biased information
and opinions.
Even in science, some measurements made during experiments may be having errors attributed to
individual bias , and ability, (teleological effects) which are to be ascertained before an acceptable
conclusion is made.
2.5. Evaluate.
Evaluate is considered as the act of making judgements based on criteria and standards. The
frequently used parameters are, quality, effectiveness, efficiency, and consistency. If the standards
are quantitative(easier task), or qualitative ( relatively difficult task), the process is called
checking.
Checking (also called detecting, or testing) occurs when a student detects inconsistencies with in
a process or product or finds that the process does not meet the internal quality criterion. When
combined with planning, ( a cognitive process in the category Create) and implementing( a
cognitive process in the category, Apply), checking involves how well the plan is working.
Example- In Applied Chemistry , manufacturing process of a product like soap involves several
steps of chemical processes . Each process is to be checked for certain quality parameters , so that
when final product is made from the intermediary products, the quality of the Soap made is with in
the internal standards.
Yet another example is launching of a satellite - the standards of each stage of the projectile
( rocket) is to be checked against the pre- set standards , so that the final destination is reached
without much deviation.

4. Critiquing (also called judging) occurs when a student detects inconsistencies between a product
or operation and an external criteria. This external criteria can be made by the students them
selves or like applying global stands.
Example. For finding suitability of potable water, Indian standards , or WHO standards (more
stringent can be used for the cognitive process of Critiquing.
2.5 Create.
Create involves putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole. To meet this
level of cognition , the students will have to produce an original product or process. Solving
problems by Project work, composing music or exhibiting Artistic talents, and literary work etc are
examples of Creative process.
Create has three definite stages:( i) Problem identification and representation .in which the student
tries to understand the task and generate more than one solutions (ii) solution planning in which
the student chooses a workable plan and ( iii) Execution of the solution , in which the student
successfully carries out the plan.
The first stage involves divergent thinking , in which several solutions are generated and hence
labelled as generating. This is followed by convergent thinking in which a solution method is
devised and turned into a plan. This second stage is called planning. In the final stage the plan is
executed (producing). Thus create is broken down into three cognitive processes: generating,
planning and producing.
All the innovative projects in the real world have these 3 stages. Planning also can be called
Designing , and Producing also can be called constructing . In producing , the student is given a
functional description of a goal and must create a product that satisfies the specification.
Conclusion.
The revised Taxonomy contains descriptions of 19 specific cognitive processes associated with SIX
process categories . Two of these cognitive processes are associated with Remember and 17 are
associated with the five more complex cognitive processes categories: understand,Apply, Analyse,
Evaluate, and Create. In addition to these 19, the original authors of RBT have identified another
57 words as auxiliary words or categories , to ease the difficulty of identifying appropriate
expressions for the level of cognition. (The list of these words are given separately in tabulated
form)
This analysis as per RBT norms has implications for teaching and Assessing. On the Teaching side ,
two of the cognitive process help to promote retention of learning where as 17 of them help foster
transfer of learning. This analysis of cognitive process is intended to help the test designers to
broaden the way they assess learning. The evaluation can focus on areas of cognitive process that
will give the outcome for a task or skill for which the test is used as a measurement yard stick. The
RBT model is applicable to students in primary or secondary education , but also in higher
education in all fields.