The Learning Process of Bloom's Taxonomy

Each person has a different way of learning. The process they consciously go through to learn information can be more affective for one person, than another, this should be remembered when teaching.

Bloom (1956, cited in Clark, 2010) came up with a theory that looks at the unconscious and conscious thought processes that take place, when recalling learnt information, to then gain new knowledge.

 Blooms (1956, cited in Clark, 2010) Taxonomy of Learning Domains can be related to my group navigating, on the recent trip to Snowdonia. When climbing Pen yr Ole Wen, a member of the group needed to be walked down due to injury. Whilst this was taking place, I asked the rest to locate where we were, as it was a slightly challenging place to find.

To start with the group were on the knowledge aspect of the taxonomy, recalling what they had already learnt (Bloom, 1956, cited in Clark, 2010), such as how to use a map and compass. The group members then moved onto comprehension, where they understood what was being asked and changed it into their own words to better understand (Bloom, 1956, cited in Clark, 2010). Application of the information was then used (Bloom, 1956, cited in Clark, 2010) to apply it to the location and situation.

The group then analysed my description of where we had been (the information) and the sight of what was around them (the context) and related them to each other. Where initially it may not have corresponded, through logic they relooked at the information and the context to solve problems (Bloom, 1956, cited in Clark, 2010). Before the group could finalise where they were, they would have synthesised by putting the information given by me and the information there sight was telling them together, to create a new meaning, or location in this instance (Bloom, 1956, cited in Clark, 2010). Having discovered there location, the group then evaluated the information’s usefulness and how it then related to the location that was being headed for (Bloom, 1956, cited in Clark, 2010).

Anderson (no date supplied, cited in Clark, 2010) however later disagreed with Bloom stating that the terminology needed to be revised and that the order needed to also be different. Anderson (no date supplied, cited in Clark, 2010) stated that evaluating information came before synthesis (creating). This new revised order of learning domains can also be easily transferred to locating on Pen yr Ole Wen, as the information’s usefulness could have been considered, before a location was found.

On reflection Bloom’s theory explains the process that group members would have gone to come to a conclusion. In the future with this theory in mind, I could use words and phrases to prompt the process, to be more consciously thought about, resulting in the process speeding up. For instance saying, “think about what is around and where we’ve been. Compare them, to how they are on the map”, may speed up the analysis and synthesis process.

References:

Clark, D. (2010) Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domains [online]. Available: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html [date accessed: 6th. December 2011]

Comfort Zones, Adventure Paradigm and Experiential Learning

Leadership in the mountains has to be flexible to adjust to the ever changing environment, however this doesn’t change the fact that you always reflect on past situations and think that you could have done something differently. For instance on a recent trip to Snowdonia when climbing Pen yr Ole Wen even though it is a steep sometimes scrabble slope no learning took place.

This is likely to have occurred because all members of the group and us two leaders, were well within our comfort zones. In Senninger’s (2000, cited in ThemPra, ca 2008) Learning Zone Model the comfort zone is important, as is gives us a safe place to return to. However in order to learn we need to be in the learning zone, outside the comfort but, not into the panic zone (Senninger, 2000, cited in ThemPra, ca 2008). Being in the comfort zone, resulted in a lack of learning taking place, as the steep ground location was too comfortable and familiar to our group members, all of whom climb regularly. For learning to take place we as leaders would have needed to be in our comfort zones whilst, group members needed to be in the learning zone. With both the leaders, and the group members being of equal competence on steep ground, us as leaders had the inability to push group members into the learning zone.

(Senninger, 2000, cited in ThemPra, ca 2008)

The situation can also be related to Priest’s (1990, cited in Neill, 2007) adventure paradigm. Both leaders, and the group were in adventure, however for learning to take place the group members needed to be in peak adventure (Priest, 1990, cited in Neill, 2007). For this to take place we as leaders would need to be of a much higher competence than the group. We would have ideally been in exploration and experimentation or adventure, to then take the group into situations that they deem as risky, so that they could learn from the situation.

(Priest, 1990, cited in Neill, 2007)

Gibbons and Hopkins (1980, cited in Neill, 2005) created a ten step scale of experiential learning; with one being that somebody is stimulated and receptive by seeing something on TV or in pictures, and ten being that tasks can be completed, with maturity and others can learn at the same time. I believe that when climbing Pen yr Ole Wen as leaders we were on stage four where we analysed the situations and experience (Gibbons and Hopkins, 1980, cited in Neill, 2005). I believe our group members however, were on stage three, where they were playing and exploring in the situation but not necessarily learning much from it (Gibbons and Hopkins, 1980, cited in Neill, 2005).

(Gibbons and Hopkins, 1980, cited in Neill, 2005)

On reflection to become a better leader additional time in the hills will improve my competence and confidence, which then gives me the ability to push my group further, to enable them to learn and gain more from the experience by being in peak adventure and in the learning zone.

References:

Gibbons and Hopkins (1980, cited in Neill, 2005) Scale of Experientiality. [on-line] Available: http://wilderdom.com/theory/ScaleOfExperientiality.html [date accessed: 2nd December 2011]

Priest, S. (1990, cited in Neill, 2007) The Adventure Experience Paradigm. [on-line] Available: http://wilderdom.com/philosophy/PriestAdventureExperienceParadigm.html [date accessed: 2nd December 2011]

Senninger. (2000, cited in ThemPra, ca 2008) The Learning Zone Model. [on-line] Available: http://social-pedagogy.co.uk/concepts_lzm.htm [date accessed: 2nd.  December 2011]