Benjamin S. Bloom (1913-1999) and co-workers at Chicago University developed a six-step stairway to learning that helped classify educational objectives and the theory of mastery learning. Each successive step builds upon the ones below. While other systems for learning have been created, the educational psychologist's system is easily understood and has been widely applied. Starting from the bottom, the steps are: knowledge, which forms the basis for higher levels; comprehension, the ability to grasp a concept; application, using what one has learned; analysis, the ability to break information down; synthesis, putting new ideas together; and evaluation, the ability to judge the worth of material.
How has Bloom influenced you as an educator?
