Do you ever wonder exactly HOW children learn? There are as many theories on this topic as there are researchers to study it. However, there are three generally accepted models, called the Domains of Learning, that are used by most education professionals to guide their lessons. Along with standards and government input, these domains provide a framework that helps us to work with a wide variety of students.
While completing my education degree, I had a professor that related these to the head, the heart, and the body thereby encompassing the whole child. When put together, they provide what is called a Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. You can find a ton of information on the internet simply by searching for the domain you are interested in. The examples given here are by no means all-inclusive, but are only to give you an idea of what students are capable of at each level.
To optimize your teaching, you need to try to plan lessons that touch all three domains. I have provided a summary of each domain to help you start to reach every student
every day!
The Cognitive Domain (the Head)
This is the area that educators are most familiar with. It encompasses the thought processes that take place in the brain in order to produce the needed skills for completing a task. Developed by Bloom in 1956, it has been a long-standing example of what we, as teachers, need to address in our lessons. There were originally six levels to the Cognitive Domain model. Our ultimate goal is to have students progress through each level as they move toward adulthood.
Level 1: Knowledge
This level involves the remembering of previously learned material and retrieval of appropriate information. Students at this level will demonstrate knowledge of common terms, some specific facts, and basic concepts and principles.
Level 2: Comprehension
This level relates to the ability to grasp the meaning of the material being taught. These students will understand facts and principles, translate and interpret verbal material, interpret charts and graphs, and estimates consequences.
Level 3: Application
This level relates to the ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations, and requires higher level of understanding than comprehension. Students at this level can apply principles and theories situations, solve mathematical problems, and construct charts and graphs.
Level 4: Analysis
This level requires higher level of understanding than comprehension and application because it requires an understanding of both structure and content. It relates to the ability to break down materials into component parts so that organizational structure may be understood. At this level, students evaluate the relevancy of data, distinguish between facts and inferences, and identify parts and relationships between parts.
Level 5: Synthesis
Now that they have analyzed things to take them apart, students need to learn how to reassemble the parts into a comprehensible whole. Learning outcomes at this level stress creative thinking and formation of new patterns or structures. Students can write a creative short story or poem, formulate a new scheme for classifying objects, events or ideas, and integrate learning from different areas into a plan to solve a problem.
Level 6: Evaluation
The highest level of cognitive ability deals with the ability to judge the value of material for a given purpose. Learning outcomes here will contain elements of all other categories, plus value judgments based on clearly defined criteria. At this level, students can judge consistency, adequacy, and/or value based on specific criteria - either internal (organization) or external (relevance to purpose).
The Affective Domain (the Heart)
Developed by Krathwohl in 1964, this domain relates to feelings and emotions. It is easy to include affective tasks in our lessons, but they can sometimes be difficult to assess for effectiveness. You cant just give a chapter test for these!
Level 1: Receiving
This level relates to a student's willingness to attend to a particular task or stimuli (classroom activity, text, music, etc.), and with our ability to get, hold, and direct students' attention. Students at this level can listen attentively, attends closely to the classroom activities, has a sensitivity to social problems, and accepts diversity.
Level 2: Responding
At this level you will see active participation on the part of the student as they take interest in, seek out, and enjoy particular activities. Students at this level will complete tasks and obey rules, participate in class discussions, volunteer for tasks, and enjoy helping others.
Level 3: Valuing
Valuing deals with the worth a student attaches to a particular object, activity or behavior. It is based on internalization of values, but is expressed in consistent behaviors that make the value easily identifiable. Students at this level want to improve group skills, believe in the democratic process, assume responsibility for tasks, and show concern for others.
