Challenging Students’ Thinking With Bloom’s Taxonomy
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Abstract
An important learning opportunity occurs during the question and answer (Q & A) session following student speeches. Not only do students benefit from the information conveyed in these speeches, but students also benefit from the cognitive stimulation the opportunity affords. Often, however, it seems that the Q & A session falls short of these lofty aspirations. Audience members may ask painfully obvious questions; speakers may respond to questions in perfunctory manner, relieved that the “hard” part or the “real” part of their responsibility (i.e., giving the speech) is completed. However, the Q & A session is a time when learning can occur in that speakers can reinforce their expertise and credibility, and audience members have the opportunity to present themselves as thoughtful and competent communicators. The result can be a stimulating discussion built on knowledge presented in the speech with additional opportunities to challenge, discuss, and enhance both speakers’ and audience members’ cognitive processes. The purpose of this activity is to propose a means by which students can achieve the full learning potential offered in the Q & A session following speeches by organizing their thinking and their questions within the framework of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, Hill, & Krathwohl, 1956). Besides providing guidance to enhance the Q & A session, Bloom’s Taxonomy presents a criterion for identifying the current status of student thinking in comparison with a desired cognitive goal and allows both instructors and students to assess their own thinking. To realize these results, however, students must understand what is required or expected of them at each level of the Taxonomy.
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This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Communication Teacher on January 2004, available online: http://www.tandf.com/10.1080/1740462032000142086.