The Levels of Learning 📖

Hey y’all,

Today we’re going to learn how to learn. As you may have already guessed, we’ll be talking about Bloom’s Taxonomy.

If you’re not familiar, Bloom’s Taxonomy is a framework that outlines the six different levels of learning. Mainly a tool for educators looking to enhance their curriculums, Bloom’s Taxonomy has also made its rounds on StudyTube, and I’ve talked about it plenty of times in my videos.

Let’s dive deeper into the framework and how you can leverage it to enhance your study sessions.

The Six Levels

Here are the six levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy:

1. Remember

2. Understand

3. Apply

4. Analyze

5. Evaluate

6. Create

This hierarchy implies a cumulative process to learning—you clear one level before moving onto the next. For example, to apply something you first must understand something, and to understand something you first must remember something.

I admire this framework because it deemphasizes remembering, which many students (incorrectly) assume is most important stage of learning. Yes, memorization is important, but it only serves as a springboard for deeper intellectual understanding. Memorization alone is insufficient is you’re trying to acquire a rich, holistic understanding of a topic.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the levels.

Remember

The goal here is to memorize and recall specific facts, terms, and concepts.

In history class, you might recall different dates and people, whereas in chemistry class you might recall different atoms and molecules.

This is the level you operate at while going through flashcards or using a technique like blurting.

Understand

Here, we move from rote memorization to some degree of comprehension. The goal of this level is to explain ideas and concepts in your own words.

For example, you may summarize the key points or a textbook chapter to explain it to a classmate. You’re not just repeating information verbatim, but rather, interpreting and processing it through your own lens.

Apply

Applying is all about using information in new situations.

For example, in physics class, you might apply the formula for acceleration to calculate the motion of a car. You’re often taking information you’ve previously learned and extrapolating it to new contexts.

Analyze

Once you reach this level, you start to formulate a much richer understanding of the topic.

To analyze a topic is to break it down into parts—to identify relationships an understand the underlying structure.

For example, in one of your science classes, you may have to analyze a research paper to break down the hypothesis, methods, and conclusions to see how they relate.

Evaluate

Although “evaluate” might sound similar to “analyze,” the goal here is to make a judgement based on criteria and standards. You’re critiquing and assessing the value of an idea.

For example, in your government class, you may have to evaluate two different political theories and explain which one is more applicable in today’s world.

This stage often requires you to draw on information that extends beyond the topic.

Create

This is the final stage, which entails producing new or original work.

For example, you may start your own business, drawing on information from your economics and marketing classes. Or you may write an original short story by combining elements of different genres you’ve studied.

Conclusion

The next time you’re studying a subject, be mindful of how you distribute your time among these levels. Some exams, such as a Spanish vocab quiz, many only require you to operate at the first level. But an English essay or capstone project will require you to operate higher up in the framework.

And here’s a quick hack: ask your favorite AI assistant to generate practice questions for each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Hopefully this should help you streamline your study sessions!

What did you think about this newsletter? DM me on Instagram (@goharsguide) to let me know!

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I’ll see you next week!

Best,
Gohar