Proceedings from the 1996 national conference of The Australian Association for the education of the gifted and talented, Adelaide.
The following is summarised from Bloom's original work and illustrates that any of the variations published presently looses some of the original integrity of the work.
* Knowledge of ways and means of dealing with specifics
* Knowledge of the universals and abstractions in a field.
| Unit | Basic thinking | Abstract thinking |
| Simple Content | Simple Content Basic thinking processes | Simple Content Abstract thinking process |
| Complex Content | Complex Content Basic thinking processes | Complex Content Abstract thinking processes |
Table 2 gives more details of the development of the Thinking skills and content.
| Unit | Basic thinking | Abstract thinking | |||
| Simple Content | Uses Facts Analytical, creative | critical, problem solving Facts details, rules Complex Content | Issues, Problems | Themes Knowledge Understandings, Uses Issues, problems | Themes Analytical Creative, Critical Problem Solving |
These four quadrants need to be related to Bloom's (1956) Cognitive Taxonomy as the thinking processes. Table 3 shows the full matrix that is used when planning units of work.
| UNIT | BASIC Knowledge | Comprehension | Application |
Analysis | Synthesis* | ABSTRACT Evaluation* |
| 1. | ||||||
| 2. | ||||||
| 3. | ||||||
| 4. | ||||||
| 5. | ||||||
| 6. |
* In some of the work using Bloom's taxonomy the synthesis and evaluation components are called creative thinking and critical thinking respectively
Bloom's (1956) definitions of terms will be accepted as detailed in Table 4, for all planning.
Knowledge: involves the recall of specifics and universals, the recall of methods, and processes, or the recall of a pattern, structure or setting (p201).
Comprehension is a type of understanding when the individual knows what is being communicated and can make use of the materials or idea being communicated without necessarily relating it to other material or seeing its fullest implications (p204).
Application: is the use of abstractions in particular and concrete situations and may include general ideas, rules of procedures, generalised methods, technical principles, ideas, and theories which must be remembered and applied (p205)
Analysis: emphasises the breakdown of the material into its constituent parts and the detection of the relationships of the parts and of the way they are organised (p144).
Synthesis: is the putting together of elements and parts so as to form a whole (p162).
Evaluation: is the making of judgments about the value, for some purpose, of ideas, works, solutions, methods and materials. It involves the use of criteria as well s standards for appraising the extent of which particulars are accurate, effective, economical, or satisfying (p185)
Table 4 Definitions of Bloom's terms.
These six thinking processes are frequently translated into verbs relating to the processes the students will be involved with. Table 5 gives some of the terms used in planning classroom activities.
| Knowledge | Comprehension | Application | Analysis | Synthesis | Evaluation |
| brainstorm categorise collect describe define gather generate identify label list match memorise name observe recall recognise reproduce select state tabulate tell verbalise | catalogue compile conclude distinguish estimate explain generalise give examples infer paraphrase rank regroup restate rewrite summarise | advise anticipate arrange campaign change collect compare compute conjugate contrast convert decipher decode demonstrate discover manipulate measure modify operate order organise persuade predict rearrange relate use | breakdown deduce diagram differentiate discriminate distinguish illustrate interpret key outline point out relate role play schedule sequence solve specify speculate subdivide | agree assemble build choose combine compose conclude create criticise debate decide design devise hypothesise modify organise plan predict reconstruct relate reorganise revise substitute translate vary | appraise conclude criticise decide disagree dispute evaluate execute infer interpret imagine judge justify produce reason solve support verify |
The second area considered by Samara and Curry is the products by the students. Teachers must ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to communicate their ideas and information through a variety of means. Thus products may be classified as:
and would relate to the students' learning styles and preferences, be the most suitable form for presenting the productive thinking and also be matched to the content taught and audience of which the product is planned.
Table six does not differentiate the products into the four categories as many combine more than one form rather it indicates the vast number of alternatives available.
| A | advertisements, agendas, annotated bibliography, announcements, arguments, articles, associations, author study, autobiographies. |
| B | bibliography, biographies, board game, book jackets, book review, brochure |
| C | captions, cartoons, character sketches, charts, codes, collage, collection, competition, compositions, computations, conference presentation, conversations, court trials, critique, cross section, cross word |
| D | data sheets, debates, definitions, demonstrations, descriptions, diagrams, diary, diorama, discussions, display, documentary, dramatisations, drawings, drill and practice |
| E | editorials, evaluations, experiments, explanations |
| F | filmstrip, film, flow chart |
| G | game, glossary, graph, guide |
| H | headlines |
| I | interview, invitation |
| J | journal article, journal entry, judgment |
| K | kit |
| L | lecture, letters, letter to the editor, list, log entry |
| M | machine, map, memorandum, menu, mime, minutes, mobile, model, mural, myth |
| N | newspaper, notice board, |
| O | observation, odes, opinions, outlines, overheads |
| P | painting, panel, pantomime, paraphrasing, peer evaluation, peer presentation, peer teaching, photographs, plans, play writing, poems, poster, product development, program, project, puppet, puns, puzzle |
| Q | questionnaires, questions |
| R | rebus story, recipes, recitations, recommendation, reports, research project, rhymes, riddle, rules |
| S | scrap book, sculpture, serial, sketch, skits, slides, slogans, songs, speech, story writing, summaries, survey |
| T | tales, tape, telegrams, test, testimonials, time line, tongue twisters, |
| U | |
| V | video recording, Venn diagram |
| W | weather reports, web, work sheets |
| X | |
| Y | |
| Z |
The third area considered in planning units of work is the grouping of students. Once again a variety of forms of groups is essential and they must be selected in relation to the content being studied, the product being created and the type of class being taught . Thus relate to the goals of the instruction Curry's (1991) pictorial representation clearly (see figure 1) identifies the options for teacher and students.
Samara and Curry indicate that whilst there are so many product options often many of them are unfamiliar to students and if product descriptions are developed giving details of the parts and attributes of the product, students will be able to plan and develop their skills. Table 7 shows a sample product desriptor.
| PARTS | ATTRIBUTES |
| title | prominent, concise, summarises |
| line | ruled, may represent topic, arrowed |
| time increments | uniform in size, clearly visible, equal intervals |
| labels | printed legibly, uniform size represent key events |
| illustrations | limited, clear, highlight key events |
| background | non-obtrusive |
| credits | discrete, alphabetised, clear |
These product descriptors need to be developed by a group of teachers in a particular curriculum discipline so that students have a clear knowledge of requirements.
Thus with careful attention to the processes products, and content combined to develop units that challenge gifted students, teacher will find they are meeting the needs of individual learner while all students are addressing the same content. The four quadrants are seen as the total unit of work which the gifted will participate in whilst other students may be challenged by the content and thinking process required of them on quadrants one, two and three.
This process of developing units of work may be used with curriculum content that is mandated, inspired by student interests or by a particular local/state event and will ensure that a variety of thinking process, grouping strategies and products will be utilised.
Bloom, B.S. (Ed). (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives Handbook 1: Cognitive Domain. New York: Longman, Green & Co.
Maker, C.J. (1982). Curriculum Development for the gifted. Rockville, MD: Aspen Publication.
Samara, J, and Curry, J. (1992). Middle school curriculum institute. Austin, TX: The Curriculum Project.
Samara, J, Pedraza, C., & Curry, J. (Ed). (1992). Designing Effective middle school units. Glenview, IL: Illinois Association for Gifted Children.
Samara, J., & Curry, J (Ed). (1990). Writing Units that challenge: A guidebook for and by educators. Portland, ME; Maine Educators of the Gifted and Talented.
GROUPING FOR INSTRUCTION
