Use Action Verbs to Describe Behaviors
Remember, operational objectives should describe behaviors that are observable and measurable. Below are examples of sample action verbs to use in Bloom's six levels of learning.
Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom's Revised Learning Taxonomy below is adapted from “A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives,” edited by Lorin W. Anderson and David R. Krathwohl. Bloom's Revised Taxonomy is an excellent tool for developing operational learning objectives, planning instruction and choosing assessment methods.
Bloom's Revised Learning Taxonomy
Each category or level of learning in the learning taxonomy, is listed from simple to complex.
- Remembering: recognizing or recalling relevant knowledge, facts or concepts.
- Verbs: define, describe, identify, label, list, match, name, outline, recall, recognize, reproduce, select, state, and locate. Note: Do not use the term "know" because it is a condition of internal awareness that can't be directly observed. The student must demonstrate the awareness through an externally observable activity.
- Example: After training, given a written exam, the student will be able to list, in order, all of the steps in an accident investigation.
- Understanding: constructing meaning from instructional messages.
- Verbs: illustrate, defend, compare, distinguish, estimate, explain, classify, generalize, interpret, paraphrase, predict, rewrite, summarize, and translate
- Example: After training, given an accident scenario, the student will be able to correctly estimate the direct and indirect costs of an accident.
- Applying: using ideas and concepts to solve problems.
- Verbs: Implement, organize, dramatize, solve, construct, demonstrate, discover, manipulate, modify, operate, use, predict, prepare, produce, relate, show, solve, and choose
- Example: After training, given the equipment, the student will be able to properly construct a supported scaffold.
- Analyzing: breaking something down into components, seeing relationships and overall structure.
- Verbs: analyze, break down, compare, select, contrast, deconstruct, discriminate, distinguishes, identify, and outline
- Example: After training, given an simulated accident scenario, the student will be able to analyze and correctly identify at least three surface causes and related root cause(s).
- Evaluating: making judgments based on criteria and standards.
- Verbs: rank, assess, monitor, check, test, and judge
- Example: After training, given the equipment, the student will be able properly perform a preventive maintenance test and make a judgment about the condition of the equipment.
- Creating: reorganizing diverse elements to form a new pattern or structure.
- Verbs: generate, plan, compose, develop, create, invent, organize, construct, produce, compile, design, and devise
- Example: After training, given a simulated accident scenario, the student will be able to properly compile and arrange in the proper sequence, each event that resulted in the accident.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
3-6 Which level of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy is being measured if a student is required to properly operate a tool.
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