Bloom's Taxonomy and Powerpoint

When reading Bloom's 2nd article on taxonomy, I was amazed to learn that only "95% of the test questions students encounter require them to think only at the lowest possible level...the recall of information." I was amazed! To me, one of the most important aspects of teaching is getting students to think outside of the box. Most of the tests we give students is only enough for them to recall the information, not for them to apply it externally.

Bloom also says that students never attatch themselves to the book and try to understand the characters and their lives. I think that this is very true. If students are not intereseted in a book or what it has to say, they will read enough for them to pass the test and move on to the next thing. I think that if we fuel their imagination, we will see students apply concepts in other portions of their learning and their life.

As I looked through the various level's of Bloom's taxonomy, I realized that many of the test I took were in the application category. It seemed like these were the all too easy questions which stood out most in the book. Many of the other competency levels below Application were all too easy. I a few of these questions would be appropraite in the elementary schools, but if we asked students questions from the knowledge levels, I think we would be surprised to find out how many students would be able to answer them.

As I recall various test I have taken in college, many of the questions were pulled from mutiple cometency categories. I think that is important though because not all people may recognize certain facts or ideas in the book. To have a test based solely on the idea/fact that they missed would be unfair. I can recall many times in a classroom when other students brough up points in a discussion or reading that I didn't even recognize. To test me on this would be unfair because I didn't even see it. So pulling test questions from the various levels would be beneficial!

As far as powerpoint goes, I think it is the best thing that has happened to classrooms since whiteboards. I have found that when teachers use powerpoint in their lectures I tend to pay more attention. I feel like it since they are using this program, the information they are about to present use with must be very important! As a teacher, I think it is a great way to reach out to children of variouos intelligences. The various tools that come with powerpoint are a great assest! When we were learning how to use the diming, I couldn't believe how beneficial it could be in the classroom. There are many instances when children tend to get "stuck" on a topic because it is in front of them. The teacher may have moved on to another topic, but the student is still asking questions about the previous. When diming is used, I believe it show students that they left that topic and now the topic at hand is the most important. Like Mrs. McCulloch said, it is great for students who walk in late. It doesn't allow them to ask another student about a previous topic and interupt the other students learning.

As a student, I think that powerpoint is an amazing tool for the classroom and for projects. I am finding that I don't like it when teachers use the whiteboard to write down notes. I have found that as I get older, the colors don't stand out as much and it is really hard for me to see, especially if I sit in the back fo the classroom. But with powerpoint, it is so large that I can't miss anything that is on it. I also know that those ideas that are on the whiteboard are the most important part of the teacher's lecture, so I should be writing them down. As far as using powerpoint for a project, I think it is great. I always spent too much money and time trying to make sure that my poster looked the prettiest or the coolest. I got lost in the art and neglected the informational aspect. When I use powerpoint, I still like the make it look good, but I find the information to now be the most important aspect. Plus, school computers offer the program, so I can stay at school and work on the assignment.

I think powerpoint has a huge affect on student's learning because it forces them to pay attention to what is going on and what the teacher is saying (well, that is the case for me at least!). As far as improvement of teaching, it forces the teacher to weed out all the extra information and give the students the most important information first. I liked the idea of using powerpoint for Jeopardy! I think that students would be VERY excited by that. If you just do a little bit of research on the internet, you can find almost anything! I think that students would benefit from this because they now aren't just listening to the teacher talk, but also have a visual aide!