Bloom’s and Williams’ Taxonomies
Bloom’s Taxonomy is a well-known model for teaching critical thinking skills in any subject area. Based on the work of Benjamin Bloom, the taxonomy consists of six different thinking levels arranged in a hierarchy of difficulty:

- Knowledge: learning the information.
- Comprehension: understanding the information.
- Application: using the information.
- Analysis: breaking the information down into its component parts.
- Synthesis: putting the information together in new and different ways.
- Evaluation: judging the information.

Any student can function at each level of the taxonomy, provided the content is appropriate for his or her reading ability. Bloom’s Taxonomy can be used to structure sets of learning tasks, student worksheets, cooperative learning assignments and independent study units. In order to consistently design lesson plans that incorporate all six levels, teachers can use the taxonomy to structure all student objectives, information sessions, questions, assigned tasks and tests.

Williams’ Taxonomy is another important model to use when teaching thinking skills. Although there is a relationship between these two models, and even some overlap, it should be noted that Bloom’s Taxonomy is used for teaching critical thinking skills, while Williams’ Taxonomy is used for teaching creative thinking skills. Williams’ Taxonomy has eight levels, also arranged in a hierarchy, with certain types of student behaviour associated with each level:

- Fluency: generating a great many ideas, related answers or choices.
- Flexibility: changing everyday objects to generate a variety of categories, by taking detours and varying sizes, shapes, quantities, time limits, requirements, objectives or dimensions.
- Originality: seeking new ideas by suggesting unusual twists to change content or coming up with clever responses.
- Elaboration: expanding, enlarging, enriching or embellishing possibilities that build on previous thoughts or ideas.
- Risk Taking: dealing with the unknown by taking chances, experimenting with new ideas or trying new challenges.
- Complexity: creating structure in an unstructured setting or building a logical order in a given situation.
- Curiosity: following a hunch, questioning alternatives, pondering outcomes and wondering about options.
- Imagination: visualising possibilities, building images in the mind, picturing new objects, reaching beyond the limits of the practical.

The first four levels of Williams’ model are cognitive in nature, while the last four levels are affective.

The Hawker Brownlow Curriculum and Project Planner is the organiser to ensure the five major Curricular and Instructional Models can interface with one another. Teachers can use this tool to create high-quality lesson plans from Kindergarten to Year 12. More Information on William's Taxonomies can be found in Classroom Ideas

Recommended Resources
Integrating Instruction in . . . series by Imogene Fort and Sandra Schurr
Curriculum and Project Planner by Imogene Forte and Sandra Schurr
Classroom Ideas by Frank E. Williams
Infusing Thinking ... series by Michael Pohl