{"id":272498,"date":"2025-03-18T03:00:31","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T03:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/18\/6-domains-of-cognition-the-teachthought-learning-taxonomy\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:09:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:09:08","slug":"6-domains-of-cognition-the-teachthought-learning-taxonomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/18\/6-domains-of-cognition-the-teachthought-learning-taxonomy\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Domains Of Cognition: The TeachThought Learning Taxonomy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\n<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\">\n                <\/aside>\n<p>            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"756\" height=\"567\" alt=\"TeachThought Understanding Taxonomy\" class=\"wp-image-9175 perfmatters-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/teachthought-simple-taxonomy-for-understanding.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/teachthought-simple-taxonomy-for-understanding.jpg 756w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/teachthought-simple-taxonomy-for-understanding-300x225.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 756px) 100vw, 756px\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"756\" height=\"567\" src=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/teachthought-simple-taxonomy-for-understanding.jpg\" alt=\"TeachThought Understanding Taxonomy\" class=\"wp-image-9175\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/teachthought-simple-taxonomy-for-understanding.jpg 756w, https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/teachthought-simple-taxonomy-for-understanding-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 756px) 100vw, 756px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>by <strong>Terry Heick<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>How can you tell if a student really understands something?<\/p>\n<p>They learn early on to play the game\u2014tell the teacher and\/or the test what they \u2018want to know,\u2019 and even the best assessment leaves something on the table. (In truth, a big portion of the time students simply don\u2019t know what they don\u2019t know.)<\/p>\n<p>The idea of understanding is, of course, at the heart of all learning, and solving it as a puzzle is one of the three pillars of formal learning environments and education.<\/p>\n<p>1. What do they need to understand (standards)?<\/p>\n<p>2. What (and how) do they currently understand (assessment)?<\/p>\n<p>3. How can they best come to understand what they currently do not (planning learning experiences and instruction)?<\/p>\n<p>But how do we know if they know it?\u00a0And what is \u2018it\u2019?<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Understanding As \u2018<\/strong><strong>It\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>On the surface, there is trouble with the word \u2018it.\u2019 Sounds vague. Troublesome. Uncertain. But everyone somehow knows what it is.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It\u2019 is essentially what is to be learned, and it can be a\u00a0scary thing to both teachers and students. \u2018It\u2019 is everything, described with intimidating terms like objective, target, proficiency, test, exam, grade, fail, and succeed.<\/p>\n<p>And in terms of content, \u2018it\u2019 could be almost anything: a fact, a discovery, a habit, skill, or general concept, from mathematical theory to a scientific process, the importance of a historical figure to an author\u2019s purpose in a text.<\/p>\n<p>So if a student gets it, beyond pure academic performance what might they be able to do?\u00a0There are many existing taxonomies and characteristics, from\u00a0Bloom\u2019s\u00a0to\u00a0Understanding by Design\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/critical-thinking\/6-facets-of-understanding\/\"><strong>6 Facets of Understanding<\/strong><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The following actions are set up as a linear taxonomy, from most basic to the most complex. The best part about it is its simplicity: Most of these actions can be performed simply in the classroom in minutes, and don\u2019t require complex planning or an extended exam period.<\/p>\n<p>By using a quick diagram, concept map, t-chart, conversation, picture, or short response in a journal, quick face-to-face collaboration, on an exit slip, or via digital\/social media,\u00a0understanding can be evaluated in minutes, helping to replace testing and consternation with a climate of assessment. It can be even be displayed on a class website or hung in the classroom to help guide self-directed learning, with students checking themselves for understanding.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How This Understanding Taxonomy Works<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll write more about this soon and put this into a more graphic form soon; both of these are critical in using it. (Update: I\u2019m also creating a course for teachers to help the, use it.) For now, I\u2019ll say that it can be used to guide planning, assessment, curriculum design, and self-directed learning. Or to develop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/critical-thinking\/critical-thinking-questions\/\"><strong>critical thinking questions for any content area<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2018Heick\u2019 learning taxonomy is meant to be simple, arranged as (mostly) isolated tasks that range in complexity from less to more. That said, students needn\u2019t demonstrate the \u2018highest\u2019 levels of understanding\u2013that misses the point. <strong>Any ability to complete these tasks is a demonstration of understanding.<\/strong> The greater number of tasks the student can complete the better, but all \u2018boxes checked\u2019 are evidence that the student \u2018gets it.\u2019<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>36 Thinking Strategies To Help Students Wrestle With Complexity<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><em><strong>The Heick Learning Taxonomy<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Domain 1: The Parts<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Explain or describe it simply<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Label its major and minor parts<\/li>\n<li>Evaluate its most and least important characteristics<\/li>\n<li>Deconstruct or \u2018unbuild\u2019 it efficiently<\/li>\n<li>Give examples and non-examples<\/li>\n<li>Separate it into categories, or as an item in broader categories<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Example Topic<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Revolutionary War<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sample Prompts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Explain the Revolutionary War in simple terms (e.g., an inevitable rebellion that created a new nation).<\/p>\n<p>Identify the major and minor \u2018parts\u2019 of the Revolutionary War (e.g., economics and propaganda, soldiers and tariffs).<\/p>\n<p>Evaluate the Revolutionary War and identify its least and most important characteristics (e.g., caused and effects vs city names and minor skirmishes)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Domain 2: The Whole<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Explain it in micro-detail and macro-context<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Create a diagram that embeds it in a self-selected context<\/li>\n<li>Explain how it is and is not useful both practically and intellectually<\/li>\n<li>Play with it casually<\/li>\n<li>Leverage it both in parts and in whole<\/li>\n<li>Revise it expertly, and explain the impact of any revisions<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Domain 3: The Interdependence\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Explain how it relates to similar and non-similar ideas<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Direct others in using it<\/li>\n<li>Explain it differently\u2013and precisely\u2013to both a novice and an expert<\/li>\n<li>Explain exactly how and where others might misunderstand it<\/li>\n<li>Compare it to other similar and non-similar ideas<\/li>\n<li>Identify analogous but distinct ideas, concepts, or situations<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Domain 4: The Function<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Apply it in unfamiliar situations<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Create accurate analogies to convey its function or meaning<\/li>\n<li>Analyze the sweet spot of its utility<\/li>\n<li>Repurpose it with creativity<\/li>\n<li>Know\u00a0<em>when<\/em>\u00a0to use it<\/li>\n<li>Plausibly theorize its origins<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Domain 5: The Abstraction<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Insightfully or artfully demonstrate its nuance<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Criticize it in terms of what it might \u2018miss\u2019 or where it\u2019s \u2018dishonest\u2019 or incomplete<\/li>\n<li>Debate its \u2018truths\u2019 as a supporter or devil\u2019s advocate<\/li>\n<li>Explain its elegance or crudeness<\/li>\n<li>Analyze its objectivity and subjectivity, and how the two relate<\/li>\n<li>Design a sequel, extension, follow-up, or evolution of it<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Domain 6: The Self<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Self-direct future learning about the topic<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Ask specific, insightful questions about it<\/li>\n<li>Recall or narrate their own learning sequence or chronology (metacognition) in coming to know it<\/li>\n<li>Is comfortable using it across diverse contexts and circumstances<\/li>\n<li>Identify what they still don\u2019t understand about it<\/li>\n<li>Analyze changes in self-knowledge as a result of understanding<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><em><strong>Advanced Understanding<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Understanding by Design\u2019s 6 facets of Understanding, Bloom\u2019s Taxonomy, and Marzano\u2019s New Taxonomy were also referenced in the creation of this taxonomy; a learning taxonomy for understanding<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- HFCM by 99 Robots - Snippet # 15: Taboola Footer Feed --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/end HFCM by 99 Robots --><br \/>\n<!-- CONTENT END 1 --><\/p>\n<div class=\"et_pb_row abfd_et_pb_row abfd-container-divi\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_column\">\n<div class=\"abfd-container\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/author\/terryheick\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"abfd-photograph-link\" rel=\"noopener\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"abfd-details\">\n<div class=\"abfd-biography\">\n<p>Founder &amp; Director of TeachThought<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teachthought.com\/critical-thinking\/heick-learning-taxonomy\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] by Terry Heick How can you tell if a student really understands something? They learn early on to play the game\u2014tell the teacher and\/or<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":272499,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272498"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272498\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}