Learning is everywhere. We can learn mental skills, develop our attitudes and acquire new physical skills as we perform the activities of our daily living. These domains of learning can be categorized as cognitive domain (knowledge), psychomotor domain (skills) and affective domain (attitudes). This categorization is best explained by the Taxonomy of Learning Domains formulated by a group of researchers led by Benjamin Bloom in 1956.
The cognitive domain involves the development of our mental skills and the acquisition of knowledge. The six categories under this domain are:
B. Affective DomainThe affective domain involves our feelings, emotions and attitudes. This domain is categorized into 5 subdomains, which include:
C. Psychomotor DomainThe psychomotor domain is comprised of utilizing motor skills and coordinating them. The seven categories under this include:
Learning is not an event. It is a process. It is the continual growth and change in the brain's architecture that results from the many ways we take in information, process it, connect it, catalogue it, and use it (and sometimes get rid of it). Learning can generally be categorized into three domains: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. Within each domain are multiple levels of learning that progress from more basic, surface-level learning to more complex, deeper-level learning. The level of learning we strive to impact will vary across learning experiences depending on 1) the nature of the experience, 2) the developmental levels of the participating students, and 3) the duration and intensity of the experience. When writing learning objectives, it is important to think about which domain(s) is relevant to the learning experience you are designing. The tables below provide further information about each domain. |