What is taxonomy?

The science which identifies, describes, classifies and names living beings. Taxonomy is the most fundamental of life sciences and is becoming crucial to biodiversity management, public health, agriculture, and many other aspects of life and society.

Taxonomy is a science for sustainable development, but it is also a sustainably developed science. It draws on molecular techniques, vast collections, and varied expertise to become the Megascience of biodiversity.

Taxonomy on the web

Taxonomy makes use of new technologies to put experts in contact, exchange data and scientific hypotheses, and manage the vast wealth of information stored in collections. Taxonomy covers all reigns of life, from the minute to the overarching, from morphology to genetics to behaviour to ecology. Thanks to computer systems and internet communications, we can now put such expansive expertise to good use.

The Revised Taxonomy

The original Bloom's Taxonomy, developed in the 1950's included a range of sills from high to low:

• Evaluation
• Synthesis
• Anaylsis
• Application
• Understanding
• Knowledge

The revision changed the level descriptors into verbs and altered the meaning of the activities:

• Create
• Evaluate
• Analyze
• Apply
• Understand
• Remember

Origin of the Cognitive Taxonomy

In 1948, discussions at a convention of the American Psychological Association prompted Benjamin S. Bloom to lead a group of educators in developing behaviors important to the educational process in three domains:

• Cognitive
• Affective
• Psychomotor

In 1956, Bloom published a handbook as a guide to what he valued as important cognitive behaviors - commonly referred to as Bloom's Taxonomy. Most recently, this was revised by a group lead by a former student of Bloom - Lois Anderson. This was published as the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy - and became known as Bloom's Digital Taxonomy.