formulate, modify, re-design, trouble-shoot|
Adapted and simplified representation of Simpson's Psychomotor Domain ('The classification of educational objectives in the psychomotor domain', 1972). Elizabeth Simpson seems actually to have first presented her Psychomotor Domain interpretation in 1966 in the Illinois Journal of Home Economics. Hence you may see the theory attributed to either 1966 or 1972.
harrow's psychomotor domain taxonomy
Harrow's interpretation of the Psychomotor domain is strongly biased towards the development of physical fitness, dexterity and agility, and control of the physical 'body', to a considerable level of expertise. As such the Harrow model is more appropriate to the development of young children's bodily movement, skills, and expressive movement than, say, the development of a corporate trainee's keyboard skills. By the same token, the Harrow model would be perhaps more useful for the development of adult public speaking or artistic performance skills than Dave's or Simpson's, because the Harrow model focuses on the translation of physical and bodily activity into meaningful expression. The Harrow model is the only one of the three Psychomotor Domain versions which specifically implies emotional influence on others within the most expert level of bodily control, which to me makes it rather special.
As ever, choose the framework that best fits your situation, and the needs and aims of the trainees or students.
|psychomotor domain (harrow)|
|level||category or 'level'||description||examples of activity or demonstration and evidence to be measured||'key words' (verbs which describe the activity to be trained or measured at each level)|
|1||Reflex Movement||involuntary reaction||respond physically instinctively||react, respond|
|2||Basic Fundamental Movements||basic simple movement||alter position, move, perform simple action||grasp, walk, stand, throw|
|3||Perceptual Abilities||basic response||use than one ability in response to different sensory perceptions||catch, write, explore, distinguish using senses|
|4||Physical Abilities||fitness||develop strength, endurance, agility, control||endure, maintain, repeat, increase, improve, exceed|
|5||Skilled Movements||complex operations||execute and adapt advanced, integrated movements||drive, build, juggle, play a musical instrument, craft|
|6||Non-discursive Communication||meaningfully expressive activity or output||activity expresses meaningful interpretation||express and convey feeling and meaning through movement and actions|
Adapted and simplified representation of Harrow's Psychomotor Domain (1972). (Non-discursive means intuitively direct and well expressed.)
Bloom's Taxonomy is a wonderful reference model for all involved in teaching, training, learning, coaching - in the design, delivery and evaluation of these development methods. At its basic level (refresh your memory of the Bloom Taxonomy overview if helpful), the Taxonomy provides a simple, quick and easy checklist to start to plan any type of personal development. It helps to open up possibilities for all aspects of the subject or need concerned, and suggests a variety of the methods available for delivery of teaching and learning. As with any checklist, it also helps to reduce the risks of overlooking some vital aspects of the development required.
The more detailed elements within each domain provide additional reference points for learning design and evaluation, whether for a single lesson, session or activity, or training need, or for an entire course, programme or syllabus, across a large group of trainees or students, or a whole organisation.
And at its most complex, Bloom's Taxonomy is continuously evolving, through the work of academics following in the footsteps of Bloom's early associates, as a fundamental concept for the development of formalised education across the world.
As with so many of the classical models involving the development of people and organisations, you actually have a choice as to how to use Bloom's Taxonomy. It's a tool - or more aptly - a toolbox. Tools