Types of learning: domains and levels of learning

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Types of Learning

During the 1950s, in an effort to make education more systematic, educational psychologists began classifying the types of learning according to the behaviour involved.
They identified three domains, and numerous levels of learning within the domains.

Cognitive

The cognitive domain involves intellectual learning: facts, ideas, processes, creativity.

Knowledge: remembering appropriate information (facts, rules, processes, procedures) correctly
Comprehension: Understanding the meaning of the information recalled
Application: using the information to solve straightforward problems in new situations
Analysis: organising material in terms of its component parts and identifying the relationships between the parts
Synthesis: applying skills and knowledge to create an original work or solution
Evaluation: judging the value of
material, based on personally developed criteria, in reaching an objective where there are no easily identifiable rights or wrongs.

Typesoflearning

Affective

The affective domain involves the development of a range of attitudes and values.

Receiving: interest, attention, willingness to listen

Responding: active participation

Valuing: emotional involvement, development of strong opinions
Organisation: identifying and resolving conflict between new and existing values

Characterisation by value: using a systematic and consistent set of values used to guide behaviour

Psychomotor: This involves physical skills and actions such as those required in typing, driving a car or playing sport. This domain is particularly important in trades such as carpentry.

Imitation: attempting an action that has been explained or demonstrated

Manipulation: a practiced and reasonably proficient action

Precision: the action is performed precisely and accurately, with no hesitation or wasted energy

Articulation: the action can be modified to suit the situation or solve a problem

Naturalisation: the action is automatic, performed without requiring any thought or attention.

Learning how to do a job correctly involves the Cognitive (and often the Psychomotor domains.) Willingness to do a job correctly involves the Affective domain.

Relevance to learners and trainers

Training that produces learning only to Level 1 in the Cognitive domain can be downright dangerous. It produces people who know much and understand little. The classic example was the woman who made her daughter walk half a kilometre to school on crutches, because, she explained, the child’s ankle was only “fractured” not “broken.”

Unless you give learners problems different to the examples, you are limiting the learning to Level 2 of the Cognitive domain. This is not fair to the learners. People with this level learning are not capable of working without close supervision, because they don’t know how to cope with situations other than those covered in detail in training.

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What is Learning? Constructivism Types of Learning Expertise and Creativity Formal Training Short-term memory Associative memory, Repetition & Encoding Associative memory and the Zebra Accountability and Assessment Validity and reliability More Validity Testing and the IQ test The Adult Learner Back to Gryphon Home	Types of Learning During the 1950s, in an effort to make education more systematic, educational psychologists began classifying the types of learning according to the behaviour involved. They identified three domains, and numerous levels of learning within the domains. Cognitive The cognitive domain involves intellectual learning: facts, ideas, processes, creativity. Knowledge: remembering appropriate information (facts, rules, processes, procedures) correctly Comprehension: Understanding the meaning of the information recalled Application: using the information to solve straightforward problems in new situations Analysis: organising material in terms of its component parts and identifying the relationships between the parts Synthesis: applying skills and knowledge to create an original work or solution Evaluation: judging the value of material, based on personally developed criteria, in reaching an objective where there are no easily identifiable rights or wrongs. . Affective The affective domain involves the development of a range of attitudes and values. Receiving: interest, attention, willingness to listen Responding: active participation Valuing: emotional involvement, development of strong opinions Organisation: identifying and resolving conflict between new and existing values Characterisation by value: using a systematic and consistent set of values used to guide behaviour Psychomotor: This involves physical skills and actions such as those required in typing, driving a car or playing sport. This domain is particularly important in trades such as carpentry. Imitation: attempting an action that has been explained or demonstrated Manipulation: a practiced and reasonably proficient action Precision: the action is performed precisely and accurately, with no hesitation or wasted energy Articulation: the action can be modified to suit the situation or solve a problem Naturalisation: the action is automatic, performed without requiring any thought or attention. Learning how to do a job correctly involves the Cognitive (and often the Psychomotor domains.) Willingness to do a job correctly involves the Affective domain. Relevance to learners and trainers Training that produces learning only to Level 1 in the Cognitive domain can be downright dangerous. It produces people who know much and understand little. The classic example was the woman who made her daughter walk half a kilometre to school on crutches, because, she explained, the child’s ankle was only “fractured” not “broken.” Unless you give learners problems different to the examples, you are limiting the learning to Level 2 of the Cognitive domain. This is not fair to the learners. People with this level learning are not capable of working without close supervision, because they don’t know how to cope with situations other than those covered in detail in training.