Okay...I love my version of it. I don't like the connotation of a pyramid urging teachers to teach to "higher order" skills. I love the Lockett Learning visual that makes it a continuum. We never truly "arrive," because when we complete a learning task we reach a new level of understanding and have to go back to basics to fully understand it. If we are learning and growing, we are continually seeking to remember and comprehend something new.
Of course I believe we need to teach our students to analyze, evaluate, and create. But...I had several students who were really good critics but hadn't paid the price to gain the knowledge base they needed to evaluate effectively.
Here's the continuum "play out:"
Remember. We use our memory banks to gain basic information about our topic.
Understand. We comprehend what we are learning.
Apply. We use what we comprehend.
Analyze. We are able to accurately compare what we are learning to other similar knowledge. We are able to make informed decisions about what would be our best choice.
Evaluate. We are able to objectively look at the pros and cons of our subject and ask intelligent questions.
Create. We envision something that would be even better...take us to a higher level of learning.
Remember. We use our memory banks to gain basic information about a higher level of our base topic, beginning the cycle all over again.
"We have not succeeded in answering all of our questions. However, we are now confused at a much higher level about more important things."
Jim Cox
