Bloom's Taxonomy Revisited...

Donald Clark documented the 3 forms of learning with reference to Bloom's Taxonomy.
Today I will revisit Bloom's Taxonomy with an angle towards architectural decomposition.

The ground floor of "my" pyramid also begins with knowledge. I have written before about making the tacit -- explicit and about the knowledge crisis in which most of us exist. In order for us to learn we must start with the residual knowledge which we have harvested on our unique walks through life.

The next floor up I call comprehension. Knowledge expressed and regurgitated with rote memory recall is insufficient. I can teach a child that 1+1=99. That child can recall that as knowledge, but not comprehend its meaning and inherent incorrectness. This requires comprehension...and the capability to fully understand with intelligence.

The third floor is analysis. This is the critical thinking challenge, questions, and decomposition of every problem architects seek to solve. I can know a need for web development... I can comprehend that .NET is a good approach...I can also comprehend that Java is a good approach. It is through analysis that we discover the best fit.

Up to the fourth, application...ah yes the sweet sound that rings in all architect ears every day. For this purpose application means taking the results of a problem's analysis and applying it. Application refers to the ability to both apply knowledge via the common mechanisms of communication and the ability to take that which has been communicated and construct its core essence. (e.g. writing your first HelloWorld program.)

The fifth story is all about evaluation. This capability is about taking your own knowledge and applying critical thinking skills. Its also about looking at other's applications and making judgments about its characteristics, qualities, efficacy, and weaknesses.

DING! Welcome up to the Egyptian penthouse everyone. Sixth floor... everyone off! Welcome to the enlightened capability called synthesis. The proverbial 1 + 1 =3 . This learned technique is both innovative and evolutionary. Taking distinct components and applying them together to form a new, unique, integrated solution. This is the harmonic blend of reuse and creation. This is what good architects strive for...

So this is "my" pyramid:

What do you think? Does this resonate? Does this help with something you are working on?