Psychology · Applicable to all session lengths, from 1-hour modules to multi-year curriculum programs.

Marzano’s New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

A comprehensive framework for classifying educational objectives that expands upon Bloom's Taxonomy by integrating cognitive research. It categorizes learning based on three domains of knowledge (Information, Mental Procedures, and Psychomotor Procedures) and six levels of mental processing that range from simple recall to complex self-regulation.

When to use Marzano’s New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

This framework is ideal for designing standards-based curricula, developing rigorous assessments, and creating 'thinking-skills' programs that require learners to move beyond rote memorization into metacognitive awareness and complex application.

How Marzano’s New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives works

Instructional designers can use this framework to scaffold learning by first addressing the 'Self-System' to ensure learner buy-in, then moving through retrieval and analysis, and finally reaching 'Knowledge Utilization' where learners apply skills to real-world problems. It serves as a blueprint for aligning assessments with the specific level of cognitive complexity intended for the lesson.

Phases of Marzano’s New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

  1. Level 1: Retrieval: Recognising, recalling and executing knowledge without necessarily understanding it. In a session, participants name, list or perform a procedure they have seen, and the facilitator checks basic recall.
  2. Level 2: Comprehension: Integrating and symbolising knowledge: identifying the critical parts and representing them in one's own form. Participants summarise, draw a diagram or explain the key idea in their own words.
  3. Level 3: Analysis: Extending knowledge through matching, classifying, analysing errors, generalising and specifying. The facilitator sets tasks such as comparing cases, sorting examples or spotting flaws in an argument.
  4. Level 4: Knowledge Utilization: Using knowledge to accomplish a task: decision making, problem solving, experimenting and investigating. Participants apply what they learned to a realistic problem or decision.
  5. Level 5: Metacognition: Setting goals for one's own learning and monitoring process, clarity and accuracy. The facilitator asks participants to set learning goals, track progress and judge how well they understand.
  6. Level 6: Self-System Thinking: Examining the importance of the knowledge, one's efficacy, emotional response and overall motivation. Participants reflect on why this matters to them and whether they believe they can master it, which decides if they engage at all.

Key principles

  • The Self-System is the primary gatekeeper of learning, determining whether a learner will engage with a task based on importance and efficacy.
  • Metacognition is necessary for setting goals and monitoring the execution of cognitive tasks.
  • Knowledge is processed through three distinct domains: Information (declarative), Mental Procedures (procedural), and Psychomotor Procedures (physical).
  • Higher-order thinking is achieved through the 'Knowledge Utilization' phase, involving investigation, problem-solving, and experimental inquiry.

Best for

  • Standards-based curriculum design
  • Higher-order thinking skills development
  • Cognitive assessment mapping

Considerations

  • Requires a clear distinction between declarative and procedural knowledge before selecting a processing level.
  • Implementation is more complex than the original Bloom’s Taxonomy, requiring deeper facilitator training.
  • Success depends on the instructor's ability to stimulate the learner's 'Self-System' to ensure initial engagement.

Attribution & sources

Developed by Robert J. Marzano and John S. Kendall (2007)

Primary source

Design a session with Marzano’s New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

METODIC builds a complete Marzano’s New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives-based session — methods, timing, worksheets, and facilitator guides — in minutes.

Try METODIC free