Andy Starr
EDU 674
BENJAMIN BLOOM: WE HARDLY KNEW YE
Many educators have heard of Benjamin Bloom, but this is an article written from the perspective of someone who actually experienced this visionary’s teaching first hand.
The article paints a picture of Bloom as a man of ordinary stature who made extraordinary contributions to the field of education. Broken up into sections, the author first discusses Bloom’s manner as a teacher. He talks of how Bloom considered education “an exercise in optimism.” (Eisner 2) Bloom also believed that it was very important that the teacher support the students in their educational endeavors.
The next section dealt with the idea of Bloom’s cognitive taxonomy. The focus here was on the fact that each level of taxonomy is based on the ability to use the preceding levels of said taxonomy. The author also once again made it clear that while it may be the most recognizable contribution that Bloom made to education; it was certainly not his only one.
Eisner then moves toward Bloom’s idea of the relationship of environment with educational performance. Bloom also continued to look at the process of education, looking less at the comparison of students via grading, and more at helping all students achieve their educational goals. He held the very strong belief that students do not all learn content the same way, nor do they all learn in a specified amount of time. He even wrote a book discussing the idea of the child’s environment affecting the education, citing that attention and support from home were keys to a child’s success as an adult. Bloom also looked at each child as if they were gifted in a different way, and it was up to the educator to nurture those individual gifts.
The article continued to discuss Bloom’s desire to move away from competition, stressing that he encouraged that education was not a race, and it was about mastery and achievement, not the speed in which children learn.
Eisner continues to extol the virtues of Bloom, continuing to emphasize the idea that Bloom continuously was searching for ways to best educate students. He also made it his goal to educate teachers in how to instruct using what he considered to be best educational practices. The author concludes with the idea that Bloom’s efforts have left an indelible mark on education, and that his contributions have helped the lives of many children.