With a little time and effort, each one of us could memorize a Shakespearean sonnet. Not so when it comes to writing one.  With a lot more time and effort, we could memorize the periodic table of elements. However, cutting-edge research in chemistry is an altogether different matter. On one highly regarded and widely used classification of knowledge, “Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy,” there are six levels of learning, ranging from remembering to creating. As described in “Action Words for Bloom’s Taxonomy” (© 2014 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System), they are:

Remembering, Level 1, Recalling previously learned information

Understanding, Level 2, Explaining ideas or concepts

Applying, Level 3, Applying knowledge to actual situations

Analyzing, Level 4, Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships

Evaluating, Level 5, Justifying a decision or course of action

Creating, Level 6, Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things