Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

Learning at the Right Level

How much do you need to know about what you're learning?

© iStockphoto/angelhell

Are you an expert at everything?

Of course, your answer is probably no. No matter what we do, none of us are experts at every single thing that we're responsible for. Some tasks need only a minimal amount of knowledge, while others require us to know the subject in detail. Our level of expertise largely depends on our role.

For instance, an administrative assistant may know nothing about SWOT Analysis, but his boss has asked him to learn about the topic before the next department meeting, so that he can take good notes. For this role, the assistant needs only a limited amount of understanding.

The boss, however, is planning to use SWOT during the meeting to contribute to her company's business plan for the upcoming year. Her understanding of SWOT must be much greater than her assistant's.

On the other hand, a university professor needs to decide if SWOT is a significant enough tool to use in his course curriculum. His understanding of SWOT Analysis must be particularly strong if he wants to make an informed decision for his students.

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