Time to Blossom: An Inquiry into Bloom's Taxonomy as a Hierarchy and Means for Teaching Legal Research Skills

Abstract

Pedagogy requires both a theory and a consistent method of implementation. While the literature of law librarianship abounds in suggestions and descriptions about how legal research is being taught, it lacks sufficient consideration of pedagogical theory from the field of education. In light of the Carnegie Report, and efforts at comprehensive curriculum reform, the time is ripe for law librarianship to develop a comprehensive and properly grounded pedagogy for legal research instruction. This paper proposes and illustrates adapting Bloom's Taxonomy as a means to identify legal research skills, prioritize objectives, and organize course curricula.