We often conflate content (domain knowledge) with skills (cognitive processes). LearnGraph separates them—creating a powerful matrix that transforms how we teach, learn, and learn how to learn.
What you learn—domain knowledge, facts, concepts, principles
How you demonstrate learning—cognitive processes, thinking patterns
Traditional education conflates what students learn with how they show they've learned it. This conflation creates blind spots that limit both teaching and learning.
| Remember | Understand | Apply | Analyze | Evaluate | Create | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photosynthesis | Define | Explain | Calculate | Compare | Critique | Design |
| World War II | List | Summarize | Demonstrate | Examine | Judge | Construct |
| Python Loops | Recall | Describe | Implement | Debug | Optimize | Architect |
A student who can "explain photosynthesis" (Understand) might not be able to "design an experiment" (Create). Traditional assessments miss this gap.
LearnGraph extracts both dimensions from your content, mapping exactly which skills apply to which knowledge—and tracking mastery of each cell.
Precise diagnosis, targeted instruction, and most importantly: students who learnhow to learn—not just what to know.
While Bloom measures cognitive complexity, Fink measures learning significance. His six dimensions aren't hierarchical—they're synergistic. The most powerful? Learning How to Learn.
"What should they understand and remember?"
The information, ideas, and perspectives that form the knowledge base. This is where Bloom lives—but it's just the beginning.
"What should they be able to do?"
Skills (critical thinking, practical skills, creativity) that let learners engage with the world. Knowing vs. Doing.
"What connections should they make?"
Connecting ideas, subjects, and realms of life. This is your knowledge graph—seeing how everything relates.
"What should they learn about themselves?"
Understanding oneself and others. The inverse profile—metacognitive self-awareness of strengths, struggles, and growth.
"What new feelings, interests, values?"
Developing new interests, feelings, and values. This is where motivation lives—persistence and productive struggle.
"How can they become self-directed?"
The meta-skill that enables everything else. Inquiry, self-direction, and the ability to keep learning long after the course ends.
Most education focuses on what to learn. Fink's sixth dimension—Learning How to Learn—is the meta-skill that determines whether students become lifelong learners or knowledge consumers.
Bloom's Taxonomy (revised 2001) tells us the cognitive complexity of what learners can do. Fink tells us how that learning matters. Together, they create truly transformative education.
Cognitive Complexity (Hierarchical)
Anderson & Krathwohl (2001) • The skill dimension of our matrix
Learning Impact (Synergistic)
L. Dee Fink (2003) • Why learning matters to the whole person
Key insight: Fink's dimensions aren't hierarchical—they're interconnected. Progress in one enhances all others.
A chainsaw is a powerful tool. But you wouldn't hand one to a second grader. AI-powered learning requires the same developmental consideration.
Temporary, adaptive support that builds internal capacity. The goal: make the technology progressively less necessary.
Permanent dependency where technology assumes cognitive responsibility, diminishing intrinsic skills.
Pre-K through College Professors
LearnGraph helps educators at every level create materials aligned with learning objectives:
Foundational skill mapping, prerequisite visualization
Scaffolding progressions, misconception detection
Bloom-aligned assessments, differentiation
Threshold concepts, Fink's significant learning design
Developmental Readiness Matters
The full power of self-directed AI learning requires cognitive readiness:
AI as supervised scaffold only. Focus on building foundational cognitive skills without dependency.
Gradual release of responsibility. AI literacy + strategic collaboration → independent metacognition.
Full Fink integration. AI amplifies expertise without creating dependency. "Learning How to Learn" fully activated.
The principle: AI should develop capabilities, not replace them. Every AI interaction should leave the learner more capable of operating without AI—not more dependent on it.
Not another AI gimmick. Every feature is grounded in peer-reviewed research spanning 50+ years of cognitive science and educational psychology.
9 Frameworks for extracting educationally-grounded knowledge
12 Frameworks for real-time learner adaptation
8 Cutting-edge frameworks under evaluation
Not generic chat. Purpose-built tools that understand Fink's dimensions, learning progressions, and developmental appropriateness.
6 AI-powered instructional tools
5 AI-powered study tools
Comprehensive documentation of Fink's Significant Learning integration, the skill-content separation principle, and developmental considerations.
How we layer Fink's holistic dimensions over Bloom's cognitive hierarchy to create the skill-content matrix that enables Learning How to Learn.
Real-time learner modeling across all six Fink dimensions, including metacognitive calibration and self-directed learning indicators.
Evidence review for all 29 frameworks with effect sizes, limitations, and developmental considerations.
How LearnGraph differs from Khan Academy, ALEKS, and generic AI—and why Fink's framework is the differentiator.
Join educators who are using Fink's Significant Learning framework to create students who don't just know more—they become better learners.