SOLOTaxonomy

What is it?

SOLO (Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes) is a model of learning that helps develop a common understanding & language of learning that helps teachers (and students) understand the learning process.

What is it?

• In pairs arrange the five statements about assessment for learning in order of understanding

• use the SOLO levels sheet to help you.

• You have 3 minutes

5 typical ways to answer a question

PrestructuralI’m not sure about this

subject

UnistructuralI have one idea

about this subject

MultistuctruralI have several

ideas about this subject

RelationalI can link my ideas together to see the

big picture…

Extended abstractI can look at these ideas in a new and

different way.

Making it visible

Making it visible

“SOLO Taxonomy provides a simple and robust way of describing how learning outcomes grow in complexity from surface to deep understanding”

Biggs & Collis 1982

With SOLO we can…

• thoughtfully design learning intentions and learning experiences

• identify and use effective success criteria• provide feedback and feed forward on

learning outcomes• reflect meaningfully on what to do next

Why?

• How should we show that “progress” has been made in a lesson (or 20 minutes of a lesson)?• Numbers? Letters?

The language of learningSOLO level VerbsUnistructural define, identify, name. draw, find, label, match,

follow a simple procedureMultistuctural describe, list, outline, complete, continue,

combineRelational sequence, classify, compare & contrast, explain

(cause & effect), analyse, form an analogy, organise, distinguish, question, relate, apply

Extended abstract

generalise, predict, evaluate, reflect, hypothesise, theorise, create, prove, justify, argue, compose, prioritise, design, construct, perform

Isn’t this a bit like Bloom’s Taxonomy?

• SOLO is based upon a theory about teaching and learning rather than a theory about knowledge, (Hattie and Brown, 2004)

• Bloom’s is ‘good’ for teachers: planning, questioning & checking learning

• But not great for students:I’ve done applying sir, can I move on to analysis now?

• Progress is not implicit with Bloom’s

SOLO is better because:

• It’s a diagnostic tool – provides useful feedback and makes next steps clear

• It’s a useful assessment tool – clear links with rubrics

• It can help plan objectives & success criteria which focus on progress

• It describes the learning outcome

Connecting your learning

Progress

Relational

Understanding

feedback

Deep & surface

learning

Extended abstract

Multi structural

Knowledgesuccess criteria

Language of learning

assessment

Outcomes

Tips for getting started

• Getting to extended abstract requires you to pose abstract questions:

Does Shakespeare influence all modern writers?• But, in order to answer these questions

students need a big multistructural base of knowledge

• Students need to see that progress depends on finding the relationships between this knowledge

Does Shakespeare influence all modern writers?

How does Shakespeare compare to a modern playwright?

Thinking Squares

What did he do and why?

Who is Shakespeare?

REVIEW

Design an activity which could introduce SOLO to your students

How could you use SOLO?

What do you know about SOLO?

Next steps

• http://taitcoles.wordpress.com/

• http://lisajaneashes.edublogs.org/

• http://learningspy.co.uk/Special thanks to Tait Coles @Totallywired77 whose ideas have been used liberally in this presentation