Using SOLO taxonomy to deepen students’ thinking

and to give helpful feedback

Students don’t understand what

you’ve asked them to do.We spend a lot of our time

marking!

What are the three most common problems you find

when giving students feedback on their learning and progress?

Students respond to your feedback inaccurately or superficially.

Students are not sure where to begin

in making improvments.

Feedback to feed forward

• SOLO taxonomy allows teachers and students to frame their comments using language that is clear on the next steps to progress.

Constructing learning outcomes using SOLO taxonomy

What is the problem with all/most/some outcomes? What is the problem

sometimes with differentiating your

outcomes using levels/grades?

Today’s key question: How does the writer highlight the increasing conflict between Sir William and Alexander?

Identify Sir William’s actions and how they hurt Alexander.

Identify moments where Alexander tries to defy his father.

Explore how the writer makes us feel sympathy for Alexander.

Consider what point the writer may be making about parenting in the 18th century compared to the 21st century.

Which SOLO stage are you aiming for in today’s lesson?

I will have at least one idea to write about and will link it to the target audience.

I will have a few ideas to write about and include devices.

My ideas will see the ‘bigger picture’, build on one another and acknowledge the counter-argument.

I will tailor my vocabulary and ideas to make a convincing argument for the target audience, linking it to the ‘bigger picture’. My argument will be original.Think about a lesson you’ve just taught.

What would be the four SOLO outcomes?

Constructing success criteriaHow do you construct your success criteria so students know if

they have completed a task successfully?

A Science example from Fearghal Kelly.@fkelly

www.fkelly.co.uk

Criteria for Year 7 Nutrition Assessment

Student Tick Off If Met

Teacher Tick Off If Evidenced

I have identified and listed three nutrients in a meal.

I have identified and listed nutrients in two meals.

I have identified all of the nutrients in both meals and can explain the function of each.I have identified all of the nutrients and explained their functions. I have created my own example of a nutritionally balanced meal based on what I have learnt about the other two meals.

An example adapted from Stephen Tierney.@LeadingLearnerwww.leadinglearner.me

Marking using SOLO taxonomy

• Where SOLO taxonomy becomes a better tool for marking than using Bloom’s Taxonomy is that students can be at different SOLO stages at different points in their work.

• Using the SOLO framework also allows you to mark much more quickly than traditional summative comments at the end of the work.

Feed forward: Rewrite your imagery paragraph to show relational, focusing on more playful use of language in The River God.

You had one idea about poem 1.

You had one idea about poem 2.

You used connectives to compare the two ideas in the two poems.

You explored the social context and how this impacts on meanings in the poems for different readers.

Introduction to your two poems

Yes Yes Yes but no connectives

No

Structure Yes Yes Yes, including connectives.

No

Language Yes Yes No comparison of different tone.

No

Imagery Yes Yes Yes, explored different symbolism.

Partly, focusing on different time contexts.

Conclusion, highlighting key sims and diffs

Yes Yes Np General comment on difference between male and female readers.

Students responding to feedback• It is easy for students to feed forward, making SOLO

taxonomy a much better tool for students to act upon feedback.

• Using SOLO taxonomy, what feed forward tasks would you set for these two students based on their writing about the play An Inspector Calls?

Student 1The only two people who really seem to take in the Inspector’s message of caring for the community are Eric and Sheila. Without Inspector Goole’s words, they would still be behaving in an immature and selfish way. At the end of the play, they are both horrified that their parents do not seem to have learnt anything, excaliming ‘So nothing rally happened…We can all fo on behaving as we did.’ Their mother’s response of ‘Well, why shouldn’t we?’ shows she is just glad that her reputation is still in tact.

Student 2Priestley has created the character of the inspector as a way of exploring how the younger generation could be influenced by more socialist views. In particular, Sheila is targeted by the inspector and is open to change. Mrs Birling comments that the inspector ‘has made a great impression’ on her. However, the way she says this suggests she is not happy about the level of influence he has on her daughter, since he represents a political ideology that she does not agree with. Furthermore, Mrs Birling undermines her daughter’s changing beliefs by referring to her as a ‘child’ and ‘hysterical’ – a tactic which keeps power and authority with her.

Feedforward: You are starting to move into relational thinking. Rewrite this paragraph to compare the different political views od Mrs Birling and Inspector Goole.

The only two people who really seem to take in the Inspector’s message of caring for the community are Eric and Sheila. Without Inspector Goole’s words, they would still be behaving in an immature and selfish way. At the end of the play, they are both horrified that their parents do not seem to have learnt anything, exclaiming ‘So nothing rally happened…We can all go on behaving as we did.’ Their mother’s response of ‘Well, why shouldn’t we?’ shows she is just glad that her reputation is still in tact.

Feed forward: You are starting to move into extended abstract. Include an evaluation of the impact of Priestley’s own political views and how this affects our response to the inspector.

Priestley has created the character of the inspector as a way of exploring how the younger generation could be influenced by more socialist views. In particular, Sheila is targeted by the inspector and is open to change. Mrs Birling comments that the inspector ‘has made a great impression’ on her. However, the way she says this suggests she is not happy about the level of influence he has on her daughter, since he represents a political ideology that she does not agree with. Furthermore, Mrs Birling undermines her daughter’s changing beliefs by referring to her as a ‘child’ and ‘hysterical’ – a tactic which keeps power and authority with her.