What is SOLO? SOLO is a true hierarchic taxonomy – increasing in quantity and quality of thought
SOLO identifies five stages of understanding. Each stage embraces the previous level but adds something more.
SOLO is a powerful tool in differentiating curriculum and providing cognitive challenge for learners
SOLO allows teachers and learners to ask deeper questions without creating new ones
Solo is a powerful metacognitive tool
Why use SOLO?
Unistructural and multistructural questions test students’ surface thinking (lower-order thinking skills)
Relational and extended abstract questions test deep thinking (higher-order thinking skills)
Use of SOLO allows us to balance the cognitive demand of the questions we ask and to scaffold students into deeper thinking and metacognition
Solo Taxonomy
(Condensed from a transcript by Mike Whiteman: Waitomo ICT Cluster ) SOLO stands for Structure of the Observed Learning Outcomes and was developed by John Biggs and Kevin Collis. In simple terms, the taxonomy presents a systematic way to describe how learner performance grows in complexity when mastering tasks . It defines levels of increasing complexity in a learners understanding of an idea. Learners may not exhibit all stages. Biggs describes it as “a framework for understanding understanding.” It seeks to provide a way to identify connections that learners make, with each level adding more.
Helping learners to look at their own work in relation to this taxonomy can help in two ways: * an assessment framework independent of ‘content knowledge’ * a model to help show how a piece of work can be improved. If you are using rubrics and/or success criteria, then use of the SOLO Taxonomy may provide better understanding of ideas than the listing of specific knowledge.
Pre - Structural the point hasn’t been understood.
Uni - Structural one aspect of a task is picked up and used maybe a simple, obvious connection.
Multi - Structural several aspects of a tasked picked up and used, but not linked aspects, they are treated independently. .
Relational integration of ideas/aspects of the task.
Extended Abstract connections are made not only within a topic, but beyond.
There has been a lot of discussion in the cluster about Solo Taxonomy and its use in planning and assessment. Here Waikowhai Primary School students discuss SOLO Taxonomy and HOT visual mapping as a framework for questioning in student inquiry.
Waikowhai Primary School students reflect on how their understanding about "learning" has changed since they were introduced to SOLO Taxonomy
What is SOLO?
SOLO is a true hierarchic taxonomy – increasing in quantity and quality of thought
Why use SOLO?
Solo Taxonomy
(Condensed from a transcript by Mike Whiteman: Waitomo ICT Cluster )SOLO stands for Structure of the Observed Learning Outcomes and was developed by John Biggs and Kevin Collis. In simple terms, the taxonomy presents a systematic way to describe how learner performance grows in complexity when mastering tasks . It defines levels of increasing complexity in a learners understanding of an idea. Learners may not exhibit all stages. Biggs describes it as “a framework for understanding understanding.” It seeks to provide a way to identify connections that learners make, with each level adding more.
Helping learners to look at their own work in relation to this taxonomy can help in two ways: * an assessment framework independent of ‘content knowledge’ * a model to help show how a piece of work can be improved.
If you are using rubrics and/or success criteria, then use of the SOLO Taxonomy may provide better understanding of ideas than the listing of specific knowledge.
Resource Links
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/solo.htmThere has been a lot of discussion in the cluster about Solo Taxonomy and its use in planning and assessment. Here Waikowhai Primary School students discuss SOLO Taxonomy and HOT visual mapping as a framework for questioning in student inquiry.
Waikowhai Primary School students reflect on how their understanding about "learning" has changed since they were introduced to SOLO Taxonomy