Level: PrestructualNO IDEA

Level: UnistructualONE IDEA

Level: MultistructualSEVERAL IDEAS

Level: Relational‘THE BIG PICTURE’

Level: AbstractEXTENDED (NEW) IDEAS

- S.O.L.O. Taxonomy -

LEVEL: PrestructuralNO IDEA

needs help to start

Noun: PrestructureAdjective: Prestructural

PRE STRUCTURE

Prefix:‘before’

Noun:‘build’

Typical response:

‘I don’t understand’

LEVEL: UnistructuralONE IDEA

scratching of surface knowledge

Noun: UnistructureAdjective: Unistructural

UNI STRUCTURE

Prefix:‘one’

Noun:‘build’

Typical response:‘I have some understanding of this topic’

LEVEL: MultistructualSEVERAL IDEAS

further scratching of surface knowledge

Noun: MultistructureAdjective: Multistructural

MULTI STRUCTURE

Prefix:‘many’

Noun:‘build’

Typical response:‘I know a few things

about this topic.’

LEVEL: RelationalTHE BIG PICTURE

finding connection(s) and deep knowledge

Verb: Relate………Adjective: Relational….Noun: Relationship(s)

Typical response:‘I can see the connections between the information I have gathered.’

LEVEL: AbstractEXTENDED [NEW] IDEAS

conceptual knowledge

Noun: Concept…….Adjective: Conceptual..

Typical response:‘By reflecting and evaluating on my learning, I am able to look at the bigger picture and link lots of different ideas together.’

- acronym –“A word formed from the first letters

of other words.”

- The Science of Classification –from the Greek: ‘taxis’ = “arrangement” &

‘nomos’ = “law; order; manage”

Outcomes

Learning

Structure of the

Observed

“SOLO Taxonomy provides a simple and robust wayof describing how learning outcomes grow

in complexity from SURFACE to DEEP understanding.”Biggs & Co l l i s 1982

A classification of

settlements according

to their size.

- A Model of Learning -

No idea(prestructual level)

One idea(unistructural l level)

Several ideas(multistructual level)

(getting to the) BIG PICTURE(Relational level)

Extended (new) ideas([Extended] Abstract level)

Deep Knowledge(Understanding: Big Picture)

Surface Knowledge(Understanding: one & several ideas)

Conceptual Knowledge(Understanding: extended (new) ideas)

Sorts out ‘a Learning Outcome’

into one of three (3) levels of KNOWLEDGE:

A student’s UNDERSTANDINGof ‘a Learning Outcome’

may be pinpointed at any of five (5) levels of complexity:

Class Teaching: Using SOLO Taxonomy to Develop Student Thinking & Learning

SOLO Taxonomy: Essential Resources

SOLO Taxonomy: Pam Hook: Hooked