Solo Taxonomy
SOLO stands for the Structure of
Observed Learning Outcomes.
SOLO TAXONOMY
A M O D E L T H A T D E S CR I B E S L E V E L S
O F I N CR E AS I N G C O M P L E X I T Y I N
S T U D E N T ' S U N D E R S T AN D I N G O F
S U B J E CT S .
P R O P O S E D BY J O H N B. B IGGS
A N D K. C O L L I S
What is SOLO Taxonomy?
SOLO MODEL CLASSIFIES STUDENTS LEARNING
OUTCOMES FROM ANY ACTIVITY, UNIT OR
CLASSROOM PROGRAMME.
TEACHERS AND STUDENTS CAN USE IT TO
EASILY SORT LEARNING OUTCOMES INTO THREE
LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE:
SURFACE KNOWLEDGE
DEEP KNOWLEDGE
CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE.
Who developed this model of
learning?
UNIVERSITY ACADEMICS, DEVELOPED
SOLO AFTER RESEARCHING SAMPLES OF
STUDENTS’ THINKING IN MANY
DIFFERENT SUBJECTS (AND ACROSS
MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS).
Why use SOLO?
S O L O I S A T R U E H I E R A R C H I C T A X O N O M Y
INCREASING IN QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF
THOUGHT
S O L O I S A P O W E R F U L T O O L I N
DIFFERENTIATING CURRICULUM AND
PROVIDING COGNITIVE CHALLENGE FOR
LEARNERS
S O L O A L L O W S T E A C H E R S A N D L E A R N E R S T O
ASK DEEPER QUESTIONS WITHOUT CREATING
NEW ONES
S O L O I S A P O W E R F U L M E T A C O G N I T I V E T O O L
What does SOLO do?
THE SOLO MODEL DESCRIBES THE STRUCTURE OF THE
LEARNING OUTCOME. IN THE SOLO MODEL, A STUDENT’S
LEARNING OUTCOME MAY BE UNDERSTANDING AT ANY ONE
OF FIVE LEVELS OF COMPLEXITY:
NO IDEA
ONE IDEA
LOOSE IDEAS
CONNECTED IDEAS
EXTENDED IDEAS.
Count….
TEACHERS CAN USE SOLO TO DESIGN
DIFFERENTIATED LEARNING TASKS AND TO
CREATE DIFFERENTIATED SUCCESS CRITERIA.
THEY CAN USE IT WITH ANY TOPIC TO:
PLAN THE LEVEL OF LEARNING REQUIRED
FOR THAT TOPIC
ASSESS THE EXTENT TO WHICH EACH
STUDENT HAS REACHED THAT LEVEL
MAKE DECISIONS ON NEXT STEPS FOR
LEARNING.
What are the five SOLO levels of
understanding?
P R E S T R U C T U R A L L E VE L
U N I S T R U C T U R A L L E VE L
M U L T I S T R U C T U R A L L E V EL
R E L A T I O N A L L EV EL
E X T E N D E D A BS T R A C T L E VE L
Pre structural level
THE STUDENT ACQUIRES BITS OF
UNCONNECTED INFORMATION THAT
HAVE NO ORGANISATION AND MAKE
NO SENSE. THIS IS NOT A STAGE
THAT WE WANT TO FOSTER
THROUGH QUESTIONING SO WE WILL
NOT PURSUE IT FURTHER
Uni structural
– S T U D E N T S M A KE S I M P L E A N D
OBVIOUS CONNECTIONS
BETWEEN PIECES OF
IN FO R M A T I O N
Multi structural
– A N U M B ER O F CO NN E CT IO N S
A RE M A D E , BU T N OT THE M E TA -
C O NN E CTI O NS B ET WEE N TH EM
Relational
– THE STUDENTS SEES THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF HOW THE
VARIOUS PIECES OF INFORMATION
RELATE TO ONE ANOTHER
Extended abstract
–AT THIS LEVEL STUDENTS CAN MAKE
CONNECTIONS BEYOND THE SCOPE OF
THE PROBLEM OR QUESTION, TO
GENERALISE OR TRANSFER LEARNING
INTO A NEW SITUATION
Surface and deep thinking
UNI STRUCTURAL AND MULTI STRUCTURAL
QUESTIONS TEST STUDENTS’ SURFACE
THINKING (LOWER-ORDER THINKING
SKILLS)
RELATIONAL AND EXTENDED ABSTRACT
QUESTIONS TEST DEEP THINKING (HIGHER-
ORDER THINKING SKILLS)
What do people say about
SOLO?
IN 2013 PROFESSOR JOHN HATTIE
DESCRIBED SOLO AS
“THE MOST POWERFUL MODEL FOR
UNDERSTANDING THESE LEVELS AND
INTEGRATING THEM INTO LEARNING
INTENTIONS AND SUCCESS
CRITERIA”.
How will SOLO benefit my
students?
.
SOLO SUPPORTS STUDENTS IN
DEVELOPING METACOGNITION
SELF-REGULATION
SELF-EFFICACY
ENGAGEMENT
RESILIENCE
How can schools, teachers and
student use SOLO Taxonomy?
SCHOOLS, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS CAN USE SOLO
ANYWHERE LEARNING IS HAPPENING. FOR EXAMPLE,
THEY MIGHT USE IT TO:
INFORM PLANNING AND STUDENT INQUIRY
WORK OUT WHAT STUDENTS’ PRIOR KNOWLEDGE IS
WRITE SOLO-CODED LEARNING OBJECTIVES OR
LEARNING INTENTIONS .
Count….
CO-CONSTRUCT SUCCESS CRITERIA FOR EACH
OF THE SOLO LEVELS
ASSESS AND SELF-ASSESS LEARNING
OUTCOMES FOR DECLARATIVE AND
FUNCTIONING KNOWLEDGE
DETERMINE NEXT STEPS
MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT HOW TO
EFFECTIVELY USE HOT SOLO MAPS, THINKING
SKILLS AND E-LEARNING STRATEGIES
Do teachers need a lot of
training to use SOLO?
NO. THE MODEL IS SIMPLE. SOLO
PROVIDES A PRACTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR
LOOKING AT THE LEARNING PROCESS AND
LEARNING OUTCOMES INSTEAD, THEY
LOOK AT WHAT THEY DO IN A NEW WAY –
THROUGH THE LENS OF PRE STRUCTURAL,
UNI STRUCTURAL, MULTI STRUCTURAL,
RELATIONAL AND EXTENDED ABSTRACT
OFLEARNING OUTCOMES.
