Solo Taxonomy Assessing the Quality of Learning

I have been getting increasingly excited and frustrated with the whole idea of Solo's taxonomy of learning. Like all tools before I use it with my students I need to get my head around it. This process has been difficult as despite never hearing about it! There are lots of really amazing teachers using this with students of all ages, but mainly in New Zealand. So, I have spent an ages reading and thinking about how to use this.

Details of the Grid is available here http://tinyurl.com/l2hhxc

the following sources have been the most inspiring



http://hooked-on-thinking.com/ follow on twitter http://twitter.com/hooked_on_think


http://www.youtube.com/user/Chokearti#play/uploads/6/N63TXAHDgkE. The young students are amazing at describing its use


http://www.slideshare.net/jocelynam/solo-taxonomy


But the most useful thing I've done is trialled it in my lessons, firstly as a self assessment tool and then as a structure to base conversations about the quality of the student work. Both times I have shared what I was doing and asked for feedback. My students have responded in spades, some obviously finding even my crudest attempts useful.





This piece of student work was marked together discussing where on the taxonomy she thought she was. It uses the original language which I have changed, but will probably change back! You can see I am still going back and forth on this one. I have added a couple of extra levels to act as stepping stones. I will find out if they are need.

So my plan is to use the wall display to help permeate as many aspects of my teaching as I can, I will design assessment scheme for specific pieces of work based around this, use it as a self assessment tool, try to correlate it with the National Curriculum levels, refer to it in my feedback to students both verbally and written and I will also with students display exemplar pieces of work at each level. I think this tool with a purpose has legs. Now, I just have to go and use it!