This is going to be messy – but it’s time to make a start.
Today, with huge thanks to The Learning Spy, I tried to get my meagre think-tank around something I had seen bandied about Twitter for some time: SOLO Taxonomy.
Here are the basics of what I’ve read:
PRESTRUCTURAL
The student knows nothing about the subject.
STUDENT: I don’t know anything
UNISTRUCTURAL
The student knows one thing about the subject. Many students may share their knowledge which will move the group on.
STUDENT: I know one thing.
VERBS: define, label, match, select
FEEDBACK: How could you demonstate ‘multistructural’ knowledge?
MULTISTRUCTURAL
The student knows several things about the subject
STUDENT: I know several things.
VERBS: list, describe, complete,
FEEDBACK: How have you demonstrated ‘multistructural’ knowledge? How could you demonstrate ‘relational’ knowledge?
RELATIONAL
The student can link knowledge to make new ideas
STUDENT: I can find links and connections between the things I know to come up with new ideas.
VERBS: sequence, classify, explain (provide hexagons/triangles), question, analyse, apply, predict
FEEDBACK: How have you demonstrated ‘relational’ knowledge? How could you demonstrate ‘extended abstract’ concepts?
EXTENDED ABSTRACT
The student can apply knowledge in hypothetical ways.
Student: I can go beyond the subject and link my knowledge to other concepts to come up with new ideas (depends on BIG multistructural base of knowledge). I can suggest reasons why…
VERBS: evaluate, justify, generalise, argue, design, construct, perform
FEEDBACK: How have you demonstrated ‘extended abstract’ concepts?
(Images from http://www.amazon.co.uk/SOLO-Taxonomy-Guide-Schools-Bk/dp/192714356X )
EXAMPLES:
- UNISTRUCTURAL – Who is Shakespeare?
- MULTISTRUCTURAL – What did he do and why?
- RELATIONAL – What things did he write about?
- EXTENDED ABSTRACT – Does he influence modern writers?
- UNISTRUCTURAL -What is Macbeth?
- MULTISTRUCTURAL – What do I know about power in Macbeth?
- RELATIONAL – What were the consequences of seeking power?
- EXTENDED ABSTRACT – What can we learn about misguided ambition from this play?
- UNISTRUCTURAL -What is a sentence?
- MULTISTRUCTURAL – What are the different elements of a sentence?
- RELATIONAL – What are the effects of varying the order of those elements?
- EXTENDED ABSTRACT – How can writers use sentence structures to make their work more interesting?
And here is my attempt at the EXTENDED ABSTRACT:
The Thrill of Gothic Horror
A lesson introducing Victorian reactions to the genre
(Fighting back against the annual plethora of ‘Zombie Killer’ stories)
Starter
- The answer: Bats, gravestones, ghosts, arched windows.
- What is the question?
Share objective
- To explore the context of the gothic horror genre
Share outcomes
- I know some features of the gothic horror genre
- I can link the features to events in history and society
- I can generalise on the popularity of the genre at that time.
Multistructural
- Show the Prezi (gothic horror conventions and links to historical and cultural contexts)
- http://prezi.com/r3uavucq2_vh/gothic-horror-intro/?kw=view-r3uavucq2_vh&rc=ref-10776088
- Sts list other features of genre
- Q+As to compose class list: Give me a word. How is that GH? Why would a victorian reader find that unsettling?
Relational
- T models the ‘making links’ game on IWB
- Sts play in groups (weaker sts play in teams, directed by T, on IWB)
Extended Abstract
- Sts create a poster ‘Why the Victorians liked Gothic Horror’.
Sts RAG outcomes and discuss learning.
The English Planner 