Blooms and Solo

taxonomy
By group 7

Blooms Taxonomy

What is it???
Blooms Taxonomy is a chart of ideas

Named after
the creator,
Benjamin
Bloom

A Taxonomy is an
arrangement of
ideas
or a way to
group things
together

Blooms Taxonomy

You may see the levels organized differently

in other charts

The levels of thinking

There are six levels of
learning according to Dr.
Bloom
The levels build on one
another. The six levels all
have to do with thinking.
Level one is the lowest
level of thinking of
thinking
Level six is the highest
level of thinking

Knowledge

Comprehension

Application

Analysis

Synthesis

Evaluation

Revised
Knowledge- Remembering

Comprehension- Understanding

Recalling

Understanding

Application- Applying

Use the information

Analysis- Analyzing

Analyze, connect, explain

Synthesis- Creating

Use information to create new ideas

Evaluation- Evaluation

Compare and discriminate ideas

Summary
Remembering: Recall or retrieve previous
learned information.
Understanding: Comprehending the meaning,
translation, interpolation, and interpretation
of instructions and problems.
Applying: Use a concept in a new situation or
unprompted use of an abstraction.
Analyzing: Separates material or concepts into
component parts so that its organizational
structure may be understood.

Continuation
Evaluating: Make judgments about the value
of ideas or materials.
Creating: Builds a structure or pattern from
diverse elements.

Solos taxonomy

Solo
SOLO stands for the
Structure of Observed
Learning Outcomes. It
was developed by
Biggs and Collis (1982).
Biggs describes SOLO
as a framework for
understanding. (1999,
p.37)

Prestructural

Unistructural

Multistructural

Relational

Extended abstract

Solo

The student acquires bits of

unconnected information
that have no organisation
and make no sense.

Prestructural

Unistructural and multistructural

questions test students
surface thinking
(lower-order thinking skills)

Unistructural

Multistructural

Relational
Relational and extended abstract
questions test deep thinking
(higher-order thinking skills)

Extended abstract

Unistructural example

Multistructural example
Note that a student may
choose to answer this
by measuring one side
of the arrow and
multiplying by 2 which
shows relational
thinking.
However the question
does not require them
to do this so we cannot
expect them to use this
strategy.

Relational example
At the school swimming sports four children completed in the fifty metres
freestyle heat.
Joe came first with a time of 40.395 seconds.
Mary came second, Sam came third and David came fourth.
In the next heat, Jan finished with a time
Joe.

of a second slower than

What was her time? ____________

Note: this is a relational question because students have to

integrate and apply a range of information. They also need to
realise that going slower means adding time.

Extended abstract
example
An answer requires the
explicit expression of
understanding of a general
principle that applies
beyond the specifics of this
particular situation.
Students need to go
beyond the given.

Summary
SOLO is a true hierarchic taxonomy
increasing in quantity and quality of thought
SOLO is a powerful tool in differentiating
curriculum and providing cognitive challenge
SOLO allows teachers and learners to ask
deeper questions without creating new ones

SOLO is a powerful metacognitive tool