Understanding Levels of

Thinking using:

SOLO
TAXONOMY
(after Biggs and Collis 1982)

SOLO
Taxonomy

SOLO TAXONOMY
(after Biggs and Collis 1982)

Define
Identify
Do simple
procedure

Prestructural Unistructural

Define
Describe
List
Do algorithm
Combine

Multistructural

Compare/contrast
Explain causes
Sequence
Classify
Analyse
Part/whole
Relate
Analogy
Apply
Formulate questions

Relational

Evaluate
Theorise
Generalise
Predict
Create
Imagine
Hypothesise
Reflect

Extended abstract

SOLO TAXONOMY
(after Biggs and Collis 1982)

Visual
image of
the type
of
Thinking

Define
Identify
Do simple
procedure

Describing
words for
each type of
Thinking
Define
Describe
List
Do algorithm
Combine

Compare/contrast
Explain causes
Sequence
Classify
Analyse
Part/whole
Relate
Analogy
Apply
Formulate questions

Evaluate
Theorise
Generalise
Predict
Create
Imagine
Hypothesise
Reflect

Type of
Thinking

Prestructural Unistructural

Multistructural

Relational

Extended abstract

SOLO TAXONOMY
(after Biggs and Collis 1982)

Define
Identify
Do simple
procedure

Prestructural Unistructural

Define
Describe
List
Do algorithm
Combine

Multistructural

Compare/contrast
Explain causes
Sequence
Classify
Analyse
Part/whole
Relate
Analogy
Apply
Formulate questions

Relational

Evaluate
Theorise
Generalise
Predict
Create
Imagine
Hypothesise
Reflect

Extended abstract

What does it mean?

Really theres not much there.
For example:
What do
you know
about
Tennis?

Prestructural

Err..
What??

What does it mean?

Define
Identify
Do simple
procedure

Unistructural

Theres one idea there.

For example:
What do
you know
about
Tennis?

Err..
You
need a
racket

What does it mean?

Define
Describe
List
Do algorithm
Combine

Multistructural

There are a number of ideas.

For example:
What do
you know
about
Tennis?

Its a game
played between
two people
where you hit a
ball over a net,
keeping it within
certain
boundaries

Compare/contrast
Explain causes
Sequence
Classify
Analyse
Part/whole
Relate
Analogy
Apply
Formulate questions

What does it mean?

Relational

There are a number of ideas and links are be made between

these ideas
For example:

What
do you
know
about
Tennis?

Its a game of skill played

between two people. The
idea is to out manoeuvre
your opponent by hitting the
ball over the net in such a
way as to force them to
make a mistake. Whether it
is their failure to return the
shot or they miss the ball.

Evaluate
Theorise
Generalise
Predict
Create
Imagine
Hypothesise
Reflect

What does it mean?

Extended abstract

There is a range of ideas which are linked together plus some

knew or extended thinking is added.
For example:

Its a game of skill played

between two people. The
idea is to out manoeuvre
What
your opponent by hitting the
ball over the net in such a
do you
way as to force them to
know
make a mistake. Whether it
about
is their failure to return the
Tennis?
shot or they miss the ball.
If you knew each
players skill level
with regard to
putting spin on the
ball, accuracy and
speed of their
serve, you could
predict the
outcome of each

Why is Mr Perry Telling me this?

(Two Reasons)
1. Its incredibly interesting
2. It parallels NCEA marking perfectly
and thus, thinking about levels of
thinking (metacognition) puts us in a
more likely position to achieve at
higher levels

So How do they match up?

SOLO TAXONOMY
(after Biggs and Collis 1982)
Define
Describe
List
Do algorithm
Combine

Define
Identify
Do simple
procedure

Prestructural

Unistructural

Not Achieved

Multistructural

Achieved

Compare/contrast
Explain causes
Sequence
Classify
Analyse
Part/whole
Relate
Analogy
Apply
Formulate questions

Relational

Achieved with
Merit

Evaluate
Theorise
Generalise
Predict
Create
Imagine
Hypothesise
Reflect

Extended abstract

Achieved with
Excellence

What can I (thats you) do?

Read each question and look for the
instructional word which suggest which
level of thinking is being asked for
Read through your own answers and
assess what level of thinking you have
applied