SOLO Taxonomy

SOLO taxonomy helps to create a common language of learning when knowledge building.

SOLO describes five levels of student understanding when encountering new learning.

  • Prestructural: the task is inappropriately attacked; the student has missed the point
  • Unistructural: one aspect of the task is picked up; student understanding is disconnected and limited
  • Multistructural: several aspects of the tasks are known but the relationships to each other and the whole are missed
  • Relational: aspects of the task are integrated and contribute to a coherent understanding
  • Extended Abstract: new understanding at the relational level is re-thought at another level; and is used as the basis for prediction,  generalisation, reflection and/or the creation of new understanding

SOLO taxonomy has developed a language of learning through visual mapping.
The Language of learning maps help students understand the process of (or how to):
•    define
•    describe
•    sequence
•    classify
•    compare and contrast
•    cause and effect
•    part-whole analysis
•    analogy
•    generalisation
•    prediction
•    evaluation
and makes the language of learning visible to students

click here for SOLO Taxonomy chart