We spend a lot of our time marking!
What are the three most common problems you find when giving students feedback on their learning and progress?
Students don’t understand what you’ve asked them to do.
Students respond to your feedback inaccurately or superficially.
Students are not sure where to begin in making improvments.

• SOLO taxonomy allows teachers and students to frame their comments using language that is clear on the next steps to progress.

What is the problem with all/most/some outcomes?
What is the problem sometimes with differentiating your outcomes using levels/grades?

Today’s key question: How does the writer highlight the increasing conflict between Sir William and Alexander?
Identify Sir
William’s actions and how they hurt Alexander.
Identify moments where
Alexander tries to defy his father.
Explore how the writer makes us feel sympathy for
Alexander.
Consider what point the writer may be making about parenting in the 18 th century compared to the
21 st century.

I will have at least one idea to write about and will link it to the target audience.
I will have a few ideas to write about and include devices.
My ideas will see the
‘bigger picture’, build on one another and acknowledge the counterargument.
Think about a lesson you’ve just taught.
What would be the four SOLO outcomes?
I will tailor my vocabulary and ideas to make a convincing argument for the target audience, linking it to the
‘bigger picture’.
My argument will be original.

How do you construct your success criteria so students know if they have completed a task successfully?
A Science example from Fearghal Kelly.
@fkelly www.fkelly.co.uk

Criteria for Year 7 Nutrition
Assessment
I have identified and listed three nutrients in a meal.
I have identified and listed nutrients in two meals.
I have identified all of the nutrients in both meals and can explain the function of each.
I have identified all of the nutrients and explained their functions. I have created my own example of a nutritionally balanced meal based on what I have learnt about the other two meals.
Student Tick Off
If Met
Teacher Tick Off
If Evidenced
An example adapted from Stephen Tierney.
@LeadingLearner www.leadinglearner.me

• Where SOLO taxonomy becomes a better tool for marking than using Bloom’s Taxonomy is that students can be at different SOLO stages at different points in their work.
• Using the SOLO framework also allows you to mark much more quickly than traditional summative comments at the end of the work.

Feed forward:
Rewrite your imagery paragraph to show relational, focusing on more playful use of language in The
River God.
Introduction to your two poems
You had one idea about poem 1.
Yes Yes
You had one idea about poem 2.
You used connectives to compare the two ideas in the two poems.
Yes but no connectives
You explored the social context and how this impacts on meanings in the poems for different readers.
No
Structure Yes Yes
Language
Imagery
Conclusion, highlighting key sims and diffs
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes, including connectives.
No
No comparison of different tone.
No
Yes, explored different symbolism.
Np
Partly, focusing on different time contexts.
General comment on difference between male and female readers.

• It is easy for students to feed forward, making SOLO taxonomy a much better tool for students to act upon feedback.
• Using SOLO taxonomy, what feed forward tasks would you set for these two students based on their writing about the play An Inspector Calls?

Student 1
The only two people who really seem to take in the Inspector’s message of caring for the community are Eric and Sheila.
Without Inspector Goole’s words, they would still be behaving in an immature and selfish way. At the end of the play, they are both horrified that their parents do not seem to have learnt anything, excaliming ‘So nothing rally happened…We can all fo on behaving as we did.’ Their mother’s response of ‘Well, why shouldn’t we?’ shows she is just glad that her reputation is still in tact.
Student 2
Priestley has created the character of the inspector as a way of exploring how the younger generation could be influenced by more socialist views. In particular, Sheila is targeted by the inspector and is open to change. Mrs
Birling comments that the inspector
‘has made a great impression’ on her.
However, the way she says this suggests she is not happy about the level of influence he has on her daughter, since he represents a political ideology that she does not agree with. Furthermore, Mrs Birling undermines her daughter’s changing beliefs by referring to her as a ‘child’ and ‘hysterical’ – a tactic which keeps power and authority with her.

Feedforward: You are starting to move into relational thinking.
Rewrite this paragraph to compare the different political views od Mrs
Birling and Inspector Goole.
The only two people who really seem to take in the Inspector’s message of caring for the community are Eric and Sheila. Without
Inspector Goole’s words, they would still be behaving in an immature and selfish way. At the end of the play, they are both horrified that their parents do not seem to have learnt anything, exclaiming ‘So nothing rally happened…We can all go on behaving as we did.’ Their mother’s response of ‘Well, why shouldn’t we?’ shows she is just glad that her reputation is still in tact.
Feed forward: You are starting to move into extended abstract. Include an evaluation of the impact of Priestley’s own political views and how this affects our response to the inspector.
Priestley has created the character of the inspector as a way of exploring how the younger generation could be influenced by more socialist views. In particular,
Sheila is targeted by the inspector and is open to change. Mrs Birling comments that the inspector ‘has made a great impression’ on her. However, the way she says this suggests she is not happy about the level of influence he has on her daughter, since he represents a political ideology that she does not agree with.
Furthermore, Mrs Birling undermines her daughter’s changing beliefs by referring to her as a ‘child’ and ‘hysterical’ – a tactic which keeps power and authority with her.