SOLO - the next step

Pam Hook Lincoln Cluster PD

Citizenship
Like the road outisde - there are a number of given rules like the Road Code that govern our collective safety as we use this common space. This is the same as our learning spaces and school.

Example: Wikipedia - collective pool of knowledge. It depends on the input andcollective agreed rules - no trolls, no destroying what we have made.


Check out the poster created by Pam to show the aspects of collective citizenship:

We want to describe, explain and demonstrate citizenship.
SOLO related strategies to give kids a voice as part of our learning space.

What types of citizens can we develop? Different levels of citizenship:

Responsible:

• act responsibly
• obey rules and laws
• Volunteers

Participatory Citizens:

• take a skilled and active role in groups for the common good
• know effective skills for collaboration

Justice Orientated Citizens:

• seek social justice, equity, human rights & moral justice
• take skilled action for social change
• know effective strategies for changing exiting practice

Is there something small in your classroom or school where students could practice one of these levels of citizenship?

Responsible:
Class jobs
Behaviour on the bus
Phone duty
High viz vests

Participatory Citizens:
Bike track safety
Peer mediator
ECO Team
Bus Monitor

Justice Orientated Citizens:
Why is 'respecting things' as issue?
Investigate and take action about why we don't take responsibility.

Why do we think 'service' should be sone by the institution or state?
Investigate why we think service should be the responsibility of someone else.

What is the BIG ISSUE to kids?

What is SOLO?

1. SOLO is just a way of looking at a learning outcome. It is not about a kid. This work at this point in time is multi-structural not this child!

2. SOLO looks at performance - independent learners at the different stages

3. SOLO looks at writing - apply the steps and outcomes of writing.

4. SOLO gives us the PROCESS for making the next step.


We are going to create a 'Tool Box' to move the learners onto the next step.

(Wait for the chart to be sent through by Pam)







How do we move our learners on from pre-structural to abstract?

Task: 
Make a series of questions to arrange around the SOLO display to be a toolbox to scaffold both the teacher and learners.

Students need a strategy or tool to scaffold them moving up the SOLO stages.

Task: 
Investigate the SOLO learning log that identifies prior knowledge, learning from peers, learning and next steps.

Look for the learning intentions - Learning Intention Generator

We then spent valuable time working through a planner as a team and here is the begining of our ideas…

So what:

Work through the SOLO progressions.

Use active verbs and Hot maps.

Find issues that matter to the learners.

Think very carefully about which e-tool if any will be most effective at meeting the learning intention.

SOLO Description collectors adapted

Our students like to use sheets to gather ideas and they are a great way to scaffold writing by gathering word banks and descripitve tools for students to refer back to.

This is what our initial effort looked like. As you can see, it clarifies what adjectives and adverbs are but also illicits deeper thinking and wonderings.  We have not managed to unpack the 'Analogy' section to develop effective metaphores and similes but will use that next term. This Desciption Collector resulted in 'Slow writing' and 5 Sentence Challenge responses.  It is a tool to feed any type of written response.

The Year 1-2 teacher came for a visit and we decided it should be simplified for them.  She had tried a version of it in her class and already had a student independently apply the 'see, think, wonder' to his writing on the following day.

Going SOLO!

What a mind-blowing day - unpacking Solo Taxonomy with Pam Hook at Springston School.

I couldn't possibly unpack all the points we covered but here are some of the aspects that relate to my 'Teacher Inquiry' of using scaffolding to develop Independent Learners.

What really concerned me was the research done by Carol Dweck that suggested praise for intelligence resulted in students avoiding taking risks and who took failure personally. In contrast, giving praise for effort and strategy selection resulted in students willing to take a risk, who resiliently tried a range of strategies and explained success as a combination of effort and the right strategy.

I need to praise students for showing the A+ Characteristics and selecting an effective strategy.

Actions:

Next Week:

1.  Use the 'Hexagons' to unpack post unit knowledge of science vocabulary and the scientific process. Record group oral explanation of connections to support the image.

2.  Introduce the adaptation of the Description++ Map (Description Collector) to unpack and write a five sentence challenge based on an image then use as a scaffolding tool.

3.  Order Carol Dweck's 'Mindset' and read it over the holidays.

Term 3

1.  Use the 'Hexagons' to unpack what an Independent Learner is - looks like, sounds like and feels like.  Look for relationships between these as a whole group.

2.  Look at how the Success Criteria for an Independent Learner fit into the Solo stages  - co-create a chart like the one below or make a visual cartoon representation of the stages.

3.  Make a display to unpack SOLO levels.

4.  Model and embed the use of the draft writing rubrics and visual models, providing laminated copies that students can take away for writing support.

All Solo resources here have 

been adapted with permission from: