It’s not a “taxonomy”
So many teachers and administrators think that Depth of Knowledge (DoK) is a replacement for Bloom’s Taxonomy. It’s not a taxonomy, but a classification scheme. This is much more aligned to our current standards; Diocesan adopted standards are now aligned to the Common Core standards. DoK does not require an inference about the skill, knowledge, and background of the student, but is based solely on what is being asked cognitively. Therefore, it is about the complexity of the task cognitively, not the difficulty of the task.
There are 4 levels of DoK to explore
- Level 1: Recall & Reproduction
- Level 2: Skills & Concepts
- Level 3: Strategic Thinking
- Level 4: Extended Thinking
What this means for your school
As a classroom teacher or administrator, understanding the complexity being asked of students will assist you in creating and evaluating lessons that are aligned to standardized assessments and assist in critical thinking. How we are asking our students to complete tasks directly impacts their level of complexity in academic performance.
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