Norman Webb’s Model “Depths of Knowledge”

What are the differences between Blooms Taxonomy and Norman Webb’s model?

•Blooms Taxonomy uses verbs as the distinguishing factor. •Norman Webb’s model uses the context of the verb to distinguish the levels

Webb’s model consists of 4 levels: Level 1: Recall Level 2: Skill/Concept Level 3: Strategic Thinking Level 4: Extended Thinking

Level 1 •Involves simple knowledge, with very little comprehension involved •Focuses on specific facts •One right answer •Involves recall •Surface knowledge of material

Examples: Have a student point to the continent of Africa on a world map. Who is the leader of Al-Qaeda?

Level 2 •Involves more comprehension than level 1 •Focus is on applying skills and concepts •Requires deeper knowledge than just the definition

Example: Explain how the Preamble defines the basic purpose of the U.S. Government

Level 3 •Analyze, evaluate, reason, and plan in much deeper and complex levels •Complex and abstract thinking required •More than one correct answer

Example: Explain and give supporting evidence of how the U.S. Government establishes justice

Level 4 •Students are able to synthesize, hypothesize, evaluate, and analyze •Assessment activities have multiple steps with extended time provided •Student make real world applications

Example: Research and predict how each of the following present day governments might resolve a real-world problem/issue and support your prediction.

The levels of DOK progress in steps, one building on the other, and a student cannot reach a higher DOK level unless he has first mastered a lower DOK level. The Depth of Knowledge is NOT determined by the verb, but the context in which the verb is used and the depth of thinking required. DOK requires looking at the assessment item/standard in order to determine the level. DOK is about the item/standard-not the students’ ability. Norman Webb’s Model “Depths of Knowledge”