The first time the phrase Depth of Knowledge (DOK) really caught my attention happened to be during our initial observation of the "purple room." Teacher D created multiple charts that she then hung from her classroom's bright purple walls. I looked the charts over briefly and then we were moving on to the next class before I could give them a more in-depth read. Since then I have heard the phrase mentioned on a few more occasions, so I did a little research and read more about it...
Depth of Knowledge Levels describe the kind of thinking involved in a task, NOT wether it will be completed correctly. A greater DOK level requires greater conceptual understanding and cognitive processing by the student. On average, students who reach greater DOK levels more regularly, will have increased student achievement.
Level 1
Activities demonstrate a rote response and follow a set of procedures (or perform a simple calculation):
- Involve recall
- Student response is automatic
- Students either know the answer or not
Level 2
Activities are more complex and require students to engage in mental processing and reasoning beyond a habitual response. Students must:
- Decide how to approach the problem
- Involve interpreting in their problem solving
- Develop relationships amongst concepts
Level 3
Activities at this level should have more than one correct response or approach to the problem and should necessitate higher cognitive demands (than Levels 1 or 2). Students should:
- Be provided evidentiary support and reasoning for the conclusions they draw
- Explain and justify their thinking
Level 4
Activities usually occur over an extended period of time and cannot be assessed on the Criterion-referenced tests. Includes tasks which students must demonstrate:
- Reasoning
- Planning
- Developing connections within and beyond a content area
For an example of content-specific DOK Levels visit this website:
I also found this chart (very similar to those displayed in the purple room):
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