Frequently Asked Questions About DOK Training

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Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is a different and deeper way to look at the cognitive complexity and demand of academic standards, curricular activities, and assessment items.

Unlike other academic concepts, which measures the complexity of learning goals and expectations based on the type of thinking students must demonstrate, DOK considers the complexity of the content students must learn and the context in which students must understand and use their learning. That's described and detailed by all the words and phrases that follow the cognitive action verb (or verbs) featured in a learning intention, objective, or target.

The DOK Levels describe four different ways students could understand and use their knowledge and thinking - or learning. It involves looking beyond the cognitive action verb of a learning intention, objective, or target to clarify the complexity of the content students must learn and the context in which students must understand and use their learning.

The DOK Levels do not function as a taxonomy.  Each DOK level defines and designates a specific way - or context - in which academic standards, curricular activities, and assessment items can demand students to transfer, use, and share their learning.

Determining the DOK Level of an academic standard, curricular activity, or test item involves asking the following:

• What exactly must students think about or learn?
• How deeply must students understand and use their learning?
• How many objectives must students achieve and what are their DOK levels?

The goal of the Depth of  Knowledge (DOK) Training provided by Maverik Education is to understand what distinguishes Depth of Knowledge from other academic concepts and frameworks, and how the DOK Levels can be used to plan and provide teaching and learning experiences that are standards-based, socially and emotionally supportive, and student responsive.

The expectation of the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Training provided by Maverik Education will be for teachers to deconstruct the learning intention of their own grade level academic standards, curricular activities, and assessment items to designate their DOK Level. They will then reconstruct the learning intentions into DOK Learning Targets that specify the demand of the mental processing - or DOK Skill - students must perform and the extent of the response - or DOK Response - students will provide.

The Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Training provided by Maverik Education is based on the book Deconstructing Depth of Knowledge: A Method and Model for Deeper Teaching and Learning written by Erik M. Francis and published by Solution Tree. It also incorporates Dr. Norman Webb's work with alignment studies  and Dr. Karin Hess's concept of cognitive rigor.

The Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Training provided by Maverik Education is designed and differentiated to address the goals and needs of specific staff and stakeholders in education. We can provide training to classroom teachers in all subjects at all grade levels, district and site administrators and instructional coaches, and education professors and publishers. Please click back to the DOK Training page to review the specific services and support we provide.

The takeaways from the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Training by Maverik Education will be that participants will learn a different and deeper way to determine the cognitive complexity and demand of academic standards, curricular activities, and test items. 

Participants will also learn what distinguishes teaching and testing for Depth of Knowledge from teaching and learning for Depth of Knowledge.

Participants will also learn how to plan and provide teaching and learning experiences that address and assess student learning over a range of DOK levels leading to, through, and beyond the goals and expectations set by grade level academic standards and learning targets.

The Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Training provided by Maverik Education is standards-based in that it focuses on how to plan and provide teaching and learning experiences that address, assess, and extent beyond the grade level goals and expectations of academic standards. 

Participants will learn how to deconstruct the learning intention of their own grade level and content area academic standards to determine their DOK level. 

Participants  will also learn how to reconstruct learning objectives into DOK Learning Targets that specify the mental processing - or DOK Skill - students must perform. 

Participants will also also learn how to establish DOK Success Criteria that specify the extent of the response students must provide to curricular activities and test items.

The core idea of Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Training provided by Maverik Education is that all students will be expected and encouraged to achieve and surpass grade level goals and expectations.  Participants will learn how the delivery and intensity of instruction depends on the demand of the standards and the strengths of the students collectively and individually.  They will learn how the DOK levels can be used as a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to deliver instruction, respond to intervention, and extend or enrich student learning.

The Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Training provided by Maverik Education will show how teaching and testing for Depth of Knowledge starts and stops with the standards but teaching and learning for Depth and Learning begins at the DOK level where students are and builds upon their strengths to rise to, reach, and go beyond the DOK level - or DOK Bar - set by the standards. This makes  DOK a strengths-finder method and model that differentiates, individualizes, and personalizes teaching and learning.

The resources provided with the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Training provided by Maverik Education will include a compliemtary copy of the DOK Training Workbook that can be downloaded, shared, and completed in Google Docs. Participants will also receive complimentary PDF copies of the slides shown  in the DOK Training that can be used as resources and tools or turned into posters.

The Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Training provided by Maverik Education can be provided in-person onsite and virtually online. We also provide training as half-day, full-day, and multi-day seminars or workshops. We also provide follow-up coaching and support to schools and staff to ensure the ideas and strategies addressed in the seminar or workshop are being implemented effectively and with fidelity.

NO! The DOK Wheel does not depict Depth of Knowledge accurately as an academic concept and framework. The introduction of the DOK Training will examine and explain with evidence why the DOK Wheel is inaccurate and should be discarded. Please scroll up to watch our video on why the DOK Wheel is inaccurate.

Costs for the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Training provided by Maverik Education are fair, reasonable, and negotiable to ensure the district, school, or organization receives the quality services and support they need.  Pricing includes costs for travel and lodging. Fees can be paid from supplemental federal funding sources (e.g., Title I, Title II, Title III, or Title IV of the Every Students Succeeds Act of 2016, ESSR funding that address learning loss). Contact us to discuss costs for services and support.