Depth and Complexity Icons: My Biggest Mistake

The Depth and Complexity icons are meant to increase the depth and complexity of the questions we ask students. However, I used them poorly for years.

My use of Depth and Complexity was actually quite shallow and simple! When you visit classrooms, you will want to look for this mistake.And this problem is common.

Every Thursday, I send out an example of my early errors with Depth and Complexity. Sign up here for free.

Avoid the Big Depth and Complexity Mistakes

First, The Depth and Complexity Basics

There are 11 prompts of Depth and Complexity. Each one acts as a lens. Students can use the lens to look at content from a different point of view. And each prompt has an icon that gives students a visual shortcut to that way of thinking.

I use emoji for Depth and Complexity icons. They’re copyright-free and accessible in any app on any device. (Depth and Complexity is actually in the public domain! It was funded with a federal grant. But specific icon images can be under copyright. So beware!)

The Eleven Icons of Depth and Complexity

Yeah, there are a lot. I think there should be fewer. But there’s no need to use them all especially at first. Get comfortable with three or four before bringing more in. Your students will thank you too!

Icon Name Description
🏛️ Big Idea An overarching idea about a topic.
🌻 Essential Details The most important specifics about a topic.
👄 Language of the Discipline The vocabulary an expert would use to discuss their field.
🚦 Rules The laws, hierarchies, norms, etc. within a topic. Breaking a rule leads to a consequence.
🌀 Patterns Expected repetition within a field. These can break without necessarily creating a problem.
⚖️ Ethics The problems, ambiguities, or dilemmas of a topic.
⏳ Change Over Time How has a topic changed over long periods of time?
👓 Multiple Perspectives How do different people view this topic?
❓ Unanswered Questions More than “What questions do you have?” Push students to ask what we don’t yet know — or what can’t be known.
📚 Across Disciplines How does this topic intersect other fields? Where do language arts and math appear?
📈 Trends How a topic is changing now and why. My least favorite prompt.

I introduce these slowly via email. Sign up for my Depth and Complexity introductions here.

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How I Got Depth and Complexity Wrong

The biggest problem your teachers will make isI made was pairing a Depth and Complexity icon with a low level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

⚠️ Beware asking a poor question and just plopping a Depth and Complexity icon in.

I Only Asked For A List

Look at these three questions. Despite including Depth and Complexity, they all just ask for a list.

  • What are the 🚦 rules you’d follow in this math problem: 12 – 3 × 4?
  • What are the 🌼 details of the setting in The Three Little Pigs?
  • What 👄 language do we use in biology?

I don’t even need to use a complete sentences to answer those questions.

Depth and Complexity + Bloom’s Taxonomy

Now, here’s Depth and Complexity paired with higher levels of thinking:

  • Compare/Contrast: How is Edgar Allen Poe’s 👄 language different from Lewis Carrol’s?
  • Evaluate: Which author most effectively uses 👄 language to create their tone?
  • Synthesize: What would happen to the tone if we used some of Carrol’s 👄 language in The Raven?

We’re not just listing vocabulary words here. Each question pushes students higher up Bloom’s Taxonomy. And (yes) this comes from a task at Byrdseed.TV.

Depth and Complexity Resources

Ok! Let’s take a break here and I’ll point you to a few Depth and Complexity resources I’ve helped create:

If you’d like to continue on, I also have an article about how to introduce Depth and Complexity to students.