What is higher-order thinking?

Higher-order thinking (HOT) is often used interchangeably in the literature with terms such as critical thinking, good thinking, metacognitive thinking, productive thinking, creative thinking, thoughtful thinking, complex thinking, deep thinking, and logical thinking (Giancarlo-Gittens, 2009).

This process is more than simple memorisation and comprehension. It involves a variety of cognitive processes, such as generating ideas, making conclusions, analysing, building connections, and reviewing options.

So, higher-order thinking is the ability to go beyond understanding and recalling information to processing it actively to achieve a purpose: problem-solving, decision-making, innovating, and creating something.

Higher-order thinking skills

There is a common consensus among scholars that higher-order thinking skills (HOTs) are the three highest thinking levels of cognitive skills involving analyzing, evaluating, and creating (FitzPatrick & Schulz, 2015).

Analyzing refers to the ability to investigate information from different resources (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001).

Evaluating is the capability to make judgments and decisions using knowledge, experience, skills, and values, as well as justification. Whereas, creating refers to students’ ability to reorganise or produce prior knowledge into a new product (Brookhart, 2010).

It was also agreed in the literature that the thinking skills categorised as HOTS are critical thinking and creative thinking.

Critical thinking

This is a form of higher-order thinking. It is the ability to decide with reasonable justifications.

Angelo and Cross (1995) argue that critical thinking skills are associated with higher-level skills, such as analysis, synthesis, identifying and solving problems, making inferences or conclusions, and evaluating things.

To learn more critical thinking process, check out this post: Critical Thinking: Definition & Strategies.

Creative thinking

Creative thinking is new thinking that generates valuable ideas (Sternberg, 2003). It involves divergent and convergent thinking to produce new ideas.

So, it is thinking that leads to discovering, solving problems, and creating something new.

Wan Hasmah & Nur Munirah (2013) defined creative thinking skills as the skill of using the mind to produce something new.

Critical thinking and creative thinking include both cognitive and affective traits. To engage in such thinking purposes, one should have the spirit of inquiry. This includes:

• open-mindedness: Thinking open and being flexible, accepting change, voicing ideas, acting as a community, working hard, and looking forward to achieving one’s goals;
• experimental and deeply reflective: willing to listen, think, question, and talk;
• curiosity: being open to new experiences and exploring new ideas.

Higher order thinking strategies

Thinking at high levels helps students to be creative in learning. Yet, we cannot assume that students will automatically become critical thinkers.

Research evidence shows that thinking can be developed through direct instruction. So, we should support our students to learn to think as Pithers and Soden (2000) state, “learning to think well needs to be acknowledged explicitly as an aim” (p. 246).

If teachers purposely and persistently practice higher order thinking strategies for example, dealing in class with real-world problems, encouraging open-ended class discussions, and fostering inquiry-oriented experiments, there is a good chance for a consequent development of critical thinking capabilities” (Barak, Ben-Chaim, and Zoller, 2007, p. 353).

 

Therefore, instead of focusing all the time on teaching facts and on the “recitation method”, we should create opportunities for students to think critically within the content of the subject areas.

Here are some strategies that will help you integrate higher-order thinking into your instruction.

#Higher-order thinking questions

Incorporating students with HOT questions can develop their thinking process. Those types of questions require more thinking than recalling to provide the answers. To learn about some higher order thinking questions examples, check out this post: Higher Order Thinking Questions.

#Project-based learning and problem-solving tasks

These tasks will help students analyse information, evaluate collected data, synthesise and create new ideas.

For effective PBL integration, here are 3 Key Characteristics of Project-Based Learning.

#Concept mapping

Using concept mapping can help students understand the relationships between ideas, see how concepts are connected, and create their own knowledge.

To learn how to use this technique in the classroom, read this post: Mind Mapping: A Powerful Tool to Support Students’ Thinking

#Makerspace

This a space in the classroom where students learn to use materials and tools to create, collaborate, and share their learning.

So, it includes hands-on learning activities and tools to ignite students’ creativity and critical thinking. For more information about makerspace, check out this post: Learning Through Inquiry: Makerspaces, Manipulatives, and Boardgames

#Genius hour

This is the time for students to work on topics of their interests, get more creative, and pursue their passion. So, students are encouraged to think, find relevant information and resources, plan, monitor, and track their progress.

This invaluable idea can also support students to build social skills and confidence. To learn more about it, here is a handy video: What is Genius Hour? – Introduction to Genius Hour in the Classroom

#The Wonder Wall

This is a display board where students can post their questions, inquiries, and topics they wonder about at the beginning of a unit of study.

To stimulate their thinking, you can post artifacts, images, and words related to the lesson. Here is an example of a classroom WonderWall: WonderWall

#Self-assessment

Using their portfolios, learning logs, creating their videos, or filling in reflective worksheets can encourage students to think about their learning and develop metacognitive abilities.

So, no matter what self-assessment tool you choose for your students, focus on helping them learn how to think about their learning to further improve.

To conclude, teaching higher-order thinking is important in all grade levels. This might seem complex and time-consuming for most of us, but with the right planning and instructional strategies, we can meld it with subject matter content.

References

Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York, NY: Longman.

Angelo, T. A., & Cross, P. (1995). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers, 2nd edition.

Barak, M.., Ben-Chaim, D., & Zoller, U. (2007). Purposely teaching for the promotion of hgher-order thinking skills: A case of critical thinking. Research in Science Education, 37, 353-369.

Brookhart, S. M. (2010). How to assess higher-order thinking skills in your classroom. ASCD.

FitzPatrick, B., & Schulz, H. (2015). Do curriculum outcomes and assessment activities in science encourage higher-order thinking? Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education, 15(2), 136-154.

Giancarlo-Gittens, C. (2009). Assessing critical dispositions in an era of high stakes standardized testing. In J. Sobocan, L. Groarke, R. Johnson, & F. Ellet, Jr. (Eds.), Critical thinking education and assessment: Can higher-order thinking be tested? (pp. 17-34). London, England: Althouse Press.

Pithers, R. T., & Soden, R. (2000). Critical thinking in education: A review. Educational Research, 42(3), 237-249.

Stenberg, R. J. (2003). ‘Creative thinking in the classroom’, Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 47(3): 325-38.

Wan Hasmah Wan Mamat & Nur Munirah Teoh Abdullah. (2013). Kemahiran Berfikir Kritis dan Kreatif. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.