Developing Higher Order Thinking

Developing Higher Order Thinking

            The development of higher order thinking in students is a primary goal for me.  It’s a big reason why I want to teach physics, general science, and mathematics.  I’ve always felt that this is an excellent depiction showing how higher order thinking works:

          One of the things I constantly try to do whenever I teach is to engage the students with key questions such as those listed in the pyramid.  Over time I’ve gotten a sense for being able to tell what level a student is at and what steps I can take to help the student progress to the next level of thinking about a concept.  One thing I wish we would re-enforce in teachers is how to evaluate which of these steps a student is at with a concept, and specific steps the teacher can take to progress the student toward the next level.  I think our ability to diagnose what level a student is at is crucial in helping us to develop an appropriately tiered, and creative, approach for the student.

           As one example, I’ve learned that if a student can predict what is going to happen in a class experiment even before it happens, then I know that student has reached the evaluate stage of learning.  And when I identify that a student has reached that evaluate stage (making sure it wasn’t just a lucky guess), I always look for some kind of project he can do so that he can move into the realm of practical application.  By applying his evaluative abilities in the realm of practical application, I know I am creating a future inventor and problem solver who sees, “why this stuff matters.”  This is extremely rewarding.

            I, personally, am a staunch preacher of the importance of training higher order thinking.  I advocate not only that teachers learn to be more sensitive to what level a student is at, but to try and be consistently conscious of developing tiered strategies that help the student progress to the next level; such as higher tier students mentoring lower tier students.  Not only does this sociabilize both students in a collaborative environment, but the lower tier student gets more personal attention and the upper tier student is able to have the concept re-enforced by re-teaching it himself. Another point to note, is that as one progresses into the higher tiers they become capable of answering more and more standardized test questions.  This is because knowing the answer to a question is different than knowing why the answer to a question is what it is.  If the student understands the reason for their answer, then they will be able to answer literally any other question on the test for which the exact same reasoning process applies to the solution.  So not only do we help the student progress toward the highest levels of understanding, but we also end up looking great, as teachers, on paper when the high stakes tests come around.

Works Cited

Francis, E. M. (2014). Maverik Education. Retrieved November 1, 2015, from
               http://maverikeducation.blogspot.jp/2014/03/what-exactly-is-thinking-curriculum.html