Higher order thinking skills
Encyclopedia
The concept of higher order thinking skills became a major educational agenda item with the 1956 publication of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives
.
The simplest thinking skills are learning facts and recall, while higher order skills include critical thinking, analysis, and problem solving.
Including higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in learning outcomes is a very common feature of standards based education reform.
Advocates of traditional education
object to elevating HOTS above direct instruction of basic skills
. Many forms of education reform, such as inquiry-based science, reform mathematics
and whole language
emphasize HOTS to solve problems and learn, sometimes deliberately omitting direct instruction of traditional methods, facts, or knowledge. Critics of standards based assessments which use open-response items which require higher order analysis and writing instead of multiple choice questions point out that this style of testing is even more difficult for students who are behind academically. Indeed, while minorities may lag by 10 to 25 points on standardized percentile rankings, the failure rates of minorites are two to four times the best scoring groups on tests like the WASL
. It is debated whether it is correct to raise the importance of teaching process over content.
Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
Bloom's Taxonomy is a classification of learning objectives within education proposed in 1956 by a committee of educators chaired by Benjamin Bloom who also edited the first volume of the standard text, Taxonomy of educational objectives: the classification of educational goals...
.
The simplest thinking skills are learning facts and recall, while higher order skills include critical thinking, analysis, and problem solving.
Including higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in learning outcomes is a very common feature of standards based education reform.
Advocates of traditional education
Traditional education
Traditional education or back-to-basics refers to long-established customs found in schools that society has traditionally deemed appropriate. Some forms of education reform promote the adoption of progressive education practices, a more holistic approach which focuses on individual students'...
object to elevating HOTS above direct instruction of basic skills
Basic skills
Basic skills can be compared to higher order thinking skills. Facts and methods are highly valued under the back-to-basics approach to education....
. Many forms of education reform, such as inquiry-based science, reform mathematics
Reform mathematics
Reform mathematics is an approach to mathematics education, particularly in North America. It is based on principles explained in 1989 by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics . The NCTM document, Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, attempted to set forth a vision...
and whole language
Whole language
Whole language describes a literacy philosophy which emphasizes that children should focus on meaning and strategy instruction. It is often contrasted with phonics-based methods of teaching reading and writing which emphasize instruction for decoding and spelling. However, from whole language...
emphasize HOTS to solve problems and learn, sometimes deliberately omitting direct instruction of traditional methods, facts, or knowledge. Critics of standards based assessments which use open-response items which require higher order analysis and writing instead of multiple choice questions point out that this style of testing is even more difficult for students who are behind academically. Indeed, while minorities may lag by 10 to 25 points on standardized percentile rankings, the failure rates of minorites are two to four times the best scoring groups on tests like the WASL
Washington Assessment of Student Learning
The Washington Assessment of Student Learning was a standardized educational assessment system given as the primary assessment in the state of Washington from spring 1997 to summer 2009. The WASL was also used as a high school graduation examination beginning in the spring of 2006 and ending in 2009...
. It is debated whether it is correct to raise the importance of teaching process over content.