FOSTER HIGH ORDER THINKING
Questions cause thinking. Higher order thinking is ornamental by the combination of teacher and students questioning skills. Higher achieving students are askedquestions that require them to give greater details or explanation. Lower achievingstudents need opportunities to discover they are capable of higher order thinking andthat their teachers anticipate it of them. This may communicate to students that theyare not expected to engage in higher order thinking and does not challenge them toengage in complex thinking.Three ways those teachers can foster higher order thinking skills in their classroomsare described. First step is creating a classroom atmosphere that is conducive tohigher order thinking by providing multi-level materials, practicing flexible groupingand having high expectations for all students. Second step is engaging students inactivities that foster higher order thinking by allowing students to work collaborativelyor in cooperative learning groups, to enhance communicating with others in variedways, asking open-ended questions with more than one “right answer”. Last step isconstruct questions that call for higher order thinking by using a variety of assessment methods that match teaching strategies (surveys, discussions, exitcards, exhibits)and monitoring types of questions posed to include - questions thatprobe reasons and evidence such as what would be an example? and what led youto that belief?(questions about viewpoints or perspectives).Benjamin Bloom created the Bloom’s Taxonomy for categorizing levels of thinking.There are six levels of thinking that form a continuum from knowledge (the lowest) toevaluation (the highest).
KNOWLEDGE
: the identification and recall of information. Question cues:* List * identify * label* define * examine * quote
COMPREHENSION
: the organization and selection of ideas. This category helpsstudents to clarify their thoughts. Question cues:* summarize * estimate * estimate* predict * discuss * interpret
APPLICATION
: the ability to apply new understandings. Students are encouraged tomake connections and see analogies at this level. Question cues:What would happen if... * solve * demonstrate modify * experiment * relate
ANALYSIS
: the separation of the whole into parts and the recognition of hiddenmeanings. This category allows students to make meaningful examination of information. Question cues:* arrange * infer * explain*connect * compare * separate
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