High-order thinking skills 

are a series of important competencies individuals

can utilize in order to improve learning progress and critical thinking. Those
who employ high-order thinking skills understand how to analyze and evaluate
complex information, categorize, manipulate and connect facts, troubleshoot
for solutions, understand concepts, connections and big picture thinking,
problem solve, ideate and develop insightful reasoning.
High-order thinking skills, also called high-order thinking or HOT, refer to
skills that go beyond memorizing information or regurgitating stories—skills at
the bottom of the Bloom’s Taxonomy hierarchy—and emphasize the
development of analytical skills. High-order thinking skills are thought to be
harder to teach and learn than mere facts, but are ultimately more important
for developing critical thinking and analytical faculties. Though essential at the
university and college level, high-order thinking skills are thought to be
increasingly important in early education.

Module 9 – 21st Century Literacy Skills and Teaching Resources

HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS (HOTS) ACTIVITIES

Twenty-first century learning requires the development of higher-order-
thinking skills. Technology has a great role to play in the development and
enhancement of these skills. Entering the new world of information and communication
technology opens the way for complex and higher cognitive skills. Technology upgrades
learners’ higher-order-thinking skills which include: critical thinking, problem-solving
and creativity. By developing higher-order-thinking skills, the schools today can
inculcate the digital fluencies, while overcoming limitations inherent in digital
technology, resulting in superficial and mediocre learning skills of new learners.
Critical thinking is part of the cluster of higher order thinking skills. It refers to the
ability to interpret, explain, analyze, evaluate, infer and self-regulate in order to make
good decisions.

In the instructional process, there is also an instructional shift from lecture-to-

tasks to digital tasks-to-learning. This in exemplified by an activity, such as role playing
(task) followed by processing of the activity (learning). In this approach skills are
developed and the learning outcome is achieved by students themselves. The structured
problem-solving process known as 4Ds also exemplifies the instructional shift in digital
learning:
- define the problem
- design the solution
- do the work
- debrief on the outcome

As a role model, teachers should display and practice critical thinking processes,
so that the learners can imitate them. Here are some activities that teachers can do to
develop critical thinking.
a. Ask the right questions.
Most often teachers ask questions to find out if the students can simply
repeat the information from the lesson. Although these are necessary questions
like what, who, when, and where, these do not develop critical thinking. Critical
thinking questions should ask for clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth,
breadth and logic.
 Clarity: here are some examples: Can you give examples of. . .
Accuracy: What pieces of evidence support your claim?
Precision: Exactly how much . . .
Breadth: What do you think the other group say about the issue?
b. Use critical thinking tasks with appropriate level of challenge
Teachers should be mindful of the readiness of the students. Students who
have higher ability may find the task too easy, thus getting bored early, while
those who have low ability may find the task too difficult. Thus, there is a need to
have activities that are appropriate for the learners. These can be determined by
interview, observations and other forms to determine the level of readiness.
What are some simple activities that teachers should do?
1. Vary the questions asked.
2. Introduce new technologies
3. Modify the learners’ grouping.
4. Modify the critical thinking task
5. Encourage curiosity.

By nature, learners are curious. They ask lots of questions all the time. Why is the
sky blue? Why do I have to study geometry? How do people choose what will they
become in the future? Can robots solve the problems of climate change? How?
These questions will lead to critical thinking, but some of these questions cannot
be answered by the teacher. The unanswered questions are avoided or answered
unsatisfactorily. Sometimes teachers shut down the question that curtails the first step in
critical thinking. The Internet as a problem solving and research tool can help find
answers to the questions.
Understandably, the teacher will have to move away from center stage of the
classroom, and allow students the limelight of the teaching-learning process. This is the
same as the shift for teacher-centered to student-centered learning, which is the new
teaching paradigm most appropriate for learning in a digital age.

CREATIVE LEARNING
Creativity is characterized as involving the ability to think flexibly, fluently,
originally, and elaborately (Guilford, 1986 & Torrance, 1974 in Egbert, 2009). Flexibly
means able to use many points of view while fluently means able to generate many
ideas. Originally implies being able to generate new ideas and elaborately means able
to add details. Creativity is not merely a set of technical skills, but it also involves
feelings, beliefs, knowledge and motivation.
People define creativity in many ways which is a reflection of their experiences
and expertise. Bernadette Duffy (2206) defines creativity as
- ability to see things in fresh ways;
- learning from past experiences and relating this learning to new situations;

- thinking along unorthodox lines and breaking barriers;

- using non-traditional approaches to solving problems;
- going further than information given; and
- creating something unique.
 Duffy (2006) said that creativity is about connecting the previously unconnected
in ways that are new and meaningful to the individual; and imagination is about
internalizing perceptions and ascribing objects and events with new meanings.

Through creative and imagination endeavors, the learners can:

- communicate their feelings in non-verbal and pre-verbal ways. For example,
using gestures, movement, dance, song
- express their thoughts – for example, by painting, drawing and writing
- comprehend, respond and represent their perceptions and understanding of
the world – For example, by the roles they adopt in their imaginative play
- experience and lasting value – For example, painting, composed songs and
written literary pieces, photographs
- solve problems and give mastery
- gain self-esteem – For instance, celebrating their identity

Teachers cannot develop the creative abilities of their students if they themselves
are not creative. Teaching for creativity cannot be achieved without creative teaching.
Teaching creativity is inevitable in the 21st century.
How is creative teaching and creative learning related? Teaching creatively is
defined as ‘teacher imaginative approaches to make learning more interesting and
effective’ while teaching for creativity are ‘forms of teaching’ that are intended to
develop young people’s own creative thinking or behavior. (NACCCE, 1999).
In his research, Clark (1996) found out that creative teachers showed flexibility,
accepted alternative suggestions, encouraged expressions of ideas and tolerated humor.
He described creativity –fostering teachers as those who:
- encourage students to learn independently
- have a cooperative socially integrative style of teaching
- do not neglect the mastery of factual knowledge
- promote self-evaluation
- takes questions seriously
- offer opportunities to work with varied materials under different conditions
- help students to cope with frustrations and failures
- reward courage as much as being right.

Creativity is an indispensable tool of the teacher to create an enjoyable,

productive and fun-learning environment. It is an instrument for the learners to digest
and go beyond to what has been taught. Albert Einstein stated that imagination is more
important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited while imagination embraces the whole
world.