Developing Critical and

Creative Thinking and

HOTS
NENITA A. ADAME ED.D.
PSDS – CUENCA DISTRICT
Objectives
1. Identify strategies for developing critical and creative
thinking, as well as other higher order thinking skills .
2. Apply a range of teaching strategies to develop critical
and creative thinking, as well as other higher-order thinking
skills
ACTIVITY
Reflect on your knowledge , skills and teaching
strategies to develop the learners’ critical, creative,
and other higher-order thinking skills

As a Proficient Teacher, I know…

As a Proficient Teacher, I do…

As a Proficient Teacher, I feel…

TEACHING STRATEGIES

These refer to the structure, system,

methods, techniques, procedures and
processes that a teacher uses during
instruction. These are strategies the teacher
employs to assist student learning.
CREATIVE THINKING SKILLS.

These are thinking skills that involve exploring

ideas, generating possibilities and looking for
many right answers rather than just one.
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

These are high level thinking skills such as

analysis, evaluation, interpretation, or synthesis
of information and application of creative
thought to form an argument, solve a problem,
or reach a conclusion.
HIGHER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS

These are complex thinking processes which

include analysis, evaluation, synthesis,
reflection and creativity.
Critical thinking is a higher-order thinking
skill.
Higher-order thinking skills go beyond basic
observation of facts and memorization. They
are what we are talking about when we want
our students to be evaluative, creative and
innovative.
Higher-order thinking, known as higher order
thinking skills (HOTS), is a concept
of education reform based on learning taxonomies
(such as Bloom's taxonomy).
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking
Skills, the goal is to move students
from lower- to higher-order thinking
from knowledge (information gathering)
to comprehension (confirming)
to application (making use of knowledge)
to analysis (taking information apart)
to evaluation (judging the outcome)
to synthesis (putting information together) and creative
generation
Sample Practices

Two Grade 5 Science teachers teach the same competency

in Science: S5MTIc-d-2 Investigate changes that happen in
materials under the following conditions: 2.2 application
of heat.
Teacher A delivers a lecture on the changes that happen to
certain materials under the application of heat. In her
discussion, she asks her learners questions, such as “What
happens to paper when it is burned?” To evaluate their
learning, she provides them with a worksheet that contains
questions about the topic.
Teacher B at the beginning of the lesson asks “What will our
lives be without heat?” Then, she poses the question “What
will happen to the different materials when they are
subjected to heat?” She then elicits answers from the class
and writes them on the board. After, she guides the learners
to conduct experiments on the effect of heat on various
materials. She then allows them to present and explain their
findings. As an enrichment activity, she asks them to think
of a new device that produces heat and to identify its
function.
Let’s talk about it
What can you say about their instructional practice?
In what way(s) do the teachers’ practice differ?
Which teacher practice is more engaging for the learners?
Why?
Which teacher practice will create more meaningful
learning experience for the learners? Why?
Teacher Joe reads a story to his Grade 4
learners. After reading the story, he asks among
his learners questions about it
Effective questioning strategies by
focusing on the set of questions
a. Who were the characters in the story?
b. Why was the mouse so eager to go to the seashore?
c. Why were his parents alarmed by his decision?
d. What challenges did he encounter on his way to the
seashore?
e. What do you think did the parents mean when they say
“the world is full of terror” Do you agree with what they
said? Why or why not?
f. What could be another way for the mouse to pursue his
dream?
g. If you were to pursue your own dream, how would you do
it?
10 Teaching Strategies that
Enhance Higher-Order Thinking
1. HelpDetermine What Higher-Order Thinking is. Help
students understand what higher-order thinking is. ...
2.Encourage Questioning. ...
3.Connect Concepts. ...
4.Teach Students to Infer. ...
5.Use Graphic Organizers. ...
6.Teach Problem-Solving Strategies. ...
7.Encourage Creative Thinking. ...
8.Use Mind Movies.
9.Teach student to elaborate their answers
10.Teach QARs .( Question and Answer relationships)
Help students understand what higher-
order thinking is. ...

Explain to them what it is and why they need it. Help

them understand their own strengths and
challenges.
Encourage Questioning. ...

A classroom where students feel free to ask questions

without any negative reactions from their peers or their
teachers is a classroom where students feel free to be
creative.
Connect Concepts. ...
Lead students through the process of how to connect one
concept to another. By doing this you are teaching them to
connect what they already know with what they are learning.
This level of thinking will help students learn to make
connections whenever it is possible, which will help them gain
even more understanding
Teach Students to Infer

Teach students to make inferences by giving them “Real-

world” examples. You can start by giving students a picture
of a people standing in line at a soup kitchen. Ask them to
look at the picture and focus on the details. Then, ask them
to make inferences based on what they see in the picture.
Use Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers provide students with a nice way to

frame their thoughts in an organized manner.
Teach Problem-Solving Strategies
Teach students to use a step-by-step method for solving
problems. This way of higher order thinking will help them
solve problems faster and easier.
Encourage Creative Thinking

Creative thinking is when students invent, imagine, and

design what they are thinking. Using your creative senses
help students process and understand information better.
Use Mind Movies

When concepts that are being learned are hard, encourage

students to create a movie in their mind. Teach them to
close their eyes and picture it like a movie playing. This way
of higher order thinking will truly help them understand in a
powerful, unique way.
Teach Students to Elaborate Their
Answers

Higher-order thinking requires students to really understand

a concept not repeat it or memorize it. Encourage students
to elaborate their answers and talk about what they are
learning.
Teach QARs

Question-Answer-Relationships, or QARs, teach students to

label the type of question that is being asked, then use that
information to help them formulate an answer. Students
must decipher if the answer can be found in a text or on the
Internet, or if they must rely on their own prior knowledge
to answer it.
Application
Write a development plan on applying a range of teaching strategies to develop critical
and creative thinking, as well as other higher-order thinking skills.

DEVELOPMENT NEEDS

What are the skills you need to improve?

STRENGTHS

What are the skills you are good at?

ACTION PLAN

What can you recommend for your development intervention?

TIMELINE

When will you implement your plan?

RESOURCE NEEDED What assistance/

resources do you need to