john
Higher Order
Thinking Skills
• Definition
• Teaching Strategies
• Assessment
FJ King, Ph.D.
Ludwika Goodson, M.S.
Faranak Rohani, Ph.D.
A publication of the Educational Services Program,
now known as the Center for Advancement of Learning and Assessment
www.cala.fsu.edu
,john
Executive Summary
Definition
Higher order thinking skills include critical, logical, reflective, metacognitive, and creative
thinking. They are activated when individuals encounter unfamiliar problems, uncertainties,
questions, or dilemmas. Successful applications of the skills result in explanations, decisions,
performances, and products that are valid within the context of available knowledge and
experience and that promote continued growth in these and other intellectual skills. Higher order
thinking skills are grounded in lower order skills such as discriminations, simple application and
analysis, and cognitive strategies and are linked to prior knowledge of subject matter content.
Appropriate teaching strategies and learning environments facilitate their growth as do student
persistence, self-monitoring, and open-minded, flexible attitudes.
This definition is consistent with current theories related to how higher order thinking skills
are learned and developed. Although different theoreticians and researchers use different
frameworks to describe higher order skills and how they are acquired, all frameworks are in
general agreement concerning the conditions under which they prosper.
Teaching Strategies
Lessons involving higher order thinking skills require particular clarity of communication to
reduce ambiguity and confusion and improve student attitudes about thinking tasks. Lesson plans
should include modeling of thinking skills, examples of applied thinking, and adaptations for
diverse student needs. Scaffolding (giving students support at the beginning of a lesson and
gradually requiring students to operate independently) helps students develop higher order
learning skills. However, too much or too little support can hinder development.
Higher Order Thinking Skills Page 1
,john
Useful learning strategies include rehearsal, elaboration, organization, and metacognition.
Lessons should be specifically designed to teach specific learning strategies. Direct instruction
(teacher-centered presentations of information) should be used sparingly. Presentations should
be short (up to five minutes) and coupled with guided practice to teach subskills and knowledge.
Teacher- and/or student-generated questions about dilemmas, novel problems, and novel
approaches should elicit answers that have not been learned already.
Sincere feedback providing immediate, specific, and corrective information should inform
learners of their progress.
Small group activities such as student discussions, peer tutoring, and cooperative learning
can be effective in the development of thinking skills. Activities should involve challenging
tasks, teacher encouragement to stay on task, and ongoing feedback about group progress.
Computer-mediated communication and instruction can provide access to remote data
sources and allow collaboration with students in other locations. It can be effective in skill
building in areas such as verbal analogies, logical thinking, and inductive/deductive reasoning.
Assessment
Valid assessment of higher order thinking skills requires that students be unfamiliar with the
questions or tasks they are asked to answer or perform and that they have sufficient prior
knowledge to enable them to use their higher order thinking skills in answering questions or
performing tasks. Psychological research suggests that skills taught in one domain can
generalize to others. Over long periods of time, individuals develop higher order skills
(intellectual abilities) that apply to the solutions of a broad spectrum of complex problems.
Higher Order Thinking Skills Page 2
, john
Three item/task formats are useful in measuring higher order skills: (a) selection, which
includes multiple-choice, matching, and rank-order items; (b) generation, which includes short-
answer, essay, and performance items or tasks; and (c) explanation, which involves giving
reasons for the selection or generation responses.
Classroom teachers recognize the importance of having students develop higher order skills
yet often do not assess their students’ progress. Several performance-based models are available
to assist them in teaching and assessing these skills. Comprehensive statewide assessment of
higher order skills is feasible but would be expensive. Florida and a number of other states now
incorporate the measurement of higher order skills in their statewide assessments.
Higher Order Thinking Skills Page 3
Higher Order
Thinking Skills
• Definition
• Teaching Strategies
• Assessment
FJ King, Ph.D.
Ludwika Goodson, M.S.
Faranak Rohani, Ph.D.
A publication of the Educational Services Program,
now known as the Center for Advancement of Learning and Assessment
www.cala.fsu.edu
,john
Executive Summary
Definition
Higher order thinking skills include critical, logical, reflective, metacognitive, and creative
thinking. They are activated when individuals encounter unfamiliar problems, uncertainties,
questions, or dilemmas. Successful applications of the skills result in explanations, decisions,
performances, and products that are valid within the context of available knowledge and
experience and that promote continued growth in these and other intellectual skills. Higher order
thinking skills are grounded in lower order skills such as discriminations, simple application and
analysis, and cognitive strategies and are linked to prior knowledge of subject matter content.
Appropriate teaching strategies and learning environments facilitate their growth as do student
persistence, self-monitoring, and open-minded, flexible attitudes.
This definition is consistent with current theories related to how higher order thinking skills
are learned and developed. Although different theoreticians and researchers use different
frameworks to describe higher order skills and how they are acquired, all frameworks are in
general agreement concerning the conditions under which they prosper.
Teaching Strategies
Lessons involving higher order thinking skills require particular clarity of communication to
reduce ambiguity and confusion and improve student attitudes about thinking tasks. Lesson plans
should include modeling of thinking skills, examples of applied thinking, and adaptations for
diverse student needs. Scaffolding (giving students support at the beginning of a lesson and
gradually requiring students to operate independently) helps students develop higher order
learning skills. However, too much or too little support can hinder development.
Higher Order Thinking Skills Page 1
,john
Useful learning strategies include rehearsal, elaboration, organization, and metacognition.
Lessons should be specifically designed to teach specific learning strategies. Direct instruction
(teacher-centered presentations of information) should be used sparingly. Presentations should
be short (up to five minutes) and coupled with guided practice to teach subskills and knowledge.
Teacher- and/or student-generated questions about dilemmas, novel problems, and novel
approaches should elicit answers that have not been learned already.
Sincere feedback providing immediate, specific, and corrective information should inform
learners of their progress.
Small group activities such as student discussions, peer tutoring, and cooperative learning
can be effective in the development of thinking skills. Activities should involve challenging
tasks, teacher encouragement to stay on task, and ongoing feedback about group progress.
Computer-mediated communication and instruction can provide access to remote data
sources and allow collaboration with students in other locations. It can be effective in skill
building in areas such as verbal analogies, logical thinking, and inductive/deductive reasoning.
Assessment
Valid assessment of higher order thinking skills requires that students be unfamiliar with the
questions or tasks they are asked to answer or perform and that they have sufficient prior
knowledge to enable them to use their higher order thinking skills in answering questions or
performing tasks. Psychological research suggests that skills taught in one domain can
generalize to others. Over long periods of time, individuals develop higher order skills
(intellectual abilities) that apply to the solutions of a broad spectrum of complex problems.
Higher Order Thinking Skills Page 2
, john
Three item/task formats are useful in measuring higher order skills: (a) selection, which
includes multiple-choice, matching, and rank-order items; (b) generation, which includes short-
answer, essay, and performance items or tasks; and (c) explanation, which involves giving
reasons for the selection or generation responses.
Classroom teachers recognize the importance of having students develop higher order skills
yet often do not assess their students’ progress. Several performance-based models are available
to assist them in teaching and assessing these skills. Comprehensive statewide assessment of
higher order skills is feasible but would be expensive. Florida and a number of other states now
incorporate the measurement of higher order skills in their statewide assessments.
Higher Order Thinking Skills Page 3
