Issues+in+Education

Higher order thinking skills are not drill and practice programs, recall recognition. This does not mean that these are not important. Actually, they often serve as a necessary foundation that needs to be established first.

Higher order thinking skills do involve complex problem solving, real world problems (ill structured), meeting educational objectives at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy.

__Bloom's Taxonomy__ Level, Original, New 1. knowledge, Remember 2. Comprehension, Understand 3. Application, Apply 4. Analysis, Analyze 5. Synthesis, Evaluate 6. Evaluation, Create

__Computer Software__ Excel, information tool-store data, build data base, lower level excel + word processor, analyze and interpret graphs, higher level Math buster, knowledge reinforcement, lower level Inspiration, concept development, lower level (planning, identifying, relevant info), higher level (comparing, contrasting, analyzing info). Database (File Maker or Excel), problem solving, organizing and analyze real world data, higher level Games (jeopardy), knowledge reinforcement, Lower level Simulation and/or role playing, problem solving, cause and effect relationships, higher level

__Advantages of Simulations__ Concreteness Control Cost-Effectiveness Safety Examples = weather, NASA science simulations, interactive simulations (mostly science) Simulations that support higher order thinking are interactive

__Educational Games__ Promote HOTS when they involve and emphasize collaboration and problem-solving Do not promoted HOTS when too much emphasis is on winning and random guessing is rewarded

__Technology to support higher order thinking__ Tools to gather data = GPS, GIS, analyzes and displays Analyze data = excel and inspiration Immersive problem solving environments or tasks = webquests, making history (role playing game) Share distribute new knowledge = audio and video ZOn, My Wonderful Earth,