Higher Order Thinking
Categories of Higher Order Thinking
Convergent thinking (also known as Critical thinking) –
“This type of thinking is cognitive processing of information around a common point, an attempt to bring thoughts from different directions into a union or common conclusion.”
This type of thinking involves precise, persistent, objective analysis. Convergent thinking is important to foster when the lesson attempts to develop common understanding about a topic. For example: In a lesson about the phases of the Moon, the goal of the lesson is to have all students understand the basic concepts correctly.
Divergent thinking (sometimes known as Creative Thinking) –
“This type of thinking starts from a common point and moves outward into a variety of perspectives.”
Lessons that encourage this type of thinking try to elicit from the students different perspectives on complex topics such as the causes of the Civil War, the question of the ethics of human cloning or an investigation of global warming. Topics in which the answer is not known (open-ended questions) are great for engendering Divergent thinking.
Inductive vs. Deductive Thinking
Inductive thinking - the process of reasoning from parts to the whole. Lessons in which students are given several examples and are expected to make generalizations from those examples.
Example:
Journey North: A Global Study of Wildlife Migration
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/
This online project allows students to make generalizations about species migration through data collection is a classic of higher order thinking.
Deductive thinking - This type of reasoning moves from the whole to its parts, from generalizations to underlying concepts to examples.
Example:
Deductive Argument Lesson
http://www.sci.wsu.edu/math/Lessons/Logic/
This is a short primer on deductive reasoning from Washington State University, with a clear and concise explanation of Venn diagrams.
Closed vs. Open Questions
Closed questions – If the teacher knows the answer, it is usually a sign that the question is a closed one. Scavenger Husts usually call for the answers to closed questions such as:
What is the name of Pluto’s Moon? (answer: Charon)
Who was the first person to circumnavigate the globe? (answer: Magellen)
Open questions - Open questions almost always require higher order thinking; examples may include:
Is Global Warming caused by mankind?
Which Country has the highest standard of living?
Does obesity shorten your life span?
The primary purpose of a WebQuest is to promote higher order thinking. We have tried to explore this concept in greater detail to insure that this distinction is made clearly and cogently.
Convergent thinking (also known as Critical thinking) –
“This type of thinking is cognitive processing of information around a common point, an attempt to bring thoughts from different directions into a union or common conclusion.”
This type of thinking involves precise, persistent, objective analysis. Convergent thinking is important to foster when the lesson attempts to develop common understanding about a topic. For example: In a lesson about the phases of the Moon, the goal of the lesson is to have all students understand the basic concepts correctly.
Divergent thinking (sometimes known as Creative Thinking) –
“This type of thinking starts from a common point and moves outward into a variety of perspectives.”
Lessons that encourage this type of thinking try to elicit from the students different perspectives on complex topics such as the causes of the Civil War, the question of the ethics of human cloning or an investigation of global warming. Topics in which the answer is not known (open-ended questions) are great for engendering Divergent thinking.
Inductive vs. Deductive Thinking
Inductive thinking - the process of reasoning from parts to the whole. Lessons in which students are given several examples and are expected to make generalizations from those examples.
Example:
Journey North: A Global Study of Wildlife Migration
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/
This online project allows students to make generalizations about species migration through data collection is a classic of higher order thinking.
Deductive thinking - This type of reasoning moves from the whole to its parts, from generalizations to underlying concepts to examples.
Example:
Deductive Argument Lesson
http://www.sci.wsu.edu/math/Lessons/Logic/
This is a short primer on deductive reasoning from Washington State University, with a clear and concise explanation of Venn diagrams.
Closed vs. Open Questions
Closed questions – If the teacher knows the answer, it is usually a sign that the question is a closed one. Scavenger Husts usually call for the answers to closed questions such as:
What is the name of Pluto’s Moon? (answer: Charon)
Who was the first person to circumnavigate the globe? (answer: Magellen)
Open questions - Open questions almost always require higher order thinking; examples may include:
Is Global Warming caused by mankind?
Which Country has the highest standard of living?
Does obesity shorten your life span?
The primary purpose of a WebQuest is to promote higher order thinking. We have tried to explore this concept in greater detail to insure that this distinction is made clearly and cogently.
posted by Al Doyle at
2:53 PM
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