¶ … Higher Order Thinking My interest is in the issue that subject matter instruction in History and English ought not to strive for breadth, but for depth. For processing what text I read critically and with insight, I have to regard it in general, and try to grasp what idea its writer is attempting to convey.

My main concern is literacy instruction's overall objective. The literacy instruction area deals with students' ability to process any content they read at the assessment, synthesis, scrutiny, and interpretation level, which forms the last strand in the tapestry of reading (Tankersley para1). As an instructor, I need to exhibit understanding by means of explicating a text's standpoint or aim, ascertaining the critical elements and theme, communicating my views on any given element of the text, or examining a particular character's personal traits and accounting for his/her behavior. I should also have the ability of developing and understanding analogies, conveying my opinions and thoughts in writing, comparing and contrasting dissimilar or similar events, and employing my creative skills for developing and expanding concepts. Through higher-order thinking, I will be able to study advantages and disadvantages and, as a mature individual, form well-grounded opinions (Tankersley para14).

To address my concern, I have to cultivate in myself a sound understanding of language's nuances and the way words are applied, aside from sound technical reading abilities. Figurative language may be especially hard for pupils to comprehend. It necessitates access to background knowledge by readers, together with the ability to inter-relate concepts. Readers might face difficulties, in figurative language interpretation for the following three reasons: they may fail to understand the fact that figurative language is symbolic, not literal, or might not possess sufficient background knowledge for comprehending the association between the items being compared. English-language learners (ELLs) are especially bewildered by idioms and in general, by figures of speech. Enacting idioms or literally explaining them represent fun methods of helping students interpret them. I should make students create picture books of their own, containing their favorite idioms. One of the best sources of vivid figurative language is poems, followed by magazines and newspapers (particularly advertisements) (Tankersley para15). Furthermore, I feel the curriculum has to be expanded to cover activities and content clearly supporting learners in the task of acquiring good cognitive skills.

The sort of evidence for evaluating my progress as a teacher in History would be a comparison and contrast of the reasons underlying the First and Second World Wars, and in English, it would be critically analyzing a poem.

I would, in the collection of that evidence, take into consideration higher-order issues, which require me to polish my natural skills of analysis, evaluation, creation and questioning of sources. This endeavor will, successively, enhance my grasp of the concepts taught to students. Well-framed questions represent blueprints that explain how one must relate to material through the use of various higher-order thinking abilities, right from the creation to application stage (Kwaku 9).

In assessing whether I have judged justly, sensibly and accurately with regard to what has occurred, I need to have the ability to develop and answer higher-order problems, synthesizing data and exploring scenarios I come across in my professional and academic life. This ability would ensure I develop into a more sought-after, successful, and advanced citizen of the twenty-first century. Higher-order thinking is critical as it trains young women and men to survive in today's advanced world. I would make sure I recall as well as grasp and apply my acquired knowledge and skills. I have to be able to put sensible judgment into operation or develop a rational critique by means of critical thinking. This necessitates skills like the ability of judging a source's credibility; identification of assumptions, bias and generalization; identification of language usage connotation; grasping the purpose behind any oral or written text; identification of audience; and of making critical judgments concerning the relative efficacy of different strategies employed for meeting the text's purpose. Moreover, assessment of my progress covers my skills in learning through understanding, problem-solving via information recall, critical evaluation of ideas, effective communication, and devising of innovative alternatives (Collins para2-9).

Literature Review

Higher-order thinking (HOT) refers to thinking at a higher level than mere rote-learning of facts or narrating a story to somebody in the exact same way as one heard it. When one commits information to memory and recounts it without thinking, it is termed as rote memory. This activity is quite mechanical and can be compared to a robot, which only performs the task programmed into...

HOT takes the process of thinking to an advanced level, compared to mere restating of facts. It requires one to apply the facts committed to memory. One should be able to understand facts, derive an inference from them, classify them, interconnect different concepts and information, work with them, integrate them in novel ways, as well as apply them, while seeking answers to novel issues. A few ways for accessing HOT in the classroom are addressed in the following paragraphs (Thomas and Glenda para4&5).
A shift in the direction of HOT skills in schoolroom settings is imperative as it benefits pupils in numerous ways. The rationale here resembles that of directing knowledge to one's long-term memory. Firstly, data assimilated and processed via HOT processes remains in the memory for a longer duration and is retained more clearly, compared to information processed via lower-order learning. For instance, take into consideration the distinction between committing an event in history to memory and expounding on the event's origins; or, that between memorization of a term's definition and internalization of strategies to discern the likely meaning of the term from the context in which it is used. Or the distinction between sheer memorization of figures of speech and an in-depth understanding of the fact that this form of language isn't literal; or, that between narrating the events of a history text and deducing facts from several historical documents. Students with the latter kind of comprehension ability will, in all of the above cases, be able to retain that knowledge for a longer duration. Furthermore, students possessing more in-depth abstract knowledge will have better access to that data for applying in novel contexts. This is, perhaps, the most significant advantage of HOT. Knowledge acquired via HOT processes can be transferred more easily, and hence, students having a more in-depth theoretical insight into a concept will have greater likelihood of being able to use that knowledge for resolving new issues. A recognized study reveals that pupils will more likely harness a skill for solving novel issues when their grasp of the skill in question is deeper, than when they lack this conceptual grasp (Teaching Higher-Level Thinking: Chapter Five 50).

Such higher-order comprehension transfer forms the solution to effective reasoning and solving of issues. Effective problem-solving and cognitive abilities help in practically applying acquired knowledge. As HOT is complicated -- one is, after all, making students decide instead of merely sticking to a prescribed course -- it is advantageous for one, it cultivates motivation for developed tasks. While teaching students persuasive writing, they should be made to draft a formal letter to their community leader on any politically or emotionally charged social issue. Another requirement in HOT is flexible problem solving approaches. Aside from a focus on one practical use of skills, introducing students to numerous everyday contexts wherein a certain skill can be utilized is essential. Application of a novel aspect of knowledge in an increasing number of contexts increases students' internalization of in-depth conceptual applications and implications of the information (Teaching Higher-Level Thinking: Chapter Five 51). All through the course of the instructional process, teachers need to seize all possible opportunities for emphasizing the basic units of HOT. This includes developing background knowledge, as increased acquisition and retention of information about their surrounding world will help students offer more when attempting to solve complex issues. It also includes making assumptions, breaking down and analyzing elements, inferring, and resolving issues (Teaching Higher-Level Thinking: Chapter Five 54).

Plan of Action to Improve Higher-order Thinking in English and History

More precisely, besides the intellectual rigor entailing the development of a HOT-integrating strategy, I need to assume two extra challenges: motivation and sincere encouragement of HOT. If my ability of applying learning to novel scenarios lies at the crux of the HOT concept, I will constantly have to accept opportunities for such knowledge transference (Teaching Higher-Level Thinking: Chapter Five 55).

1. Gaining Knowledge of Language and HOT Concepts

I have to realize that terms, such as 'define', 'identify', 'understand', 'label', 'collect', 'recognize', 'examine' or 'recall', require that I recollect information and prove my understanding of the topic. Also, I must understand that terms, such as 'predict', 'apply', 'prove', 'solve', or 'experiment' require that I demonstrate application. Furthermore, when questions starting with the terms 'appraise', criticize', 'decide' or 'judge' are posed, I need to understand that the HOT skill of 'evaluation' needs to be practiced (Collins para16).

1. Planning Lesson-time Questions and Debate time for Tapping into Specific HOT Skills

'Plan' is…