Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)

HOTS: A Brief Introduction

Education in the 21st century is fast moving towards developing students who are able to think in a more profound and complex manner. In developing and developed nations, students are required to apply HOTS in all subjects at school level. These students need to apply the knowledge and skills which they have learned to new and unfamiliar situations.

In order to develop the higher order thinking skills, students must be taught through a variety of real-world context using thinking skills while undertaking assessments that require intellectual work and critical thinking. It is currently required that students become self-empowered learners (Maher, 2004) who can define problems, research a wide variety of materials and media, conceptualize, reason and clearly communicate their solutions (Engle, & Conant, 2002; Schwarz, Neuman, Gill, & Ilya, 2003).

All these expectations have made the teaching and learning process challenging for the teachers as well as the students. Well planned lessons and effective approaches are needed to ensure lessons are conducted effectively and students are able to acquire the essential knowledge and skills.

An important factor to keep in mind when applying HOTS in the classroom is that active teaching and learning must take place. Students' active participation in all activities will allow them to use the knowledge and skills they have learned and apply them in the given situations.

HOTS is an essential part of the 21st century teaching and learning skills.