Put HOTS in your teaching

As little of five percent of classroom time is spent questioning beyond the recall level: who did what, when did an event take place, etc. Dr. Mary Ann Corley, principle research analyst with the American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C., would like to change that percentage. She wants adult educators to incorporate higher-order thinking skills — HOTS — into their teaching.

Why? "If you can’t think critically, then you are not going to be able to find the course of action that is right for you," she says. "Ultimately, higher-order thinking skills reveal one important truth: There is no one solution to a problem, just an option that is best for you. You need HOTS to find the best option among the imposters."

Here are some activities to put HOTS in your teaching:

Is this a Good Deal?

For only $9 a week, you can own a new 22-inch color television. No money down. Easy payments. Own it in only 20 weeks. Good deal?

Learners need a variety of thinking skills to help decide as Question Man delves into the economics of rent-to-own deals in Program 16 of TV411. The Emmy Award-winning series focuses on practical, accessible literacy and life skills.

While doing the math to determine whether a particular rent-to-own deal is a good one, learners use a variety of mathematical and comparative skills—the critical thinking skills they need to make good decisions every day.

Life is So Different Here

Edwidge Danticat was 12 when she moved to America from Haiti, rejoining her parents who had immigrated eight years earlier. She was plunged into a new culture, an unfamiliar educational system, and reunited with parents she barely knew. Danticat had to adjust quickly, so she started writing about her experiences. Ultimately, she transformed an early short story into a work of fiction entitled Breath, Eyes, Memory, which is discussed in "Fiction," episode 13 of GED Connection.

In addition to learning about the elements of fiction—character, plot, and setting—this episode of the popular GED series offers learners an exciting way to tap into their comparative skills. How was Danticat’s adolescence similar to and different from their own? What would they have done differently? These questions offer gateways into developing the complex interpretative and analytical skills so prized in the world today.

The Death Penalty Should Be Eliminated

Use an emotionally charged statement to spark a discussion. Research shows that people learn better when emotion is attached to learning.

Put a sign in each corner of the room: agree, disagree, strongly disagree, and strongly agree. Ask people to stand under the sign that reflects their thinking about the topic. Give the groups a few minutes to discuss their reasoning and select a spokesperson to defend their position. Allow discussion, questions, and challenges after each group report. Then tell people that if they changed their mind after listening, they can move to another group. See what happens.

I Don’t Have Enough Money

Workplace Essential Skills plunges learners directly into the real work world with its daily dilemmas and demands for HOT skills. In episode 21, "Solving Problems," for example, Cheryl, who works in a hotel kitchen, discovers she can’t afford all the strawberries her chef needs. Her supervisor tells her it’s time to raise prices and shows her how. Cheryl calculates a price but then realizes she’s figured the cost for 100 servings, not one. The question for learners requires HOTS: What should she do next to solve the problem and communicate with her colleagues?

This episode also includes scenes from a bookstore, an auto shop, a bakery, a paper plate plant, an aquarium, and a sound studio. Throughout each, workers describe how they solve problems. A baker, for example, says he uses an "if/then" approach to problem solving and describes a checklist he uses to find why something went wrong. Learners will identify with hundreds of scenarios while honing their thinking skills.