Topic - Higher Order Thinking Skills or HOTS, are the ability to reason using inferencing, drawing conclusions and integrating information. They generally emerge in middle school when the brain is mature enough to develop this kind of sophisticated thinking.
Benjamin Bloom defined the levels of HOTS in the 1950s.
The first level is remembering information which doesn’t require analysis. The next level, understanding, focuses on the ability to interpret concepts. The next level up the ladder is applying which is described as using information in other situations.
Analyzing is the process of comparing, organizing and breaking information down to understand it. Evaluating comes next and requires justifying a decision by checking and hypothesizing. Creating new ideas or ways of viewing things is the highest level.
Watch your child to see how well these skills are developing.
