Sophisticated Thinking: Higher Order Thinking Skills

Journal of Language and Education. 2015. Vol. 1. No. 3. P. 12–23.

Tikhonova E. V., Kudinova N.

This paper deals with the last stage of the study devoted to the development of sophisticated thinking. It focuses on the enhancement of higher order thiking skills. We claim that the cognitive processes should be based on three phases: development of disposition to wards both a thinking process and processed information; development of lower order thinking skills which serves as an indispensable basis for developing higher order thinking skills; and development of higher order thinking skills. The omission or reodering of any of these phases may result in significant deterioration of the obtained results. The special emphasis is put on the idea that higher order thinking skills are more effectively developed when lower order thinking skills have already been interiorized. Furthermore, the development of disposition is regarded as the cornerstone of the development of sophisticated thinking in general. Also, due to its defining feature of polysemy, a literary text is considered to be the most appropriate basis for enhancing students' thinking skills.

Keywords: критическое мышление, thinking, transformative learning, таксономия уровней познания, lower order thinking skills, higher order thinking skills, frame of reference