Reflections
I like to think that my thinking sometimes is refined, or of the higher order. In the valuable blog ”CASTLE – Great Blogs for Busy Administrators” via Scott McLeod, I found this quote from Education and Learning to Think.
Before you read the list, what do you believe are the characteristics of higher order thinking?
Higher order thinking is nonalgorithmic. That is, the path of action is not fully specified in advance.
Higher order thinking tends to be complex. The total path is not “visible” (mentally speaking) from any single vantage point.
Higher order thinking often yields multiple solutions, each with costs and benefits, rather than unique solutions.
Higher order thinking involves nuanced judgment and interpretation.
Higher order thinking involves the application of multiple criteria, which sometimes conflict with one another.
Higher order thinking often involves uncertainty. Not everything that bears on the task at hand is known.
Higher order thinking involves self-regulation of the thinking process. We do not recognize higher order thinking in an individual when someone else “calls the plays” at every step.
Higher order thinking involves imposing meaning, finding structure in apparent disorder.
Higher order thinking is effortful. There is considerable mental work involved in the kinds of elaborations and judgments required.
After having read the list I suddenly realise that many of the problems in think again! require higher order thinking. I especially like the words ‘conflict’, ‘interpretation’, ‘disorder’, and ‘judgement.