HIGH ORDER THINKING SKILLS FOR PRESCHOOLERS
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”
– Albert Einstein
High Order thinking is one’s ability to use his wisdom in a situation and apply it appropriately instead of restricting it only to books and classroom or professional experiments. This quality to apply what one learns at class is what is actually intended through schooling.
A circumstance that demands deep and insightful thinking, proper judgement, close examination and evaluation and creativity calls for higher order thinking. Finding solution to an issue after analysis and reasoning is also emanating from the high order skills you possess. This very skill in its higher degrees is what is called Critical Thinking.
High order thinking is very important and this is one among the many skills that a kid must attain from preschools and schools as they might learn and forget many things; but there are things that you should collect for a life time and this is one among it. This skill is been used not to score marks but to live; to apply in life. This requires a deeper level of understanding of ideas and perspectives. This skill can’t be learned spontaneously but this is something kids acquire gradually with time. But the environment for that must be cultivated by parents and teachers since preschool days.
Teachers and parents can develop high order thinking skills in kids through story telling or showing cartoons followed by asking them questions like why the characters might have done it and what if he or she do in a similar situation and justification and reasons for it. Ask kids to share their view about a cartoon or movie or story they know. These make kids think and develop ideas. This helps them create a perspective of their own. Brainstorming activities also helps kids develop high order thinking skills. Throwing open ended questions to kids and asking them to answer, asking kids to prioritize one thing over the other and asking the reason for the same also helps in the same. But make sure to ask short questions in a conversation tone and try to make multiple rebounds to let them interact more.
While trying to instil high order skills in kids, make it as much play based as possible. Bring intangible questions through games to solve and leave it entirely to kids. Let them evaluate the scenario, synthesize their own ideas and eventually find the solution. Hello Kids Preschool chain founder Pritam Agarwal says that they use to conduct story narrations and also shows small animated videos and at the end ask kids to summarize it and comment on the characters and attitudes of the story characters and react to why and how each character behaves in the story. Pritam says that they also ask kids to imagine similar scenarios in life and how do they behave in it to make kids think and to eventually develop their high order thinking skills.
Higher order thinking of preschoolers is of 6 levels. As in a game, each new level is harder compared to the previous one. Let’s familiarize with each of the six levels.
Level 1 – To memorize the information’s and remembers it properly- To gather knowledge:
Identifying people and things, memorizing the names and dates, counting etc constitute skills based learning and these form the level 1 of High Order Thinking skills.
Level 2- Comprehending Information and understanding concepts:
To summarize a story or lesson learnt in class, to answer questions from the same, to understand the facts and ideas discussed and to explain it, to compare things are different comprehensive skills and all these constitute level 2.
Level 3- Application of Knowledge:
Ability to apply one’s knowledge and skills in to different situations that comes across is what is been constituted under this level. Thinking different possible solutions and choosing the best one is also part of this level.
Level 4- Analysis:
From the given set of data, analyse the things and reach a conclusion is what is essentially covered under this level. Inferring data, trying to analyse the similarities and differences, identifying the causes, recognising the changes etc are part of high order thinking and they comes under level 4.
Level 5- affective based learning:
Once a kid gains the elements included in all four above levels, he/she will be capable to take decisions in different scenario. To judge the decisions taken by others and oneself, to support or criticize other’s decisions with relevant points and to substantiate own decision with reliable proof and facts, to defend oneself and others whose decisions you favour etc are part of high order thinking or roots from it. Kids thus might learn to frame their own perspectives and also to wisely choose opinions of others. They can have attitudinal shifts and interests might slowly change according to the development of their higher order skills. All these come under level 5.
Level 6- Evaluation and Creation:
Akin to level 5, this level is also affective based learning. This last stage covers the entirety stage or the wholesome of higher order thinking skills a kid has accomplished. Kids become able to design and construct conclusions, find the final answers to complex questions in different circumstances in life and to draw judgements and to defend it without external help.
Nurture the kids with not just a lot of facts and figures but also the ability to respond to given situations in life wisely. Make them capable to take decisions and be consistent in it. Also, make them wise enough to change their beliefs and attitudes if they find it wrong. We learn a lot of things at school. But the various skills and small lessons that we never forget actually count for the sustenance of our entire life. If the teachers could ensure that every kid gains these gem lessons, the kids are blessed. Pritam Agarwal, the founder of Hello Kids says that it’s far more important than alphabet and numerals to acquire higher order thinking ability. He further says that Hello Kids is not just focusing to teach kids to score higher percentage in exams and to become professionals in future but they aspire to cultivate sensible humans who have a higher level of thinking ability and a good heart.