Higher-Order Thinking Skills: Challenging All Students to Achieve

by R. Bruce Williams

Overview

Explicit instruction in thinking skills must be a priority goal of all teachers. In this book, the author presents a framework of the five Rs: Relevancy, Richness, Relatedness, Rigor, and Recursiveness. The framework serves to illuminate instruction in critical and creative thinking skills for K-12 teachers across content areas.

Each chapter treats one category of thinking skills. A chapter begins with a brief anecdote that illustrates the category, then discusses the skill, presents relevant life questions, and concludes by examining chosen strategies for the three thinking levels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632205568
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	03/17/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

R. Bruce Williams has more than thirty-five years of international consulting experience, and is noted for his expertise in group facilitation and in planning and team building methodologies. With seven years' experience in teaching English as a second language in Japan and Korea, Williams is highly experienced in working with diverse populations. Thirty-six years' experience in adult training also make him a valuable resource in facilitating school change. In addition to conference workshops in 2002 in Australia and New Zealand, he has been invited three times to present workshops for teachers in Singapore. He lives in Houston, TX.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Relevance
About Relevance
The Life Question
Understanding Information—Skills of Comparing and Contrasting
Generating Insight—Skills of Evaluating and Judging
Discerning Implications—Skills of Applying
2. Richness
About Richness
The Life Questions
Understanding Information—Skills of Classifying, Sorting, and Ranking
General Insight—Skills of Visualizing and Imagining
Discerning Implications—Skills of Creating, Innovating, and Inventing
3. Relatedness
About Relatedness
The Life Questions
Understanding Information—Skill of Connecting
Generating Insight—Skill of Forcing Relationships
Discerning Implications—Skill of Generalizing
4. Rigor
About Rigor
The Life Questions
Understanding Information—Skill of Explaining Why
Generating Insight—Skill of Inferring
Discerning Implications—Skills of Sequencing and Predicting
5. Recursiveness
About Recursiveness
The Life Questions
Understanding Information—Skill of Analyzing
General Insight—Skill of Making Analogies
Discerning Implications—Skill of Transferring
Conclusion
Appendix A: Brainstorming and Planning Lessons
Appendix B: Blacklines of Graphic Organizers
Bibliography