Lesson 9: Higher Thinking Skills through IT-Based Projects

            Developing student’s higher order thinking skills (HOTS) is the main priority of the teachers. To achieve this, teachers must conduct and implement activities that would require student’s active participation. Higher thinking skills activities are not only done in a traditional way but we also now have different computer-based activities that can effectively cater the higher order thinking skills of the students. These activities refer to the IT-based projects which include the, resource-based projects, simple creations, guided hypermedia projects and web-based projects. These may not totally address all the higher thinking skills but these projects represent constructivist projects containing the key elements of a constructivist approach to instruction, namely:

a.       The teacher creating the learning environment

b.      The teacher giving students the tools and facilities, and

c.       The teacher facilitating learning.

               With the these IT-based projects, it is the students themselves who demonstrate higher thinking skills and creativity through such activities searching for information, organizing and synthesizing ideas, creating presentations and the like.

I.             Resource-based projects

These refer to projects wherein the students gather and discover things independently. Learners are the main source of the knowledge and teachers will act as a facilitator. Learners are required to go beyond the textbook and curriculum materials. Inquiry- based approach in used in these projects. The following steps should be followed:

a.       The teacher determines the topic for the examination of the class

b.      The teacher presents the problem to the class

c.       The students find information on the problem/solution

d.      Students organize their information in response to the problem/solution.

II.          Simple creations

These refer to projects that require student creativity in using software materials. In developing software, creativity as an outcome should not be equated with ingenuity or high intelligence. Creating is more consonant with planning, making, assembling, designing, or building.

Creativity is said to combine three kind of skills/ abilities:

a.       Analyzing

b.      Synthesizing

c.       Promoting

Five key tasks to develop creativity:

1.      Define the problem

2.      Brainstorming

3.      Judge the ideas

4.      Act

5.      Adopt flexibility

III.       Guided hypermedia projects

The production of self-made multimedia projects can be approached in two different ways:

1.      As an instructive tool- such as the production by students of a power-point presentation of a selected topic.

2.      As a communicative tool- such as students do a multimedia presentation.

IV.       Web-based projects

These projects require students to create and post webpages on a given topic.

               I have experienced these IT-based projects during my IT class and in Edtech-1 and 2. During my IT class we were tasked to make projects such as brochure, magazine, and PowerPoint presentations. In Edtech-1 we were asked to make comics using Toondoo.com, make rubrics are Rubistar.com, Photoshop, and electronic collage while in Edtech-2 we are asked to make our own BlogSpot. Well, they were indeed very nice projects because it can develop your higher order thinking skills since it entails creativity in planning and critical thinking in making decisions. These projects also allow us to know better the computer and to navigate the wonders of it with ourselves. It is indeed true that these projects include discover and inquiry approach to learning. These projects are also hands-on activities.

               These IT-based projects are the ways to develop higher order thinking skills because these require student’s analytical, creative and critical thinking. As educators, we should not give too much attention to low order thinking skills because this will not result to meaningful and productive learning. I am very amazed with how technology it works in the classroom because it will not only make the learning active and productive but it can as well promote and develop the HOTS of the learners which is very good because modern leaners give more emphasis on personal and participative works and new digital learners simply wish to acquire skills, knowledge and habits as windows of opportunity afford them to learn. Also, digital learners prefer fun learning which is relevant and instantaneously useful to them. Through the IT-based projects the needs and interests of learners will be catered and hence will develop their higher order thinking skills.

               Through the IT-based projects, I will create an innovative, useful, meaningful and creative activity for my students to develop their higher order thinking skills that will make them globally competitive and productive components of the society.