KOTA SAMARAHAN, Nov 3: Educators should support the country’s aspiration to incorporate ‘Higher Order Thinking Skills’ (HOTS) in classrooms to meet the challenges of the modern world, said Teachers Education Institute chief Dr Sariah Abdul Jalil.
Referring to the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2015, Dr Sariah said that HOTS is important in view of the challenges in the 21st century and learning the skills necessary to thrive such as information and communications technology skills, thinking, problem-solving, interpersonal and self-instructional skills.
“The teaching and learning process in the 21st century is different; educators needs to to master the subjects, the curriculum content, and pedagogy and use of the latest technology in the teaching process,” she said at the closing of the National Conference on Thinking Culture (NCTC 2017) held at the Teachers Education Institute, Tun Abdul Razak Campus (IPGKTAR) here today.
She explained that modern learning skills usually refer to basic competencies in working together, digital literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving to be taught by the educational institutions to enable the students to be competitive in the face of current challenges.
Themed ‘Empowering Higher Order Thinking Culture Through 21st Century Education’, the three-day conference was organised by IPGKTAR’s Excellent Thinking Skills Centre in collaboration with the Education Department, Malaysia Teachers Education Institute and Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research.
HOTS include critical, logical, reflective, metacognitive, and creative thinking. They are activated when individuals encounter unfamiliar problems, uncertainties, questions, or dilemmas.
Successful applications of the skills result in explanations, decisions, performances, and products that are valid within the context of available knowledge and experience and that promote continued growth in these and other intellectual skills. — DayakDaily
