Higher Order Thinking Skills in the Language Classroom: A Concise Guide

This book provides a practical guide for incorporating higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) into language learning and teaching. It offers six HOTS-enhancing techniques, including graphic organizers, critical discourse analysis, argumentation, emotion regulation, reflective journals, and mindfulness-based strategies, and aims to promote HOTS step-by-step. The book draws on a wide range of literature and includes exercises for direct use with language learners.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 195 pages
Publication date: 13 September 2021
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This book aims to provide a practical and accessible guide for those involved in language learning and teaching. We hope that it will be a valuable resource for educators who wish to incorporate higher-order thinking skills (HOTS)-enhancing techniques into their teaching practice. We begin by acknowledging that, while critical thinking is undoubtedly central to education, it is often overlooked in pedagogy, particularly in language education. This book seeks to address this issue by offering readers practical advice on how to implement HOTS in their own teaching.

The book is structured in six chapters, each focusing on a different HOTS-enhancing technique. In the introductory chapter, we provide an overview of the theory behind HOTS, including its definition, relation to Blooms Taxonomy, its two dimensions (critical thinking and reflective thinking), and the ideas of influential thinkers in this area.

The subsequent chapters present six HOTS-enhancing techniques that classroom teachers can draw from: graphic organizers, critical discourse analysis, argumentation, emotion regulation and emotional intelligence-enhancing techniques, reflective journals, and mindfulness-based strategies. Each technique is explained in detail, with examples and exercises to facilitate its implementation in the classroom.

We believe that this book offers both theoretical and practical support for the teaching process, helping language learners become effective critical thinkers. The compilation of ideas in this book took us over a decade, reflecting the extensive research and life experiences that went into its creation.

We hope that this book will be a valuable tool for educators and language learners alike, and we invite you to explore its pages and apply its insights to your teaching practice.

Weight: 326g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030567132
Edition number: 1st ed. 2020