From Research to Practice: Teachers Use Formative Assessment and Explicit Instruction to Develop Higher Order Thinking

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: Formative Assessment, Questioning, and Higher Order Thinking

Abstract

This study tested the effectiveness of teachers’ use of formative assessment and instruction directed at higher level thinking in social studies. Higher order thinking is considered essential to education, but teachers often do not feel comfortable teaching or assessing higher order thinking, and not all students are being taught to think critically, particularly in areas such as social studies. Teachers of four grade 5 classes, 94 students, used formative assessment and explicit instruction of higher order thinking during social studies. Student performance on the Cornell Critical Thinking Tests and a test of higher thinking in social studies improved significantly more (large effect) than did a comparison group of 41 students that did not receive this intervention.

Authors

• Henry W. Schulz, Memorial University

• Beverly Ann Fitzpatrick, Memorial University