How do teacher educators understand and develop higher order thinking skills in multilingual classrooms in Mexico?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58221/mosp.v120i1.46867Keywords:
creative thinking, critical thinking, English learners, EL, higher-order thinking skills, HOTS, multilingual students, perceptions, problem solving, teachers, 21st century skillsAbstract
Professionals in the 21st century must be able to handle global competition, globalization, technology-driven information, and rapid media saturation. Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), which include critical thinking (CT), problem-solving (PS), and creative thinking (CRT), are crucial in modern society; being education the means to achieve these objectives. However, one of the main problems for teachers is how to develop HOTS in classrooms. This situation is worsened among multilingual teachers, who frequently believe English learners (EL) cannot develop HOTS due to language limitations. This research discusses the qualitative findings from a mixed methods explanatory sequential design that aimed to explore teachers' perceptions regarding the definition and strategies used to develop HOTS in classrooms with multilingual students. Twenty teacher educators in a teacher preparation program in southeast Mexico were interviewed. The findings demonstrate that educators understand HOTS and the need to develop HOTS with multilingual students to prepare them for 21st century skills and, thus, the workforce. However, despite teachers’ understanding of the construct of HOTS, they lack expertise in using activities to build HOTS. The findings underscore the need to include HOTS in teacher education programs.
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