Higher Order Thinking Skills

In this Nutshell resource, the author presents an instructional framework for the five Rs: relevance, richness, relatedness, rigor, and recursiveness. The book shows K-12 teachers how instruction based on the five Rs, across content areas, can develop critical thinking skills (classifying, comparing/contrasting, and analyzing) and creative thinking skills (inferring, predicting, and visualizing).

Bruce Williams has more than thirty five years of international consulting experience, and is noted for his expertise in group facilitation and in planning and team building methodologies. Williams- specialty is facilitating participative, interactive group workshops whether they are focused on strategic planning and consensus building or instructional methodologies for the classroom. He has conducted successful workshops on brain compatible learning and school change facilitation, and he frequently presents in the areas of cooperative learning, higher order thinking skills, and authentic assessment. With seven years- experience in teaching English as a second language in Japan and Korea, Williams is highly experienced in working with diverse populations. Thirty-six years- experience in adult training also make him a valuable resource in facilitating school change. In addition to conference workshops in 2002 in Australia and New Zealand, he has been invited three times to present workshops for teachers in Singapore. In April of 2004, Williams was the keynote speaker for 400 principals and teachers in Beijing.

Introduction
1. Relevance
About Relevance
The Life Question
Understanding Information--Skills of Comparing and Contrasting
Generating Insight--Skills of Evaluating and Judging
Discerning Implications--Skills of Applying
2. Richness
About Richness
The Life Questions
Understanding Information--Skills of Classifying, Sorting, and Ranking
General Insight--Skills of Visualizing and Imagining
Discerning Implications--Skills of Creating, Innovating, and Inventing
3. Relatedness
About Relatedness
The Life Questions
Understanding Information--Skill of Connecting
Generating Insight--Skill of Forcing Relationships
Discerning Implications--Skill of Generalizing
4. Rigor
About Rigor
The Life Questions
Understanding Information--Skill of Explaining Why
Generating Insight--Skill of Inferring
Discerning Implications--Skills of Sequencing and Predicting
5. Recursiveness
About Recursiveness
The Life Questions
Understanding Information--Skill of Analyzing
General Insight--Skill of Making Analogies
Discerning Implications--Skill of Transferring
Conclusion
Appendix A: Brainstorming and Planning Lessons
Appendix B: Blacklines of Graphic Organizers
Bibliography