Enhancing higher order thinking skills through mathematical thinking in an outside classroom learning environment: a theoretical framework

Abstract

Emphasis on enhancing students’ higher order thinking skills (HOTS) has been one of the objectives of Malaysian education system. The success of HOTS depends upon an individual’s ability to create complex ideas, reorganize and embellish knowledge in the context of thinking situation. Generating HOTS in learning Mathematics starts from the process itself involving various processes of mathematical thinking. However, the inculcation of HOTS using mathematical thinking in normal Malaysian classroom setting is rather limited and often inadequate. Furthermore, it is much less practised in an outside classroom environment. Therefore, learning activities which can promote the inculcation of mathematical HOTS should be developed and implemented in the process of teaching and learning of mathematics. This paper reports an attempt to design and develop a framework aimed at promoting mathematical HOTS among Malaysian secondary schools. The framework uses appropriate questions and prompts to support each of the four Mason’s mathematical thinking processes practised in an outside classroom environment.