neral, people who favor the HOTS or critical thinking approach to learning believe that learning content is not enough to allow students to understand how to apply their knowledge in practical ways and across different disciplines. The development of critical thinking involves many aspects like problem-solving, critical analysis, reasoning skills and impartiality. Children must learn to think logically and be able to question and evaluate the information they are acquiring, and to be able to relate it to other courses and subjects. Some believe critical thinking not only allows this, but they believe it is difficult for children to learn content if they are not in possession of these types of thinking skills, “Thinking cannot be divorced from content; in fact, thinking is a way of learning content. Students should be taught to think logically, to analyze and compare, to question and evaluate in ever course, especially content subjects,” (Carr 69).
One problem encountered by HOTS is a lack of sensitivity where measuring instruments are concerned regarding its effectiveness. Educational policy often favors approached to teaching which can be readily measured against goals for success. However, HOTS does not allow such an easy interpretation, even though some measuring instruments exists, like the Ross Test of Higher Cognitive Processes and the Blog exercise. Education policy is largely a matter of politics. When states and educators choose which tests and method are used, often they will avoid programs like HOTS in policy because they believe it is too difficult to test the effectiveness of, concerning their particular educational objectives, “External examination in the form of a national baccalaureate exam or similar requirements by states are likely to complete a vicious cycle in which deprofessionalized disciplinary specialists teach bored and cynical students to take tests designed by specialists in testing. The d...