HOTS - The hot topic

“We didn't learn this way, and we turned out fine.”?“What's with these fad nowadays?” “You are overburdening my kid, just do something normal.”

These are just a few of the many comments I heard whenever I spoke about my most passionate topics - critical thinking, problem solving, higher order thinking skills (HOTS). I heard this so often from my (students') parents that I started to wonder if they were right.?

Then I heard it from some teachers around me.?“Ma’am, why do you waste so much time on all these, you better finish portions”. PORTIONS! This was always what it came to. If I wanted to be in parents’? good books, and not mess with the school management, I better teach the textbook cover to cover.?

I knew that the portions (aka text books) have remained the north star for us teachers for generations, but i was asking should it be the only one??

As an (over)ambitious newbie, I had different plans for my 2nd graders. I wanted them to think on their own, make sense out of things, make decisions, reason it out - almost like (some) adults.?

Even parents were up in arms when a minute part of my portions were left off. It was as though they believed that their kids would magically turn into wizards if they mug up another lesson, recite another poem. And somehow I was robbing them of that “bright future”. And for what? To teach Higher Order Thinking Skills. How irresponsible of me!

Soon I folded.? I couldn't be a lone warrior, I couldn't fight the system - or I wouldn't. That's the kind of crowd pleaser I am.

To me, teaching that lesson which I had (intentionally) deprioritised meant that I was giving another chance for my kids to regurgitate something, little good came out of it.

5 months into teaching, I had lost hopes of shaking things up.? I began teaching the “way we learnt” and rote was that way. It didn't matter, because I was contemplating quitting. Spending 8 hours with snotty 7 year olds, with all that pent up energy, and no avenues to rationally deal with them didn't fit my idea of “what i wanted to do in life”.?

But I couldn't quit either.Because leaving a job halfway is not something I can do (I blame my upbringing for that, but that discussion is for another time ??). In the end, I had to find a way to stay afloat. In hindsight I am glad I had so much resistance along the way because it forced me to execute MY priorities and package it the way THEY liked.?

It taught me some important skills. Spotting opportunities, adapting, integrating with what’s already existing etc…

Not only were my lesson plans filled with HOT strategies, every single minute in school - right from the assembly till they packed up in the evening - was filled with opportunities to build HOTS in my kids. All i had to do was look for it,? and that i did.?

A decade later, a wiser me would say, we can’t always do things exclusively. There are expectations, norms, age old practices -? the prudent thing iMHO is to integrate. By consciously incorporating HOTS into my day to day classroom interactions made it so much fun and enjoyable.

Today as I dust off my old teacher notebook, so many memories come rushing back. How my 2nd graders went from experts at “learning by-heart” to those who can think, consider, conclude and articulate.?

And they start their 10th grade today (early, I know, because lots of portions you see :p ) I am nervous, but I know they will be fine.? For they ARE the warriors that I was not…