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Really thinking about thinking
Our favourite cognitive scientist Dan Willingham has presented this very logical and non-hysterical discussion of higher-order skills in a past issue of American Educator, the magazine of the American Federation of Teachers. You really have to read the whole thing to get the full value of his very sophisticated argument, but here is his summary.
“The point of our argument is not to say that teaching students how to think, work together better, or use new information more rigorously is not a worthy and attainable goal Rather, we seek to call attention to the magnitude of the challenge and to sound a note of caution amidst the sirens calling our political leaders once again to the rocky shoals of past education reform failures. Without better curriculum, better teaching, and better tests, the emphasis on “21st-century skills” will be a superficial one that will sacrifice long-term gains for the appearance of short-term progress.”